Fragments of Us

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warnings: This chapter is rated M.

Chapter 31 – A Very Happy New Year – Part 2

Sirius was silent for awhile then leaned down and kissed Kate gently. "I can't help how I feel about the man, Kate. I will try to be less obvious in front of you – and others."

"Thank you, darling," she said, returning his kiss quickly.

(End of Part 1)

Part 2

A slight commotion behind them caused Kate and Sirius to turn in the direction of the doorway. It didn't take long to see the cause. The first thing Kate saw was the woman: young, slender with white-blonde hair and "up to the minute" fashion. The second thing that came to her was her voice: modulated, mid-range and with a French accent so thick you could cut it with a proverbial knife. The third thing Kate sensed was Sirius, tensing next to her, for behind the young Frenchwoman stood a tall, rangy redhead.

"Bill!" Molly's voice rose above the buzz of conversation in the room as she made her way over to her son – and the young woman who accompanied him. Kate was certain that only those looking closely at the older woman would have noticed the momentary shift from smile to frown that disappeared as soon as it came.

Bill Weasley came toward his mother and hugged her tightly. "Happy New Year, Mum," he said, smiling. "Say hello to Fleur. You remember her, right?"

It was certain from the look she gave the young woman that she did, indeed, remember her. Nevertheless, Molly pulled it together and greeted Fleur with more warmth than Kate would have thought possible. The naturally cool young woman was not overly responsive, but it was clear that she was doing her best in what had to be an awkward situation. As Molly greeted Fleur, Bill caught Kate's eye and moved toward her. Kate felt Sirius take a step back and she reached her hand behind her to catch his. It was a fleeting touch as Sirius withdrew his hand quickly and moved over to the large front window, where Remus and Tonks were chatting with Harry.

Kate sighed. "Happy New Year, Kate," Bill said kissing her cheek quickly.

"Happy New Year, Bill," she replied smiling at him.

Bill stepped back and looked at her appraisingly. "The word 'Wow' comes to mind," he said, smiling. "You look great in that dress," Bill added.

"Thanks," Kate said, flushing a bit. "It seems to have been a solid hit." Her attention drifted over to where Sirius was standing and she saw him turn his gaze back to Harry. It was obvious that he had been watching her interaction with Bill.

"You're not wearing your ring," Bill observed, his own attention shifting back from the group by the window to Kate.

"No," she replied. "But we're together; we've started over again."

"How many more clean slates do you have in you, Kate?" Bill asked quietly, eyes flashing dangerously.

"As long as we're making progress, as many as it takes," Kate replied. "I made my original commitment long ago; I've just renewed it." She paused, holding his stare, her eyes as hard as steel. "You're my friend, Bill. I care about you and I know that you're speaking from concern and affection for me. But don't ever assume that you have my permission to speak against Sirius – to his face, to mine or to others. And never, ever make the mistake of forcing me to choose between your friendship or my relationship with him; you will be very disappointed in my decision." As she finished speaking, Kate felt a slight, warm pressure on her shoulder. Bill's eyes shifted from Kate to a point behind her.

"Katie, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I wondered if you'd allow me a few moments alone with Bill?" Sirius' voice was quiet but determined.

Kate turned to look at him and found his expression to be equally determined. "Sirius, I don't…"

"It's alright, Kate," Bill said, not breaking eye contact with Sirius for all that his comments were addressed to her.

Sirius nodded, squeezing Kate's shoulder lightly before allowing his hand to fall to his side. "Shall we?" he looked at Bill and gestured to the open library door. Bill turned to speak briefly with Fleur, and then followed the older wizard into the hall, closing the door behind him.

"I won't keep you away from your lovely young lady for very long, Bill," Sirius began, once the two men had walked a distance from the library doors. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time we spoke. I was out of line, Bill and bloody rude besides. I hope that we can put this behind us." With that, Sirius extended his hand to the other man and waited for his response.

For a moment, none came. Then, Bill reached over and grasped Sirius' hand firmly in his own. "On one condition," he said. "That you accept my apology for the damage I did to your face."

Sirius smiled, and brought his other hand up to touch the previously injured eye. "Wasn't permanent, after all." Bill smiled in return.

"Kate told me that you're back together," Bill said. "You know that she's my friend. I only want her to be happy."

Sirius nodded. "That's something we share, then. Shall we rejoin the others before Kate calls Poppy Pomfrey to come tend to our mangled bodies?"

Bill laughed. "She would, too, wouldn't she?" At Sirius' nod, he began to walk back toward the library, Sirius falling into step with him. As Sirius reached for the door handle, Bill commented, "Nice jacket, mate."

Sirius smiled as they re-entered the room. "So I've been told," he replied.

As the two men walked into the room, Kate looked up and smiled when she saw that neither appeared any worse for the wear. Sirius dropped her a quick wink and placed his hand on the small of her back briefly as he walked past her on his way to speak with Harry. Kate suppressed a shiver and returned to her conversation with Tonks, her eyes following Sirius' progress across the room.

The party continued as the clock crept closer and closer to midnight. Sirius and Kate crisscrossed the room, visiting and laughing with friends individually as well as joining each other in smaller groups. Whenever they were in closer proximity to each other, their hands would brush or one would briefly lean against the other. They continually sought to touch one another, as if to reassure that they were there, in this space, together.

With ten minutes to go until midnight, the toasting responsibility was turned over to Remus. As Sirius said, his best mate had most recently faced the challenges that would be presented to them all in the coming months. This therefore qualified him to offer a toast that would speak to their hopes. "Besides," Sirius finished, picking up his glass and placing his free arm about Kate's waist, "Remus was always the most eloquent of all the Marauders."

Face slightly pink, Remus nevertheless stepped forward and raised his glass, encouraging everyone in the room to do the same. "Well, I don't know if what Sirius says is exactly true. I suspect that I only seemed more eloquent than my mates because I was the one left to try to talk our way out of detentions caused by the pranks dreamed up by both James and Sirius." Gentle laughter rippled through the room as Sirius called out, "Easy, Mooney, remember that I've a few tales of my own to share…if pushed!" Remus chuckled and inclined his head toward his friend. "Point taken, Padfoot, point taken. All joking aside, Sirius is more than correct – about the difficult times ahead of us. We know they are coming, so there's no need to dwell on them tonight. Instead, tonight is for celebrating the good things in our lives – our friends," Remus paused and allowed his eyes to sweep the room, landing on Sirius, Kate, the Weasleys, Snape – who had been persuaded to stay at least until the toast had been concluded and, finally, Tonks, whose smile lit up the room. "our families," and Remus looked directly at Sirius, whose eyes filled. "And all those whom we love. It is a night to affirm our commitment to each other and to peace in our world – for once and for all. That is my wish for us all. Happy New Year!" Remus lifted his glass higher. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" chorused all those in attendance, as the clock began chiming the midnight hour and, with it, the dawn of a new year.

Kate and Sirius each drank from their goblets, then Sirius reached over and took hers from her hand, placing it gently on the bookcase next to him. "Happy New Year, Katie," he whispered, pulling her into his arms, not caring who might see them. "My Kate," he whispered into her ear.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Look at me," she said quietly and Sirius complied, looking intently into her eyes. "I love you," she whispered, smiling softly. "Happy New Year." Sirius leant down and captured her lips, parting them after a moment and kissing her deeply, tightening his hold round her waist and pulling her to him until there was no discernable space between them. He broke the kiss only when the need to breathe became too desperate to ignore. Resting his forehead against Kate's, he allowed the tears to fall. "I've longed to hear those words from you again. Thank you, my love," he murmured.

Kate kissed him again, gently, tenderly, bringing her hands from his hair and clearing the moisture from his cheeks. "I love you," she said again, resting her cheek against his and closing her eyes for a moment. She felt Sirius lift his head and, when she opened her eyes he was smiling down at her. "Perhaps we can continue this later?" he asked, his voice and expression uncertain.

Kate nodded. "Come to me tonight," she said simply and was rewarded with a radiant smile and a nod.

"Kate, Sirius, Happy New Year," Harry came up to them, smiling. Each hugged the boy in turn, wishing him the same and relishing this chance to be together – as family – for the first time in so many years. They huddled together for a moment then others approached them to exchange good wishes for the new year. Kate and Sirius were separated by well-wishers, finding themselves embraced by friends and Order members. When Kate found herself standing in front of Remus, he simply opened his arms and she walked into them, hugging him tightly. "Happy New Year, Remus," she whispered. "I am so glad you're here."

Kate felt his arms tighten around her as he kissed the top of her head. "Happy New Year, my very dear friend," he said. "There is nowhere else I'd rather be." A tap on his shoulder drew his attention away from Kate and he looked down to see Tonks standing at his elbow. Kate hugged him briefly, whispering, "Go," in his ear and turning to hug Molly.

After the good wishes were exchanged and the last of the champagne drunk, guests began making their goodbyes. Many were returning the following afternoon for the large dinner party for which Kate and Molly had been preparing. Sirius stood at the front door, quietly seeing his guests out. Kate had been chatting quietly with some of their friends at the foot of the staircase, but decided to give in to her sore feet and head to her room to get rid of the absurdly high heels she wore. Catching Sirius' eye, she motioned to the stairs and smiled softly when he nodded. Kate slipped off her shoes and skipped up the stairs, her heart lighter than it had been since Christmas.

Once in her room, Kate swiftly stripped off her clothing and headed for the bathroom, making quick work of her shower. Applying a drying charm to her hair, Kate strode to her room and opened the armoire for the second time that night. This time, however, the costume she chose would be for Sirius' eyes alone. Still bearing the tags from Harrod's in London, the elegant, diaphanous negligee had been purchased just after she and Sirius had completed their Auror training. Voldemort's escalation of attacks against Muggles had postponed the trip they'd planned to celebrate. Kate had packed away the soft, black garment never dreaming it would be so many years before she reached for it again. Kate vanished the tags with a wave of her wand, allowed the towel to drop to the floor and slipped the silky garment over her head. Looking at herself in the mirror, Kate caught her breath. The silky black material set off her creamy complexion perfectly. The bodice hugged her breasts and flowed out and to the floor in soft folds. Kate brushed her hair and applied her favorite cologne – behind her ears, at her wrists, collarbone and between her breasts. Tonight would be the night she had planned for them so long ago and she wanted it to be perfect. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," she called quietly and Sirius entered the room. Closing the door and turning to face her, Sirius' eyes widened as he took in the sight of her standing in the center of the room, smiling softly at him.

"Hello," she said.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Hello, yourself," he croaked.

Kate swallowed a chuckle, thrilled with his reaction. Summoning her wand, Kate conjured a glass of ice water and gently guided it through the air to him. "Perhaps this will help," she said.

Sirius had enough of his wits about him to smile wryly at her and plucked the glass from the air deftly, downing the contents in one go. Inclining his head in thanks, he vanished the empty glass and took a step closer to her.

"This is the second time this evening that you've rendered me speechless," he said quietly. He waved his hand toward her negligee. "I thought the dress you wore earlier was beyond belief but this…well, you have outdone yourself."

Kate smiled and reached for his hand. "I'm glad you like it," she said. "I bought it such a very long time ago, before everything fell apart. I never dreamed it would take this long to show it to you." Kate tugged gently on his hand in an attempt to pull him closer, but to her surprise and dismay, Sirius stopped her.

"Kate, believe me, there's nothing I want more than to make love to you. Merlin, you've no idea what you're doing to me right now," Sirius spoke the last part in a rough voice. "But there's something I need to do first. Please, sit down."

Kate nodded and sat on the edge of her bed, relieved when Sirius sat next to her. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek gently before beginning to speak. "Darling Katie, I promised that I would never lie, never withhold anything from you, even if it meant that doing so would cause you pain. Remember?" At her nod, he continued. "I feel as if we're really starting over now, especially after tonight. When you asked me to come to you tonight, I realized that this is the true beginning for us – and I want to come into it without any baggage from before. I don't want anything left over from the time when we weren't speaking, weren't together. Am I making any sense at all?"

Kate nodded and took hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Sirius, you can tell me anything, you know that. Please, tell me whatever is on your mind. I promise I'll still love you, no matter what it is."

Kate watched as Sirius took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them and squeezed Kate's hand lightly, looking directly into her eyes. "There's one more thing I need to tell you about the night you told Harry who you are. You know that I was out of my mind with anger and with the fear of what Harry would think of the news, right?" Kate nodded. "Well, I did something the following morning that I'm not proud of, Katie. It was my blasted pride, my bloody temper. Katie, I threw your photo album in the fire. It's gone. I'm sorry, Kate; I'm just so very, very sorry. Please forgive me." Sirius' face was as earnest and as sincere as Kate had ever seen him. She felt her heart fill with emotion for this man as she listened to the words that poured from him. Gently taking her hand from his, she began to rise.

"No!" Sirius cried, reaching for her hand again.

"Shhh," Kate hushed him, and then leant down to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'm not going far." Kate crossed to her dresser and opened the top drawer. She pulled out the photo album she'd placed there the day Harry had returned it to her and shut the drawer quietly. Turning to go back to Sirius, Kate caught her breath when she saw him just sitting on the bed, his head down, hands resting open in his lap. Oh, Sirius, after all we've been through, do you think I'm going to leave you now?

Kate stood next to him and placed the photo album in his hands then resumed her seat.

Sirius' head shot up and he looked at her, a stunned expression on his pale face. "Where…I don't understand. Kate, I threw this into the fire! How did you…"

"Harry," Kate said quietly, reaching for his hand again. "He apparently picked it out of the grate and took it to his room. He gave it to me later that morning," she explained.

Sirius' face was horrified. "Harry? Oh, Katie, not Harry. What must he think?"

Kate brought her hand up to cup his cheek. "Sirius, darling, it's ok. He realized that you were upset. He was coming back into the library to place the album in the room because he was certain you'd think things over and come back for it. He didn't judge you or think less of you. He just wanted to put it where you could find it."

Sirius nodded. "I'm sorry, Katie. I didn't mean to hurt you." Sirius looked at her for a long moment then turned his face into her palm, placing a warm kiss on her skin. 'I love you", he whispered against her palm.

"I know," Kate replied. "I love you, too." And with that, she gently moved her hand from his cheek to his hair, threading her fingers through the silky waves. Applying gentle pressure, Kate pulled his face closer to hers and kissed his mouth. Her kisses were tender, gentle but quickly increased in intensity as she felt Sirius respond to her. Kate felt Sirius' tongue sweep her bottom lip and she parted her lips to give him entry. Immediately, Sirius' tongue entered her mouth, exploring her moist warmth.

"Katie," he murmured against her lips when he broke the connection. Sirius brought his hands up to cup her face. "I love you." He kissed her gently. "I love you … I want you … I need you."

Kate nodded and scooted until she was sitting in the middle of her bed. Sirius followed pressing against her until she was lying propped against the headboard. He leaned in and kissed a path from the shell of her ear down her neck to her shoulder and to the front of her delicate collar bone. His fingers slid the spaghetti strap of her gown down her arm and he kissed her shoulder and down to the front of one partially exposed breast. Encouraged by the quickening of her breath, Sirius repeated the pattern with the other strap, soon gaining full access to breasts. Caressing the creamy skin of one, Sirius devoted himself to pleasuring the other with his mouth, laving the dusky nipple with the flat of his tongue before capturing it between his lips and sucking insistently. As Kate began to shift her hips against the sheet and make small mewling sounds of pleasure, Sirius would switch, until Kate thought she could orgasm from these attentions alone.

When she didn't think she could take much more, Kate gently lifted Sirius' face so she could see into his eyes. He raised his eyebrows in silent inquiry. "I want you," Kate whispered. "I want you on top of me, inside me. Please, Sirius." In response, Sirius slid upward, straddling her hips and kissed her tenderly. "Yes, my love. Anything. Everything. Always." He rose, quickly removing his clothing and soon stood naked before her, the evidence of his arousal erect and straining away from his body. Kate slid from the bed, slipping the gown over her head and tossing it onto the floor. Sirius gazed at her body for a moment, then closed the distance between them, swept her up in his arms and deposited her back on the bed. Sirius gently lay on top of her, leaning down to kiss her eyes, the tip of her nose and, finally, her lips. "My angel," he breathed. "Oh, Katie – how I love you." His voice was strained and Kate knew he was as close to the edge as she. She lifted her hips, shifting them in a circular motion, earning a strangled groan from the tortured wizard above her. "I love you," he whispered again, his voice rough.

Kate caught his eye. "Show me," she whispered. Sirius braced his weight on his forearms and slid inside her with a single stroke. The heat radiated around his swollen member and Kate reflexively clenched around him. It was almost his undoing. He began to thrust, long, slow, deep movements that only served to steadily build the fire within them both. Kate brought her hands from his back to his bottom, clutching the firm flesh and urging him to speed up his movements. "Faster," she whispered, tossing her head on the pillow. "Oh, Sirius, faster!" Sirius brought his arms beneath her and brought her with him as he fell backward onto the mattress, never breaking their connection. They groaned at the sensation and Sirius thrust upward twice before sitting up and settling Kate in his lap.

"Sirius," Kate breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. "I love you." Sirius returned the kiss, his hands in her hair, stroking the back of her neck then dropping to her bottom, squeezing and kneading the flesh as Kate moaned, tossing her head back. Sirius brought his lips to her throat, kissing and sucking the tender flesh. His breath was harsh and ragged and interrupted with sharp gasps and deep moans as he thrust into Kate's tight heat in rapid thrusts. He was close and he knew she was, too. Sirius brought his lips to her ear. "I can't last much longer, love. Are you ready?"

Kate nodded, kissing him, sucking and nibbling his lower lip wantonly. "Please. Now. I need you," she breathed.

Sirius' hips pistoned at a furious speed and white lights began appearing behind his eyelids. He felt Kate stiffen and forced his eyes open to watch her face. Her eyes met his and widened as she felt her orgasm hit. Crying out his name, Kate climaxed, emotions and physical sensations combining into the most powerful release she could ever remember. She felt tears slide down her cheeks, Sirius' name on her lips. Sirius continued to stroke, kissing her neck, her ear, her lips as she began to come down. He'd held on as long as he could and with a final kiss and deep groan, Sirius felt himself release deep inside her. He called her name over and over as the waves crashed through him. Kate cried out again at the feeling of warmth at her center and Sirius dropped his hand between them and began to massage her nerve center in time with his own thrusts and she climaxed again, their eyes locked. Finally, their movements began to slow and they exchanged gentle kisses and caresses as their heart rates returned to normal. Sitting, wrapped in each other's arms, Kate shivered, feeling the chilly air of her bedroom against her moist skin.

"Hang on, love," Sirius rasped as he slipped out of her and lay next to her, sideways, on the mattress. He grinned lazily at her. "I can't face moving, can you?" When she returned his smile and shook her head, Sirius pulled the coverlet from where it was tucked into the bottom of the mattress and held onto it, rolling toward Kate and wrapping them both in its warmth. "Better?" he asked and felt her nod against his shoulder.

"Sirius?" Kate murmured, kissing the side of his neck softly.

"Love?"

"I love you." Kate kissed him again. "So much," she finished, sleepily.

Sirius felt his eyes fill as incredible warmth spread through his chest. "Oh, Katie, I love you – always."

"Always," she whispered and they both drifted off into sleep.