Mary collapsed onto the couch beside Sirius and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"God, I'm knackered."
He handed her a cigarette and sighed. "Me too. I haven't moved since I got home an hour ago."
She lit the cigarette and took a deep drag, resting her hand on his knee. They didn't speak for a few minutes as she sat slumped against him, filling the air around them with a smoky haze. When she dropped the cigarette butt into the ashtray on the coffee table, she heaved herself to her feet and disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a box of biscuits and a bag of crisps. Sirius chuckled as she plopped down beside him again and crammed half a biscuit into her mouth.
"Shit day?"
She glanced sideways at him and swallowed, then set her biscuit down on the couch and tore open the bag of crisps. "How can you tell?"
He grinned and gestured at the snacks. "You're eating your feelings."
She munched a handful of crisps and glared at him. "Shut up."
"You want to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "No thanks. I'm just going to keep eating until I feel better."
A few crumbs clung to her lip, and Sirius resisted the urge to brush them away. "Right." He helped himself to a biscuit. "Well, I can't let you eat your feelings alone."
"Appreciate it," she said through a mouthful of biscuit.
They ate their way through the box of biscuits and half the crisps, until Mary groaned and pushed the bag away.
"Take these away from me," she said, slouching down and leaning her head back against the couch.
He laughed. "Are you just going to finish off what's in your lap, then?" He pointed to the biscuit crumbs and fragments of crisps that littered her trousers and the cushions beside her.
She groaned again and shoved his shoulder. "Shut up. Don't judge me."
"I'd never judge you. I have no room to judge anyone." He dusted the crumbs from her legs, then leaned over to kiss her. Her lips tasted salty, and he left a smear of grease behind as he cupped her face.
She laughed and pulled away. "Don't wipe your greasy fingers on me."
"I would never," he said as he wiped his hand on her arm.
He watched her squeal and slap his arms away, pleased to see some of the defeated slump had lifted from her shoulders. She needs to relax, he mused. We both do.
After Mary cleaned up the crumbs and they made their way to bed, they lay curled together in the dark. The wind blew through the open window and rustled the curtains. In the next room, they heard muffled voices as Lily and James prepared to go to bed.
"Sometimes I wish we could just fucking get out of here," Mary said, her voice hollow and defeated. She traced the scar on Sirius's chest and sighed. "Leave it all behind for a bit, you know?"
He thought about the euphoric leap in his stomach when he took the motorbike into the air and left London behind. The craving for that rush of joy was so strong that for a moment he considered throwing off the covers and taking the motorbike out for a ride. But this was his favorite part of the day – Mary tucked beside him, wearing his old Queen t-shirt and nothing else – so instead he draped his arm across her waist and glanced over at her.
"Why don't we, then?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, let's get out of here. We have the next two days off – let's go on an adventure."
She tucked her freezing feet under his legs and nestled closer. "What kind of adventure?"
"It's a surprise. It will involve getting up early, though."
She laughed. "But you hate getting up early."
He pushed a lock of her hair out of his face and grinned. "I do, but this will be worth it. I think it'll be good for both of us."
She fell silent. They listened to a faint burst of Lily's laughter, then the click of a door shutting. Sirius thought Mary might have fallen asleep, but then she tilted her head to kiss him.
"Yeah, alright. Take me on your surprise adventure. But can we bring biscuits?"
He laughed and slipped his other arm around her. "Course we can, but we'll have to get more, because I think we ate them all."
Comforted by the prospect of their getaway, he fell asleep, breathing in the scent of Sleekeazy's as Mary's hair tickled his face.
Early morning sunlight peeked through the curtains as Mary shook him awake.
"It's too bloody early, Macdonald."
She shook his shoulder harder. "You promised me an adventure, and you said we had to be up early."
"I didn't mean this early," he grumbled as he slid out of bed and reached for his cigarettes on the bedside table.
The sun was fully up when they packed their supplies into the motorbike's storage compartment and took off down Diagon Alley.
"Where are we going?" Mary called over the roar of the engine.
"Quit asking!" he shouted back as he steered the motorbike out into Muggle London. "It's a fucking surprise."
They hurtled through the streets, overtaking cars and dodging pedestrians. The sun warmed their faces and the wind tugged at their hair. When Sirius turned down a deserted side street and took off into the air, he relished the delicious sense of weightlessness as they left the cars and buildings behind. Mary let out a gleeful whoop when he steered the motorbike into a somersault. He closed his eyes for a moment, trusting the motorbike to steer a steady course as he savored the freedom and adrenaline and the speed.
"We're going to Hogwarts, aren't we?" Mary asked when they stopped beside a pond to enjoy a few biscuits and a thermos of tea. "I recognize this little pond. We always pass it on the Hogwarts Express."
Sirius pulled off his helmet and sat down in the grass. "Yeah, alright, we are. I thought we'd camp in that cave I showed you that day we skipped Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Her face lit up as she sprawled out next to him and slipped off her shoes. "I love it. That's kind of a romantic surprise, isn't it?"
"Sod off. It's not romantic – I just thought it would be fun, that's all."
"Hmmm." She opened the tin of biscuits and took one, then offered it to him. "I dunno. It seems pretty romantic to me. Are you going to take me to Madam Puddifoot's first?"
He wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. I'm not going in there – I hate the way that place smells."
"We'll hold hands, and you can look into my eyes and tell me how much you love me–"
"Macdonald, I'm going to throw you in this fucking pond."
She flashed him a taunting smile. "No you're not. That doesn't go along with your romantic date."
He stood up and seized her around the waist. She shrieked and tried to struggle free, but he stumbled toward the pond. Their laughter startled a turtle sunning itself on a rock; it slid into the water with a plop as Mary called Sirius an arsehole and kicked her legs. He took another step forward, but his foot slid on a rock, sending them both crashing into the water.
"How's that for romantic?" he asked, blinking as pond water rolled down his face.
Mary's shoulders shook with laughter, and for a moment she couldn't speak. "You're such an idiot," she choked out.
He stood up and helped her to her feet, then waded to shore to collapse onto the grassy bank. Water and muck dripped from their clothes, and a weed clung to Sirius's arm. He shook his head, spattering Mary's face as drops of water flew from his drenched hair.
"God, you're obnoxious." She plucked the weed from his arm and slapped him with it until he yanked it from her grasp and dropped it down her shirt. "Ugh, it's all slimy." She reached down her shirt to fish it out, then gave up, tugging the soaked shirt over her head and flinging it aside.
"Well, you may as well take the rest off, too," he said, grinning. "It'll dry easier."
"We could just do a drying spell," she muttered, but she wriggled out of her shorts and spread the clothes on a rock to dry. Sirius did the same, and then they sat cross-legged in the grass, munching biscuits in their pants while the sun warmed their bare skin. The turtle returned to its rock, and a few birds flew overhead, but otherwise they were alone. A light breeze rustled leaves in the trees surrounding the pond. Sirius finished his biscuit and flopped onto his back, closing his eyes and basking in the sun. Mary's fingers brushed against his; he opened his eyes and saw she was handing him a cigarette. They smoked side-by-side, watching the turtle take a slow paddle around the pond.
"What a great day," Mary said, heaving a contented sigh. "This was a good idea."
He flicked a bit of ash from the end of his cigarette and tugged one of her curls. "I know. All my ideas are good ideas."
The sun had slipped behind a cloud by the time they were back in the air. Sirius's clothes carried a whiff of pond water, but he didn't mind once the fresh air was whipping his face. They soared over fields and forests that gave way to mountains. Sirius loved the familiar feel of the motorbike underneath him and Mary's arms around his waist. She slid her hands into his pockets as they flew over the castle; he glanced over his shoulder to smirk at her. They saw Hagrid outside his hut, and he looked up to wave to them as they passed.
"Look – it's our favorite tea shop!"
Sirius pointed down at Madam Puddifoot's, then held up the two finger salute. He could feel Mary shaking with laughter as he continued past the village and approached the mountain. It took concentration to navigate through the trees to land beside the little cave near the top of the mountain, and Sirius winced when he saw several fresh scratches in the motorbike's gleaming paint.
"I was nearly poked in the eye by a tree branch, but by all means, check on the motorbike first," Mary said, rolling her eyes as she plucked a leaf from her hair.
"Yes, well, the motorbike doesn't sass me like you do." He pulled a twig from her curls, then poked her cheek with it. "Come on. Let's set up the tent."
They placed the tent at the back of the cave and cast a few protective spells, then conjured a fire on the hard packed earth just outside the mouth of the cave. Mary spread a blanket on the ground, and they toasted sausages over the fire while they passed Sirius's flask back and forth. When the sun began to set, they switched to roasting marshmallows. The temperature dropped, and goosebumps covered Mary's arms until Sirius pulled another blanket from the motorbike's storage compartment and draped it over her shoulders.
"You're always cold," he muttered, shaking his head in exasperation.
"And you're always an obnoxious arsehole," she said cheerfully, tucking her hands into the blanket. "Everyone has flaws, Black."
He pulled a marshmallow from the bag and tossed it at her head; it bounced off her forehead and into the fire, where it was engulfed by flames. She retaliated, but he snatched it out of the air and popped it into his mouth.
"When are you going to learn it's useless to chuck things at me?" he asked once he had chewed and swallowed. "I got really good at catching things after James chucked so many Quaffles at me without any warning."
She stuck her tongue out and shifted closer to the fire.
"The flask's empty," she announced later.
Sirius frowned. "There's more in the tent, I think."
Neither of them bothered retrieving it. Instead, they both stretched out on the blanket. The fire had burned down to glowing embers, and the air was chilly, so they both snuggled under the blanket. The firewhisky and the heat of the fire made Sirius sleepy – he could have fallen asleep right there, even on the hard ground.
"It'll be strange, not going back to Hogwarts," Mary remarked, her voice cutting through Sirius's sleepy stupor.
"Yeah, it will." He watched a moth flutter over them as he imagined their usual train compartment occupied by another group of students. Their old dormitory would be full of little first years who had no idea how much mischief and laughter the room had seen over the last seven years.
"I miss it." Mary's voice was just above a whisper, but it ached with nostalgia.
"Me too."
Mary giggled. "Remember when we got drunk in the prefects' bathroom and had a cannonball contest, then went to dinner soaking wet?"
Sirius smiled at the memory. "Fucking hell, that was great. We couldn't stop laughing – didn't you fall out of your seat? And then we wrote our fucking Charms essays drunk off our arses. And remember that other time we threw Dungbombs off the Astronomy Tower? I can't believe you actually went through sixteen years of life without throwing a Dungbomb."
"I had never felt the need to chuck exploding wads of shit. But I really was missing out – it's so satisfying." Her hand bumped his as she shifted closer. "Do you remember what we did after we threw the Dungbombs?"
He smirked. "What you did, you mean? Of course I remember."
"That's the moment you fell in love with me, probably. I sucked you off in the middle of the afternoon on the Astronomy Tower and you thought, 'Right, this is the girl for me.'"
"Shut up." An owl hooted from the trees, and an ember popped in the fire. When he leaned over to kiss her, her lips were warm from the fire.
"I notice you didn't say I was wrong, though." The light from the dying fire illuminated the teasing smile on her face.
"Shut up," he repeated, kissing her again and pulling her on top of him.
The fire had burned out completely when they both lay on their backs again, their clothes scattered around them. Sirius fumbled around for his wand, swearing when he stubbed his toe on a sharp rock, then lit a new fire and returned to his spot beside Mary. She draped her leg over him and traced her finger along the scar on his chest. The familiar motion of her fingers relaxed him, and the crackling fire warmed his face.
She sighed and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "I'm freezing."
"Of course you are. Come on, we'll go into the tent."
The tent smelled slightly musty, but they opened all the windows to let in the cool, damp cave air. Mary fell asleep first, her fingers resting on his chest. Sirius lay awake after her breathing became slow and even, recalling the best parts of the day. Tension began to build as he remembered the Order business that would be waiting for them when they returned, but he let out a long, slow breath and forced the thoughts aside. They were here to escape the stress of the war, not to dwell on it. Instead, he turned his thoughts to the happy times at Hogwarts he and Mary had reminisced about earlier. He smiled to himself as he remembered all the hours they had spent laughing and shagging and rushing through homework so they could get to the laughing and shagging. We were two idiots falling in love, he thought, then had to repress a laugh at his own sentimentality. Macdonald would tease me for that. He fell asleep, his arms wrapped tight around her as crickets chirped outside and a soft breeze blew in through the tent windows.