Hello, Readers! That is, if you're still out there. I lost inspiration with this story completely, for a very long time. But, I rediscovered it and so, I will wrap this thing up. I decided not to post any new chapters on this until I had it finished, so that I didn't get any hopes up just to abandon it again, but I couldn't resist.. And then I plan on writing another Marauder Era story, but with different OCs, so stay on the lookout for that =] Here it is, then. A new chapter, after what, like, two years?! Of Come Back Down =]
Sirius stood, his hands shoved in his pockets, nervously staring at the girl he was in love with from across the common room. She was biting her lip, a sure sign that she was nervous, and he watched her take one step toward him before pausing.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," he replied, equally as softly.
"So...erm...I'm not quite sure where to begin."
"Me either," Sirius admitted. "I assume you got my letter, then?"
"Yes, I did. And I loved it," Delilah said, a small grin beginning to form on her face.
"I don't...I don't expect you to take me back," Sirius explained, stuttering slightly. "I just...I needed to let you know how I feel. And I need you to be some part of my life. I know what I did was horrible, and I'm so sorry that I hurt you so many times-"
He was cut off by a teary outburst from Delilah. "I love you."
"What?" he breathed.
"I love you, Sirius. And it might take us awhile to get back to where we were, but I want to try. I'm scared to be vulnerable with you, and I'm terrified to let you all the way in again, because you hurt me so badly the last time I did. But, I'm willing to try. If you are."
"Of course I am," Sirius said. He crossed to her quickly, grabbing her in his arms and taking in the feel of holding her once again. "You still smell like cinnamon. And the ocean."
"And you're still creepy," Delilah giggled into his neck. Sirius was convinced his face might split from the pain of smiling so very huge.
"I love you, too," he whispered into her golden hair. "And I really mean that."
"I know," she said, drawing back and placing a hand on his face. She kissed his nose sweetly, crinkling her own. "As much as I hate to ruin this moment, I really am exhausted from traveling from New York, all the way here."
"Well, then, m'lady," he said, sweeping her up into his arms, "off to bed with us!"
Delilah giggled as quietly as possible, as not to wake the other boys of Gryffindor, as he hoisted her into his room. He placed her in his bed, closing the curtains as he fell in beside her. Suddenly he looked nervous.
"I can...you know, sleep on the floor," he mumbled. "I hadn't thought about this part."
Delilah smiled and snuggled up to his side. "It's fine. It's just sleeping, boyfriend." She noticed that he had suddenly stopped breathing.
"What?"
"It's just...really nice to hear you call me boyfriend again."
"It's really nice to say it."
They lay in comfortable silence for a while, until Sirius finally heard her breathing slow and become even. He looked at the sleeping girl in his arms and, despite his exhaustion, could not bring himself to sleep, simply because he didn't want to risk the chance of waking up to find her gone. He lay in the dark, pondering how happy he truly was to have Delilah back in his life. However, he wasn't looking forward to the confrontation that was bound to happen between her and Loraina. He chose to enjoy the moment he had now, dropping a light kiss on her forehead before pulling her tighter to his chest and falling asleep as well.
***
The next morning, Delilah awoke groggily, her face sticking to Sirius's chest. She laughed, peeling herself off of him with a giggle. As always, he slept like a rock as she snuck out of his bed curtains. Remus was sitting on his bed, running his hands over his blonde hair as he began to wake up.
"Happy Christmas, Remus," Delilah greeted casually.
"Happy Christmas, Delilah," Remus yawned tiredly, before suddenly realizing what was occurring. "Delilah?!" He jumped up and hugged his friend, whom he had not seen in quite some time.
"Hello," she giggled. "I came back last night. Sirius gave me an offer I couldn't refuse."
"It's good to have you back," Remus smirked. "You should go see Lily. She could use a friend right now."
Delilah frowned. "How are you?"
Remus sighed. "I've certainly been better."
"Well, I'm here if you want to talk. I should go see Lily."
"Thanks, Lilah."
"I'll see you later, Remus."
He waved goodbye to her as she left the dorm, going as quickly as she could to the Heads dorms. What on Earth could have happened in her absence?
"Lily?" she called up the stairs, dashing to her friend's room. She swung open the door to find her redheaded friend looking rather meloncholy.
"Delilah?!" Lily squealed, her face brightening tenfold. She leapt on her excitedly. "I can't believe you're here! Are you back for good?!"
"Yeah," Delilah smiled. "I couldn't stay away from my Lilykins long. And in further news...I'm giving Sirius another chance."
"You're kidding," Lily gasped. "I'm really happy for you, if this is what you want."
"It is," Delilah grinned. "So, how is my best friend?
"Awful, because now all I have is Remus and Sirius, and as wonderful as they are, they don't understand what I went through," Lily said, choking through a wave of sudden tears.
"Hey," Delilah corrected, "you have me now. And I'm not going anywhere."
"Thanks," Lily sniffled, hugging Delilah once again. "Happy Christmas, by the way."
"Oh, right," Delilah remembered, "Happy Christmas!"
Delilah sat with Lily while she opened her presents, chatting and giggling. It was almost like old times....only they were missing one third of their makeshift family. There was a light knock on the door, and there stood their one third, nervously in the doorway. There were obvious teartracks on her face, and as much as Delilah hated her for what she did to Lily, she couldn't help but notice the blood stains on the tips of Loraina's fingers and worry.
"Sirius mentioned that you came back," Loraina said softly. "I just...I wanted to say hello. And bring you your Christmas presents."
She placed two packages on the floor before beginning to walk out. Delilah looked between her two friends nervously, torn between the absolutely helpless look in Loraina's eyes and the empty look in Lily's. She was torn between two girls she considered sisters. She knew the letter she had sent Loraina was awful, and probably uncalled for. Part of her wanted to get up and apologize to the broken looking blonde in the doorway. Suddenly, Lily's eyes filled with something close to sympathy.
"Wait, Loraina," Lily called. The girl eagerly turned around. "Now that Delilah is back, and everything else seems to be going right but us...maybe we should talk about all this. It is Christmas, after all."
Loraina sat on the floor beside Delilah, making the circle they had sat in so many times over the last seven years. "I would really like that."
"I really want to put this behind us," Lily began, "but it's hard. You've been my best friend for so long. And you knew how much I loved James."
"I know," Loraina murmured, looking ashamed. "And you have to know how much I love you. And how much I truly do love Remus."
"That's why I was so confused," Lily supplied. "I mean, you have Remus, who is the most attentive and caring boyfriend I've ever seen."
"We were both feeling helpless," Loraina tried to explain, "James and I. I can't make any excuse for what we did, but that was it. It was a one time thing, I swear it. I'll never speak to him again, if that would mean that I could have you in my life again."
Lily sighed deeply and put her head in her hands for a moment. "You hurt me. You hurt me badly. But...we've been like sisters for too long for even this to come between us. Right now, I need all the support I can get. I'm still torn up from what happened, and I need help. From both of you."
"And I will be here with all the support you could possibly want," Loraina said eagerly, before dropping her eyes to the carpet. "That is, if you want me."
"Come here," Lily said, drawing her into a hug. Delilah sniffled, tearing up at the reunion of her best friends.
"I want in!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the other embracing girls. They all fell about giggling, and for a moment, it all felt as though nothing had happened.
Loraina bit her lip, before asking the question that seemed to be on the tip of her tongue. "I know you probably don't want to talk to me of all people about it, but what are you going to do about James?"
Lily shrugged. "I really don't know. If he makes an attempt at reconciliation, I might even hear him out. But so far, it's been absolutely nothing. I suppose he didn't love me as much as he said."
There was a sudden rowdy yell from downstairs in the Heads Common Room, and the three girls dashed downstairs, Lily in her pajamas, Loraina in her new "usual outfit" which comprised of men's sweat pants and a tank top, and Delilah in her jeans and top from the night before. They came upon a scene they never expected; Remus was on top of James, hitting him repeatedly as Sirius tried to pry the two apart.
"Bloody hell," Sirius was yelling. "Moony, cut it out!"
"Stop it!" Lily and Loraina yelled as one. All three boys froze, slowly taking in the trio standing at the base of the stairs.
"Remus, you need to be calm about this," Lily said softly. "We're in a war. This isn't really the time to alienate your friends, don't you think?"
"So what," Remus asked, "you just forgave Loraina? Just like that?"
"Just like that," Lily said with a shrug, linking arms with her friend beside her. "If I learned one thing from being captured, it's that you can't take those you care about for granted. No matter what happens."
Remus looked down at James, offering him a hand. James took it, and Remus hoisted him to his feet. He looked at him for a moment before shaking his head in frustration.
"I don't think it's that easy, Lily."
James was simply staring at Lily, his eyes looking pained. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days, which Lily supposed he hadn't. Not that she felt guilty for that.
"It should be," Delilah said strongly. "Look, I know I wasn't here for all of this. But if you pick up the paper, you'll see that people are dying. All over the place. At any second, any one of us could be next. I've come to love every single one of you like family. And I'm not willing to let this all fall apart just because of one flipping kiss."
"That one kiss," Remus said through his teeth, "broke my heart, Delilah. You of all people should understand that."
Sirius looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck at the reminder of his indiscretion. "Remus," he mumbled, "don't throw that in her face."
Delilah shook her head. "No, Sirius, it's fine. I do understand how hard it is. I know how bad it feels. But Loraina told you, didn't she? She owned up to what she did."
"Yeah," Remus muttered. "She did." He finally looked at Loraina, who was crying silently. "God, you're a mess."
Loraina looked hurt. "You don't have to be so mean."
"I didn't mean it that way," Remus quickly corrected. "I just...I mean..."
Loraina giggled a little bit through her tears. "It's okay."
There was a moment of tense silence before Delilah heaved a tired, heavy sigh. "Okay, that is it. Everyone. In front of the fire." Nobody moved. "ASSEMBLE."
They all jumped, walking over to the fire where they sat awkwardly on the floor, the girls on one side, the boys on the other, joined only by Sirius and Delilah, who immediately attached their hands.
"Group counseling. It begins now," Delilah said cryptically.
"I think this is something I would rather do one on one," Remus suddenly said, looking at Loraina once again. Delilah looked surprised.
"Well, if you'll actually sort it out on your own, then be my guest."
"Come on," Remus said, standing up and nodding toward the portrait hole. "Walk with me."
Loraina scrambled to her feet and joined him, keeping a safe distance between herself and her ex-boyfriend. "Of course."
She followed him out into the hall, and allowed him to lead them up a floor, where fewer students were. "We really should talk," Remus said, turning to her as he propped himself up on a window ledge. She followed suit, sitting cross legged on the window seat.
"Yeah, we really should," she nervously replied. "I mean, I've already told you how sorry I am."
"What are those scars?" Remus interuppted, cutting her off. Loraina's eyes widened for a moment before her eyes followed where his were staring; directly at her left wrist. She shifted uncomfortably.
"Nothing."
"Bullshit," Remus said angrily. "What have you been doing to yourself?"
"Nothing," Loraina insisted. "Honestly, nothing."
"You know, the last thing you should be doing is lying to me again."
"When else have I lied to you?!" Loraina exclaimed angrily, hopping off the window sill. "The one thing I've always done is be honest with you. I told you what happened. I could have waited for you to find out, and when you did, I could have denied it. But I went to you no matter how hard that was for me."
"Hard for you?" Remus asked incredulously.
"Yes, hard for me!" Loraina screamed. She was angry now, tears of frustration in her eyes. "I lost everything. Delilah was gone, and she sent me the most awful letter I have ever received. You wouldn't talk to me, and neither would Sirius out of loyalty to you. Even James wouldn't. And of course I lost Lily, when she probably needed me the most. I just sat on the sidelines and watched it all fall apart. And to top it off, that day was the anniversary of my mother's death. You want to know what my life is? My life is being completely alone. My life is having a dead mother and an alcoholic father who hates me. My life is having not one person to turn to. So I turned to a fucking razor blade. That is my life."
Remus sat for a moment, his mind reeling with this new information, all of the things he had never known about his seemingly perfect ex-girlfriend. "Loraina, I-"
"You don't have to say anything," she burst out, on the brink of hysteria at this point. "I'm not trying to guilt you into forgiving me. I'm just trying to make you understand that I am suffering for what I did, and I thought you should know that."
"Loraina," Remus tried again, but stopped speaking as he watched her fall to the floor in a crying heap. He knelt down beside her and lightly touched her shoulder. Seeing her like this, despite everything that happened, made his heart twist in a way that was unbearable. He slowly picked her up and placed her in his lap, holding her to his chest and stroking her hair as she wept. "Shh, it's going to be okay. It's going to be all right."
Loraina calmed herself slowly, taking hiccupping intakes of breath. She blinked her sopping eyelashes, looking up at him. "I'm sorry..."
"Me too," Remus said gently, pushing a strand of platinum hair off of her pale face. "What do you say to friends?"
"Friends?" she asked, her voice laced with dissappointment.
"Friends for now," Remus clarified. "Until we get our footing again."
"That sounds perfect," she said, a weak smile forming on her face.
***
Meanwhile, in the Heads common room, Sirius, Delilah, James, and Lily sat on the floor in a tense silence as the portrait closed behind the retreating blondes.
"So," Delilah said awkwardly.
"So," Lily countered, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Suddenly, James's gruff, husky voice broke the silence.
"I have a gift for you. Can I go get it?"
"Sure," was Lily's noncomittal response. He scrambled to his feet and dashed up the common room stairs.
"Oh, hey, Sirius," Delilah said suddenly. "I left something important in your dorm. Come on!" The black haired boy looked confused.
"You didn't bring anything in my-"
"Just come on!" she hissed. Sirius got up, confused, and followed her out of the room. Lily remained on the floor, sighing at her friend for leaving her alone in this. James returned, holding three messily wrapped boxes.
"Sorry, I'm awful at wrapping..."
Lily couldn't help but laugh a little bit. He handed her a wide square one first that was relatively thin. She opened it slowly, biting her lip as she saw a red satin scrapbook. She opened to the first page, where there was a picture of James and Lily walking down the street in Hogsmeade, holding hands. She was laughing as he poked her side, and she remembered the moment clearly.
"Sirius took it," he said by way of explanation.
She continued to flip through, staring blankly at various pictures of them. She bit her lip again and set the book aside, moving on to the next box before she lost her cool in front of James. She opened it to find a set of leather-bound journals, all of which were obviously worn and used.
"Those are my journals, starting first year until this year," James explained softly. "I wanted you to have them. There's a lot of stuff about you, and us, and...yeah..."
Lily smiled a little despite herself. He was so very nervous. She whispered a thank you before grabbing the last box and opening it. Inside was a beautiful rose gold ring, with a small inlayed emerald in the shape of a heart.
James took a deep, shaking breath. "I bought that right before you were taken. It's...it's a promise ring. That I promise to always love you and protect you. And I promise to always save you, from whatever is out there. Even if you don't want me to love you, I'll keep loving you..."
Lily looked up at him, tears glimmering in her eyes. She suddenly grabbed the back of his neck, roughly pressing her lips to his as he fell back on the floor. His hands were instantly in her hair, and then traveling down her sides. She broke away from him, tears still in her green eyes.
"This doesn't fix things," she sniffled, "but it's a start."
"It's a start," James repeated with a grin, placing his hand on her cheek.
