The morning of the funeral, Decima found herself alone in bed. Sirius had left without waking her. He must have been especially out of sorts. She rolled over to check the clock by his bedside. The funeral had started about five minutes prior. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed, grabbed a towel to wrap around herself, and made her way to the shower. There was no need for the towel, of course, as all the men were at the funeral, but it didn't feel right to walk through the Potter's house in nothing but her skin.
She turned on the water and adjusted the temperature carefully, letting the beads of water rain down on her body pleasantly, thinking about what Sirius might be doing at that moment. He and James and Mr. Potter were probably finding seats at the funeral, deciding who they most needed to avoid, probably sitting with Andromeda and her Muggle, the five of them cloistering for cover in some back corner of the venue, as far from Walburga and Orion as possible. She lathered her hair and wondered what was being said about Alphard Black, whether there might be a coffin-side brawl, or if they would all behave themselves for propriety's sake.
As she rinsed her hair, she thought of Sirius, thought of what was next for them. Their own place to stay, their own life… it was as if they were getting married. But they weren't getting married. She wondered if that was something Sirius would ever want to do, or if they would forever be improperly together, thumbing their noses at proper society. Her heart hurt at the thought and she wondered if she wanted to be married because it was something she wanted, or because it was something she had always been told to want.
Would Sirius ever want to be married? In the current climate of the wizarding world, would it even be wise to marry? Would they be able to love each other forever? Decima knew they were in love, but she had never thought about the lasting ability of love. Did what she had with Sirius have the capability to last beyond school, through their twisted, messed up ways of dealing with life?
Mrs. Potter seemed to think things would work themselves out, Decima reminded herself, turning off the water and quickly drying her body with a towel. Mrs. Potter was usually right about everything, particularly things having to do with James and Sirius.
Suddenly, as she was pulling on her clothes, she remembered something Philomela had said at the beginning of the year, something about a rumor that Sirius never showered alone. She tried to think back on her time with him, if other than the two times in the prefects' bath, if they had ever been in that sort of situation together. In all the times they had been together, there was hardly any time in the shower. But that was a silly thought to be having now. When they had their own place, they could spend so much time in the shower that they became certified prunes.
Unsure of what else she could do with her time, Decima found a few books in the study that looked mildly interesting (and a dirty magazine in Sirius's sock drawer) and took them down to the couch, hiding the dirty magazine inside the books and changing the placement every so often so that Mrs. Potter actually thought she was being scholarly when she came in with a plate of cookies. She was trying to decide whether one of the images she was looking at was anatomically possible when she felt someone sit beside her.
"Mmm, that looks tasty," murmured a familiar voice in her ear, and she snapped the book shut, turning to look at him with a half-amused look.
"Not going to happen, Black," she hissed.
He reached for the plate on the table and said with a falsely innocent voice, "I was talking about these cookies, love. What did your sick mind think I was referring to?"
She swatted him playfully and he kissed her neck. This was the happiest he had been in a while.
"Guess what?" he whispered.
"What?" she asked, chuckling at his newfound exuberance.
"You didn't guess," he teased. She poked him and he laughed. "I went over my financial situation with Dad. He thinks we can get a pretty nice little house in London, as long as we promise Mum to come back every Sunday for brunch. He says otherwise she probably won't let us leave."
Decima could hardly believe how easy it had been, to just wait for him to realize what the best really was for the both of them. She hadn't thought he'd be focused and clever enough to figure it out on his own, but then she froze for a moment.
"The Potters decided this, didn't they?"
He blushed ever-so-slightly and nodded.
"Yeah, but I picked the place myself. I think you're going to like it. I'm taking you tomorrow after breakfast and we can shop for furniture and stuff. The Potters are putting that on their tab for the sake a house-warming gift."
"That sounds perfect," she admitted, allowing him to hug her tightly. "Absolutely perfect."
"I love you, CiCi," he sighed. "I love you so much."
/-/
It wasn't very big, but it was perfect for the two of them. It hadn't been easy to furnish, though, seeing as Decima was still attached to silver and green, where Sirius absolutely insisted upon crimson and gold.
"How about this," Decima finally said, frustrated, "how about we go for house-neutral colors like brown?"
"But you hate brown," he pointed out.
"I know," she admitted. "Brown and purple? Those are the only house neutral colors I can think of!"
"And they're lovely colors," he said quickly. "I think that's a brilliant idea."
And so they managed to furnish the whole house with purple and brown, with very comfortable things, and nothing too horribly girly. Within three days, everything was settled and they had moved in to the new space.
"Well," Sirius said, falling back onto the queen-sized bed, "what do you think?"
"I think," she said softly, crawling over the bed to kiss him, "that it's absolutely perfect."
For days, they did little else but christen every room in the house (there were only five) with their love making. They had to be careful with their magic, as they now lived in Muggle London, but it was worth having their privacy.
Finally, her O.W.L. results arrived, along with their Hogwarts letters.
"How did you do, love?" he said, tossing his letter aside.
"Well," she said softly. "I won't be continuing Transfiguration, but I did pass, shockingly. I got an 'A'. In fact, I passed everything. Exceeds Expectations across the board, so I don't have to drop anything I wanted to take."
"In that case," he said seriously, "we ought to go see the Potters and work out when we're going to go get supplies. Besides, brunch will be soon, and Merlin knows Mum won't take kindly to us being late. Up you get."
They Flooed over to the Potter Manor, where Mrs. Potter was already laying out sandwiches for brunch.
"Oh, good, you're here," she said with a smile. "Well, Decima, how did your O.W.L.s go?"
"Passed them all," Decima responded, grinning in spite of herself as Sirius wrapped his arms around her proudly. "I'll be able to continue anything I'd like, except Transfiguration, but I wasn't going on with that, anyway, so at least I passed it."
"Certainly," Mrs. Potter said. "Oh, that's wonderful. And Sirius is excellent, so if you ever need something transfigured, you can always have him take care of it. All right, boys, they're here! Time for brunch!"
Mr. Potter and James filed in and sat down around the table. Just as they started helping themselves to food, the someone stumbled out of the fireplace. Gwen straightened herself and grinned at them.
"I've just come from the Lupins'. I had to tell you. I'm the Slytherin Quidditch Captain!"
"Oh, GiGi!" Decima cried, rushing to hug her friend. "That's amazing! We'll have to have you over to our new place and celebrate!"
"While we're announcing things," James said with a grin, "you're never going to believe what I got with my letter."
They all turned to him confused and expectant. He was already Quidditch Captain. What would he have gotten?
"A Head Boy Badge," he said, holding up the shiny badge. Every jaw in the room dropped.
"It's official," Gwen said, shaking her head. "Dumbledore's lost it. I have to go tell Remus. I was wondering why he didn't get it. Oh, no!" she said, her eyes suddenly wide.
"What?" Sirius and James demanded.
"What's Lily going to say?" Gwen said, horrified. "She told Remus as soon as she got her badge. She's Head Girl!"
"Oh sweet Merlin," Decima sighed. "Now he had an excuse to stalk her. That poor girl."
"I thought Lily and I were good," James said, frowning.
"For now," Gwen said. "You haven't had to work together. This will be the true test of a relationship. Act like an adult, James, for all of our sakes. Please."
They said their goodbyes, agreed to meet in four days in Diagon Alley, and Gwen left them to their brunch to spread the news of James's badge.
"Well," said Mr. Potter with a broad smile, "it seems we'll have to congratulate you somehow, James. What would you like?"
"Lily's hand in marriage," Sirius said in a less-than-quiet undertone, earning him a snort from Decima and an amused look from Mrs. Potter.
"Actually," James said, trailing off. "Do you think we could talk about this in private later, Dad?"
Decima's jaw dropped. Was he really going to ask for Lily? Or, more likely, a ring for Lily? They hadn't even been on proper speaking terms for very long.
Then again, she and Sirius had barely known each other before becoming more or less attached at the hip. Maybe there was something to be said for fate. Mrs. Potter forced leftovers on Decima and Sirius as they were leaving, probably knowing that the pair of them had been getting Muggle Chinese or Indian take-out nearly every day. They had discovered that neither of them was able to produce much of a decent meal other than toast, which had become their breakfast staple.
"Well," Sirius had said, "at least it's almost September."
"True," Decima had responded, "but what happens when we're not at school anymore?"
"We eat lots of noodles and curry."
And that was perfectly fine with Decima.
When they met up in Diagon Alley with Peter, Remus, Gwen, James, the Potters, Tien, and Lily and her parents, it was a particularly sunny day. Before starting their shopping, they stopped for ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. Then they got books, potions ingredients, and food for pets, quills, ink, and other necessities. Then, they stayed for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron.
"So, James," Remus said slyly, "a very attractive little birdy told me that you've got a shiny new badge to put next to the Quidditch Captain one."
"Indeed I do, mate," James said, rather humbly, Decima thought. "Head Boy."
Lily's fork clattered to her plate and she looked up at him, mouthing wordlessly.
"Well, as much as I'd like to stick around and watch this train wreck," Sirius chuckled, "Decima and I really ought to say goodnight. We've decided to take a cab to King's Cross, so we'll see you in the morning. Night, all!"
There was a friendly chorus of typical partings, and a hardy "Use protection!" from Tien as the pair Flooed back to their house.
It was their last night in their private shelter, alone, curled up in their own room together before they had to go back to school, to the real world where they had responsibilities and schedules dictated by the people around them. As soon as they tossed their purchases in their fully-packed trunks, they rushed into the bedroom, stripped themselves down, and held each other and sensitively and tenderly as first-time lovers.
Decima hadn't ever thought that they would make love in a way that would surprise her, but the way Sirius worshiped her that night, the way he seemed to ask for permission before every touch, every kiss, was shocking and wonderful all at once. When they came together, after he had brought her to climax several times, he actually began to cry.
"Shh," she soothed, hugging him to her, exhausted and a little concerned. "What's wrong, love?"
"I don't deserve you," he sobbed. "Oh, Merlin, Decima, I'm so sorry with how I took you for granted in the past. But before I had you, I was nothing. I promise to be better, love. You're first, from now on. I'm never letting you go."
She knew what he was apologizing for, but it was so far in the past, and already forgiven, so she just kissed him gently, but meaningfully, and he fell into the kiss, wrapping himself around her desperately, as if trying to meld them together through holding her.
"You've been more wonderful than I've deserved, Sirius," she sighed, kissing his chest. "I'm never going anywhere."
And they held each other, merely reveling in the mingling of their heartbeats, of their breathing, as they curled up together and fell asleep. No more words were said, and no more words were necessary. They knew all that would have been said, anyway. Sometimes saying things out loud makes them less powerful, less real.
When the sun rose, Decima admired Sirius for a little while, gently running her fingers through his shaggy black hair, admiring its softness. They had shifted in the night, and his face was resting against her left breast, his arms laced tightly around her waist. She felt like a mother comforting a child.
The thought spurred on more thoughts that had never before occurred to her. When she had told him she wouldn't leave, she had meant every word. She truly intended to spend the rest of her life with Sirius, but they weren't the same as their friends. Lily and James were more than ninety percent likely to get married, have a half a dozen children, and live in either the Potter Manor or some large cottage in a wizarding area.
Decima couldn't fathom whether she and Sirius would even marry, much less have children and live some sort of typical wizarding parent existence. She wanted to tell herself that she wasn't even a qualified witch yet, she should be thinking of such things as children and marriage yet, but the fact of the matter was that the majority of witches and wizards were married by the age of twenty, especially the purebloods. And yet she could hardly imagine her and Sirius living any way but the way they already were by twenty.
She tried, though, to picture them as a family, with children, living in a little cottage in Godric's Hollow (because Sirius would never allow them to live anywhere else; his children would grow up in the community of the Potters). Sirius would insist on having enough to have their own Quidditch team, at the very least, and that way they could play the Quidditch team Lily and James conceived every Sunday afternoon after brunch at the Potter's. Sirius would be an Auror and she would stay home and take care of the children. Perhaps she would do research and invent some spells in her spare time. She had always liked living by herself better, anyway.
The silver lining was that maybe she could get Sirius to invest in a practical vehicle, so that they didn't always have to get around on his silly motorbike.
But it looked so strange, so not like them. Still, it was a wonderful image and Decima couldn't help but hope that someday, maybe not soon, but someday, she and Sirius would have that sort of a future.
She checked the clock. Ten. They didn't have long to get ready and get to King's Cross, so she woke him with kisses and informed him that they had to hurry and shower, dress, and eat. They showered together to save time, and it actually did, since they had what was arguably the most chaste shower they had had since moving in together.
He asked her what had her so incredibly happy as they crammed toast into their mouths and met the cab on the street, trunks in hand. Decima simply shrugged, but in truth she was thinking over her image of them married, parents, happily living out the sort of life other girls had spent their whole lives dreaming of. Indeed, some of her classmates had even planned out their dream lives with Sirius as the husband, but she had never before dared think of it. Now, though, it seemed an attainable dream.
If she had been a Seer, she wouldn't have dwelt so much on the beautiful dream of a life with Sirius in marital bliss. But Decima had never been one for foresight.