December 2, 1977
The hands on the clock didn't seem to move, unlike mine as they painstakingly ground the snake's skin into a fine powder. Severus was next to me watching my every move like a hawk since I'd almost added the gillyweed three steps too early. Across the room, the sounds of our peers struggling to concoct the perfect batch of Veritaserum drowned out my thoughts of enjoying my weekend. Hogsmede weekend. I snuck a glance over to the far corner of the room where James and Sirius sat over their own cauldron. Sirius looked up at just the right moment and flashed me a wink through the steam. My cheeks flushed slightly, though they were already red from the heat of the room, so I hoped no one would notice.
"That's fine enough," Severus' irritated huff broke me out of my head and I turned back to face him as he pulled the mortar and pestle out of my hands and added it to the cauldron. "Just get the dragon's blood." I reached for the vial at the end of the table and brought it over the brew. As Severus stirred, I let three drops of the vial fall into the cauldron and watched as it turned from a murky black to a crystal clear thick liquid in minutes. "Glad to see you didn't screw it up." I rolled my eyes at his words, I'd learned ages ago to let them roll off of me. If I let myself get mad every time he insulted me, I'd have been in detention for a month. Instead I chose to flash him an innocent smile.
"Any fun plans for the weekend?" I asked sweetly as I started to pour the brew into a vial for grading.
"No." He replied crossly.
"Will I see you in Hogsmede tomorrow?" I tried again. He sighed and gave me a bored look.
"Hogsmede is a waste of time."
"I'll be there," I replied cheerily as I stoppered our potion.
"I heard you were going with Black," he raised an eyebrow at me quizzically. "But last we talked, he was an irritating little shadow."
"Last we talked, you told me you didn't want to hear about my personal life," I reminded him.
"I don't," he shrugged in a way that made me believe otherwise. I stood up and walked our vial toward Slughorn's desk.
"Done already?" Professor Slughorn laughed jovially as I placed the vial before him.
"Yes, sir."
"And it looks practically perfect!" He stood to address the whole class. "We will be brewing the antidote to Veritaserum on Monday, so this weekend I think we can go without any homework. Once you've finished your brew you may go."
A chorus of relieved exclamations came from the class at the thought of a weekend free of homework. I started my walk back to my desk and found that Severus was still sitting there, watching me. "So is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"Are you going to Hogsmede with Sirius Black?"
"Yes," I sighed.
"Just another notch on his bedpost," Snape said under his breath but I heard every word. He meant for me to hear him. My blood started to boil. I clenched my jaw and fixed him with a glare. "I thought better of you, Cole, I guess I was wrong."
"Are you jealous?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "You seem so obsessed with what Sirius does, is it because you wish he'd do it with you?" At first, his eyes widened in surprise, and then an appreciative smirk crossed his face.
"You're clever," he said humorlessly.
"And you're an arse," I replied smoothly. "I'll see you Sunday."
"There's no assignment."
"Then I guess we'll just have to talk to each other," I threw my bag over my shoulder and left him behind me. It was 4:00 on Friday, and I had a weekend to enjoy. Sirius was standing at the back of the classroom, James at the front turning in their vial for grading, he gave me a sly smile as I joined him. "We're top Hogwarts gossip."
"We are?" He asked in an amused tone as he reached to take my bag off of my shoulder and place it on his. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the sweetness of the gesture.
"I expect it'll be in the Daily Prophet come Monday at this rate."
"Oh no, love, this is big news…I think we'll make the Sunday papers." I snorted at his response and followed him out of the hot classroom. I fell into step beside him as we walked toward the common room and into the weekend. "Are we still on for tomorrow?"
"We are," I smiled at him and gently reached toward his hand. We laced our fingers together and I felt a slight blush come across my cheeks. It was all so public, holding hands with Sirius in the middle of a crowded hallway where everyone could see. "You know this may be why everyone's talking about us." I gestured toward our hands and my bag draped over his shoulder.
He flicked his hair to the side in a practiced swoop as he turned to raise his eyebrow at me. "Well maybe if you weren't so obsessed with me-" I cut him off with a gentle jab to his chest that made him let out a barking laugh. His fingers tightened around mine as we passed a large group of fifth-year girls who glared at us. He brought my hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. If eyes could shoot spells, I'd have been cursed to the end of time. Sirius's devious smirk was on his face as he brought my hand back down. "Should we give them a real show?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"You're a dog," I laughed.
"If you only knew," He chuckled and pulled me down the corridor toward the weekend.
December 3, 1977
Stepping into the Three Broomsticks, I shook off the icy winter chill and relished in the warmth that came with closing the door behind me. The tavern was bustling with life and I started to walk around looking for Sirius' dark curly hair. I brushed past a group of third years eyeing Madam Rosmerta from a corner booth, and nearly bumped into a short wizard on my search. After surveying the right side of the room I turned toward the left and spotted the back of a familiar head. Through the crowded bar, I walked, dodging some seventh-year Hufflepuff boys, brushing past two fourth years on a seemingly awful first date, and finally reaching my intended target.
"You are a difficult man to find," I laughed as I reached the table and pulled the chair next to him out. As I sat I turned to face him, only to realize that I'd made a mistake.
"We've got to stop meeting like this," came the smooth voice of Regulus Black. My eyes widened when I realized what I'd done and he let out a soft chuckle.
"Sorry," I groaned. "It's so crowded I thought you were "
"My brother, I know," he smirked.
"How are you?" I asked him politely because Molly Weasley had raised me with some manners despite what a select group of ferret-faced Slytherins had to say.
"Fine." He glanced around for a second before his blue-eyed stare was back on mine. "You look well.
"It'll take more than a bludger to take me down," I winked. The chair across from me was scraped out from under the table and Severus Snape sat down in it with two Butterbeers in hand.
"Well look who decided to come back."
"Bloody zoo in here," he muttered as he handed one of the drinks to Regulus. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. "Are you lost?"
"More or less," I replied. "I thought Hogsmede was a waste of time?"
"It is," he sipped his drink and looked away from me like I was beneath him. He glanced toward the door and started tapping the table with his hand. I'd never seen Severus nervous like this before. I turned to face Regulus and saw his fingers drumming on his glass too. Odd. "Don't you have a date?"
"Am I interrupting yours?" I replied with a raised eyebrow.
"We're meeting someone," Regulus said over the loud bar. I turned to look at Snape only to see him sitting up straight, looking every bit at the headmaster I remembered.
"Gentlemen, I wasn't aware you were bringing a friend." The sophisticated voice sent a chill down my spine. It was all at once debonair and blood-curdling. I knew this voice. This voice which once haunted my nightmares. The voice which sentenced me to a horrible fate. I turned to find a man I knew all too well behind me. He was tall, well over 6 feet, and his face was the aristocratic one I remembered. A perfect thin nose, sharp jawline, high eyebrows, and ice blonde hair tied back neatly at the nape of his neck. "Aren't you going to introduce us, Regulus?"
"This is Ginevra Cole. Ginny this is Lucius Malfoy" he said quickly.
"A pleasure." He needed no introduction for me. As long as I live, I would always remember Lucius Malfoy as the man who had nearly killed me. He'd nearly killed all of my friends. He nearly brought back Voldemort. He eyed me appreciatively. It made my stomach turn. "Will you be joining us?"
"She was just leaving," Regulus replied. His eyes darted over to me in a warning, telling me to leave with a glance. I was frozen in my seat, unable to move as I stared at the evil man before me. Why was he here? Why was he meeting Snape and Regulus? I looked at Severus who stared at me expectantly, and then back at Regulus who was staring at Lucius coolly while his leg bounced under the table next to me.
Then it was so clear to me. Regulus the now heir to the Black family name and fortune, Severus Snape future death eater and double agent, meeting with Lucius Malfoy the death eater. I stood up quickly.
"I'll leave you be," I said to the group.
"No need to rush off, have a drink with us," Lucius smirked. In another life, I might have found him handsome as he looked at me up and down. In another life, I might have had the drink, but I was too aware of what Lucius Malfoy was capable of.
"I'm meeting someone," I replied. My head started to swivel around the room as I stood, but I couldn't process what I was seeing.
"He's in the back," Regulus offered to me. I turned to look at him again. This was more than just old friends meeting for a drink. This was a meeting of another kind. It struck me as funny that a conversation so evil, and so dark, would be happening on a sunny Saturday morning in a crowded bar.
"You should come say hi," I said without really thinking about the situation. Severus let out a burst of air through his nose in a silent laugh, and Regulus smiled at me.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Right." There was nothing I could do to stop this meeting. Despite the fact that both boys were still in school, essentially useless to the cause at Hogwarts, today was the day they'd decide to become death eaters. It was written. I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I looked to Severus who stared back with a raised eyebrow. Save me from him, his words echoed in my head. I would have to find a way sooner rather than later. "I'll see you Sunday, Severus."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Cole," Lucius drawled. I nodded to him and gave him a tight-lipped smile, it was all I could muster. I turned my gaze to Regulus. We didn't know each other, we'd had one interaction before this and it ended in Sirius shouting at him. I owed him nothing. But I couldn't watch him make this mistake.
"Come say hi sometime… good idea or not," I said to him. He paused for a second before nodding. It was an olive branch, a lame attempt at one, but an olive branch all the same. I turned toward the back of the pub with my stomach in knots.
I should have done more. I should have demanded they leave with me. I should have punched Lucius Malfoy in his perfectly straight nose.
He was in the farthest corner of The Three Broomsticks waiting on me with a warm Butterbeer. His fingers were drumming on the table to a tune only he could hear as he stared out the window in front of him. The way the sun shone through the window made him look almost ethereal, wrapping his head in a glowing crown of light. I felt a magnetic pull toward him coming from deep within me and, although I was sure I never made a sound, he looked up to greet me. He must have felt it too. His previously neutral features lit up in a wolfish grin as he stood to greet me.
"I thought you were going to stand me up," he said as he kissed me on the cheek. I slid into the booth seat across from him and gave him a shaky smile. "What took you so long?"
"I ran into your brother," I said and took a long drink of the Butterbeer in front of me. It warmed me up and calmed my nerves.
"Oh?" A dark look crossed his face as he turned his head to look toward the crowded restaurant. "What did he want?"
"Nothing, I thought it was you." Sirius kept his gaze on the crowd as his eyes scanned it for Regulus. He took a long drink of his Butterbeer. "He was meeting someone, Lucius Malfoy." He jerked his head back to face me and kept a tight grip on the glass in his hand. With white knuckles, he studied my face.
"Lucius Malfoy's here?"
I nodded. "Do you know him?"
"He's marrying my cousin," his lips curled with disdain as he spoke and his hand that gripped the glass started to shake. "Did he touch you?"
"What? No."
"Good," he wasn't looking at me when he spoke. It was like he could see through me, or that he couldn't see me in front of him. His eyes bore into the wall behind me, steeling himself, and the shaking hand began to calm. "Why was he meeting him?"
"Regulus made me leave, I only spoke to him for a second." Sirius turned back to look into the crowd, this time with much less rage. I knew the evil Lucius was capable of, and something told me that Sirius did too.
"It's good you left," His voice cracked as he said it. "The least Reg can do is keep you away from that man."
"Sirius, I-"
"Can we go?" The rage that was so apparent on his face just a moment before was now replaced with something else. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of him.
"Sure," I took a long final sip from the Butterbeer in front of me and stood up. When Sirius stood to join me we left two empty glasses and a handful of knuts on the table. He laced his fingers in mine and started pulling me toward the exit expertly dodging the people and chairs in our path. I noticed that he avoided the center of the room where the men in question were sitting. I threw a glance over my shoulder to find Lucius Malfoy watching the two of us leave with a look that sent a shiver down my spine. As our eyes met, he raised a questioning eyebrow in my direction. It served to invite me back to the table, to say 'see you soon', to promise that we'd meet again. I turned away as quickly as I'd seen it. The chill of wind hit me when Sirius pulled me out of the Three Broomsticks and into the street. His pace, which was fast just a moment ago, slowed as we put some distance between us and the pub.
"Sorry," He said. "I just had to get out of there."
"It's alright," I smiled tentatively. "Wanna tell me what's going on up there?" I asked as I pointed up at his brain. He let out a shaky laugh and shook his head.
"Not today, Red, today's going to be a good day." He shook off whatever he'd been feeling in the bar like a dog shaking off the water of its last bath. A different Sirius Black stood next to me now than the one who'd been there a moment before. His familiar wolfish grin crossed his face and he looked down at me. I noticed that the smile didn't fully reach his eyes. "So what do you want to do? Anything you want, it's your day."
Part of me wanted to ask about it. Part of me wanted to press him, to make him reveal whatever it was he was hiding behind that perfectly crafted mask. But the other part of me knew that he didn't owe me an answer to this question. Sirius could have his secrets just like I had mine. "Ice cream."
"It's December."
"It's my day," I quoted him cheekily. Finally, his smile reached his eyes.
"So it is," he said and he pulled me down the road towards the ice cream shop.
"We have to go, Red," He urged me, but I couldn't be moved. It was finally happening: the first snowfall. I threw my head back as it landed on my cheeks, the icy cold droplets instantly turning to water as they touched my skin. I opened my tongue to taste the flavor of winter.
"Five more minutes," I called without turning my head. I heard his feet crunching on the damp leaves as he walked back over to me.
"You're going to get us a detention."
"Oh don't get your knickers in a bunch," I taunted him. I threw my arms out and started to spin slowly through the flurries. The moon was bright and high in the sky, illuminating the snowflakes as they fell onto the ground. "It's so beautiful."
"You're so beautiful," Sirius murmured. I turned my head to find him watching me closely, unmoved by the grace of the white storm overhead. I gazed at him through my snow-covered eyelashes.
"Dance with me."
"There's no music," He laughed.
"Who needs music?" I reached for his hands that were stuffed warmly in the pockets of his leather jacket, beckoning him to join me. "Dum, dum, dum-" I started to sing. It was an old muggle song I remembered from the days when I was still allowed to go into the muggle village by the Burrow. It always echoed through the streets around this time of year and reminded me of my home at Christmas. "But the fire is so delightful."
"I don't know this one," He humored me by taking my waist and leading me into a perfect waltz. He was very good at this.
"And since there's no place to go," I sang. The hand that kept a firm hold on my back let go as he ushered me into a graceful spin. "Let it snow! Let it, Snow! Let it, Snow!"
"When were you going to tell me you could sing?" He asked as he brought me into his arms again.
"When we finally kiss goodnight," I looked up at him through my lashes.
"Who said I wanted to kiss you?" He winked.
"How I hate going out in the storm."
"You're literally the one keeping us outside," He laughed.
"But if you really hold me tight," He pulled me into his chest. "All the way home I'll be warm!"
"Are you done?"
"Oh, the fire is slowly dying," I shook my head as he continued to guide me in the dance. "And my dear we're still goodbye-ing."
"Who said I wanted to say goodbye?"
"But as long as you love me so, let it snow." I slowed down the tune and Sirius slowed down the dance. "Let it snow." He leaned his head down to meet mine. "Let it -" Our lips met in a perfect, very cold, kiss. It lit a fire in me, as he deepened it. I felt the fire move from my core and into my limbs as we continued to sway to the long-gone tune. Snowflakes fell on my cheek, cooling the blush Sirius' gaze always seemed to bring on. It was the perfect end to a truly perfect day.
We broke apart but didn't release our hold on each other. As the snow fell like glitter around us, we swayed to a slow tune neither of us could hear. His chin rested on the top of my head while my cheek was pressed firmly into his chest. The molten feeling never quite left me even though the kiss was long over. It burned like lava inside of my core, keeping me warm and happy as we swayed to the tune of the falling snow.
"If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh?" He said in a low voice. The rumbling of his chest against my cheek sent butterflies through my stomach.
"I'll try," I replied as I let my eyelids flutter shut.
"At my birthday party, I had a very elaborate plan to dance with you like this." I smiled sleepily against his chest.
"And how were you going to manage that?"
"You can't laugh," He sighed.
"I won't."
"Remus and James helped me cook it up."
"Oh brother," I sighed. Despite my promises, the grin on my face was threatening to turn into a giggle as he spoke.
"They were going to play a slow song, and Remus was going to ask you to dance. Then I was going to cut in, and-" I couldn't help it I laughed. "You're laughing!"
"You're funny!" I finally looked up to find his blue eyes full of seaside storms. The laughter died on my lips. "I'm sorry. Go on."
"I was going to cut in and-" He groaned. "This is so embarrassing."
"It's adorable."
"I was going to cut in and tell you-" He sighed again in his embarrassment. It was adorable to watch the usually cool and calm Sirius Black agonize like this. "I was going to say" He threw his head back again sheepishly, and took in a deep breath to steel himself as he spoke. "you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. You're smart, and you're kind, and you're so incredibly strong. You take my breath away. Will you please, stop being so bloody stupid, and just go out with me?"
He brought his gaze down to meet mine, and I felt the smile creep back across my face. Will you go out with me? The words sent a shiver down my spine, and the dying fire in my stomach roared back to life. "What does that mean? Go out with you?" My question caught him by surprise as he looked at me with wide eyes.
"It meant - go out on a date with me then," He struggled to respond.
"What about now?" The snow was falling harder around us, and as I looked up at him his dark hair was dusted with the white flakes. His feet started to lose time with the rhythm as the dance slowed and he tried to come up with an answer. A week ago I was sure that this was a mistake, but as we stood under the falling snow with the impending chill of a blizzard around us I realized that it was all so perfect. We were so perfect – so perfectly matched, so perfectly obvious. I brought my hand from his shoulder to the base of his neck and felt the cool damp curls there, I wrapped one around my finger as I waited for his response. "What would you say now?"
"I-I'd say that we make sense," He stammered. "And that go out with me – it means you should go out with me – and only me." He nodded nervously. "I mean only if you want to." I laughed and jumped up to wrap both my arms around his neck and plant a wet sloppy kiss on his lips. He caught me in surprise and held me to his chest, laughing against my mouth.
"Then yes." The arms that were holding me up tightened around my waist as Sirius spun us. Despite the chill of the wind, and the fall of snow around us, I couldn't help but feel warm as he held me there. I threw my head back and laughed as we spun, the familiar rumble of his laughter against my chest brought my gaze back to his. "Kiss me."
It was like I'd unleashed a beast as he brought his face to meet mine. His kiss set forth an inferno in my veins. From my toes to the ends of my hair, I felt the heat of him against me, setting ablaze of desire to burn inside of me. The menstruations of his tongue against mine only acted like kindling to make the fire burn hotter and brighter. And I was thankful for the thick layers of winter sweaters between us. If he'd been able to touch my skin, I don't know what it might have done. He leaned down to let my feet touch the ground, and slowly pulled away from me. I opened my eyes in disappointment to find a battle being waged on his face, he clearly wasn't happy about his choice either.
"We have to get back to the castle," He said sadly. "Filch will kill us."
"Fine," I pouted. He released me from his arms and grabbed my hand to pull me toward our destination. It wasn't far, and I could see the lights twinkling against the white of the snowfall before us.
We were the last to arrive at the castle, Filch was waiting for us as we made our way up the stairs and inside.
"Curfew is in five minutes," he croaked angrily. He turned to mutter under his breath as we walked past him. I couldn't make out many of his words, but the sentiment was clear. We were an inconvenience to him, and he would like nothing more than to give us detention. Sirius shot me a side-long glance and tugged me alongside him. Filch was on our heels, chomping at the bit to punish us for being out of bed past 10. I picked up the pace and shot Sirius a wink. He saw my quick walk and sped his own up to a jog. Never one to back down from a challenge, I sped up too. The sounds of our feet hitting the stone floor were drowned out by the wheezing of Filch behind us as he tried to catch up. Our hands were no longer touching as our jog turned into a run, and we were no longer racing Filch and the clock, no, now it was just between the two of us.
We charged up the stairs and I couldn't help but let out a loud laugh as we did. I was in the lead, but when we made it to the final staircase Sirius used his long legs to his advantage and started taking the stairs three at a time. He left me in the dust and turned the corner toward the portrait hole before I could make it to the top. My lungs were in overdrive, and my heart pounded in my chest as I caught up to him. His legs were longer, but I was faster. We careened down the corridor, both of us laughing like maniacs as we ran toward the portrait of the fat lady.
"Gillyweed!" Sirius shouted. The portrait opened and we continued our race toward the entrance. I let out a shriek of a laugh as my foot crossed the threshold before his.
"I win," I gloated and broke into a happy dance.
"Cheater!" He wheezed as he leaned against the stone wall behind him to catch his breath.
"It's not my fault you're a slowpoke," I stuck my tongue out and leaned against the wall opposite him. My heart thundered in my ears and I watched as Sirius clutched at his side and wheezed.
"Rematch?" He asked as he gulped in another breath.
"Rematch? I don't think you'll be able to stand much longer," I laughed. Sirius gave me an offended look.
"I'll have you know," breath "that I," another breath, "need to sit down" He limped over to the closest couch and collapsed on it with his arms spread wide, his head leaned over the back of it, and his eyes closed.
"You alright there, Black?" I giggled as I walked to stand behind him. He opened his left eye to find me standing above him. He shut it quickly and twisted his face in pain.
"I think I've pulled something," He groaned. He looked so handsome like this, hair a mess, cheeks red from exertion, and a jovial smile playing across his lips.
"Oh, should I kiss it and make it better?" I leaned down to whisper in his ear and his eyes opened in surprise. I raised a flirtatious eyebrow at him "Where does it hurt?"
"Right here," He said quickly. Before I could make a move, he leaned forward to close the distance between our faces and place a sloppy kiss on my mouth. A chorus of laughter and catcalls could be heard from one side of the room as we kissed, and I couldn't help but laugh against his mouth. His hands had grabbed my head and as we pulled a part Sirius stood up as if he'd suddenly found his strength. "It's cured!" he shouted and raised his hands in triumph.
"Get a room!" Remus shouted from his usual chair by the fireplace. He wasn't alone. James and Lily were curled up on the couch beside him, a long-forgotten book was open on Lily's lap as she shouted with the boys.
"Ginny and Sirius sitting in a tree-" she sang.
"Oh piss off," Sirius yelled at them as he walked around the couch to wrap his arm around my waist and guide me over to the group. My cheeks were red, but I was laughing too. It all felt so normal. It was normal to like a boy, to kiss him, to laugh with your friends, to run away from Filch like your life depended on it. It was normal. And I loved it.
I let Sirius have the couch, choosing to sit on the floor in between his legs and closer to the fire. "I guess this means you owe me a galleon, Moony," James said.
"And what was the bet?" Sirius asked as his fingers started to play with my hair.
"That you two would be fighting again before curfew."
"That's not what I said," Remus defended himself. I feigned offense as I looked at him. "No, don't give me that look. All I said is it will be a miracle if the date doesn't end in disaster."
"That's worse!" I laughed as I buried my face in my hands. Sirius playfully tugged on a strand of hair and I looked up to find him laughing too.
"So I said let's make a bet out of it, and I've won. Now pay up," James held his hand out expectantly as Remus rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair.
"Put it on my tab," he grumbled.
"One day you'll actually have to pay that thing," Sirius laughed.
"Not today, Padfoot," Remus's scowl turned into a laugh as he joined in on the joke.
"Well, there weren't any disasters…only Sirius's jokes." Everyone burst out laughing at my joke, and I leaned my head back to make eye contact with Sirius as he shook his head.
"You think you're so funny," He drawled.
"Hilarious," I replied cheekily.
Our laughter went on for hours. The common room slowly emptied as the night stretched on. Remus was the first to head to bed at midnight, and after three rounds of a muggle card game called Euchre that Lily insisted we learn, she and James went to bed too. It was 2 am and I found my head on Sirius' lap as he sat with his feet up on the coffee table in front of him and his fingers lazily twirling my hair. We had moved past the tired stage of sleepiness and had found ourselves at the tail end of delirium.
"I'll make you look so pretty, I swear," I laughed. I reached up to twirl one of his own curls around my finger but Sirius moved his head fast and caught it in his mouth, giving it a playful nip.
"I don't want to be pretty. I want to be gorgeous," He stretched the last word out and pronounced every syllable.
"You'll only be gorgeous if it's 2 French braids…straight down your back. And only I can do them, no one else has the vision or the skill." I threw my hand over my forehead melodramatically and dissolved into another fit of giggles that Sirius echoed above me.
"Fine, you can do it, but not tonight. I'm tired."
"So go to bed," I laughed and looked up at him.
"Come with me." He looked like a petulant child as he said it.
"Tempting."
"No funny business, just sleep…sleep and cuddles."
"No funny business at all?" I asked sleepily. I was having so much fun, but the exhaustion was hitting and I couldn't keep my eyes open for much longer. I didn't want the day to be over.
"Only the family-friendly kind," He yawned and leaned his head back on the couch with closed eyes. I was struck again by how handsome he looked. Even with puffy eyes, and dark circles he looked amazing. Pale skin, freckled here and there from the sun, a perfectly straight nose that curved up at the end, and plump pink lips. It would be nice to wake up tomorrow morning and have him be the first thing I saw.
"Fine," I whispered. His eyes shot open and he looked down at me in surprise.
"Really?"
"But no funny business." I sat up slowly, the exhaustion really hitting me as I turned to look back at Sirius who hadn't moved.
"You have my word." He stood up with an energy I hadn't seen since sometime around 11. We walked toward the boy's dorm like a pair of giddy school girls. Any time I made a noise Sirius would turn around to shush me, and by the time we made it up to the third landing by the fourth-year boy's dorm I was crying with laughter. My back was against the stone wall as the happy tears streamed down my face. Sirius was in front of me, his finger pressed up against my lips to quiet me as he was trying to quiet a laugh of his own.
"You'll wake the bloody school," he whispered.
"Shhh," I replied and fell into another fit of silent giggles. I looked up at him as I laughed, the tears streaming down my face, and I realized that I wanted to kiss him. It was a sobering thought. My giggles died while I studied him. His eyes were a bright blue, and shining with tears as he tried to silence his laughter. My eyes flicked over to a scar on his eyebrow I'd never noticed before. Without thinking I brought my thumb up to it and rubbed it across the slightly raised flesh.
"What's this from?" I smiled up at him. His laughter died as he turned his face to place a soft kiss on my wrist.
"First year, Christmas holiday, I told my mum that the smartest person in our year was a muggle-born, scar's from her engagement ring" He grinned wolfishly.
I started to frown at the memory, of the horrible woman that was Walburga Black, but the look Sirius flashed me reminded me that he didn't need my pity. "Does Lily know?" I smiled softly.
"Hell no." He brought his hand up to my chin, rubbing at the ghost of an old scar there. "This one?"
"I was nine, summer, the twins charmed my brother Percy's teacup to explode any time he said the word 'facetious'. A bit flew into my chin." Sirius let out a low whistle.
"Bet you took it like a champ."
"Not a tear." His face was a breath away from mine and I closed the distance between us, placing a burning kiss on his lips. It was exactly what I wanted at that moment. A warm molten fire started to spread in my stomach as Sirius deepened the kiss. The cool stone against my back was a welcome distraction from the burning inside of me as Sirius wrapped his arm around my waist. My arms found their way to his neck and I knotted my fingers in the dark curly hair at the base of it. He let out a low chuckle against my lips when I tugged at the hairs.
"You said no funny business, Cole."
"I didn't think I was being funny," I replied. Sirius placed another burning kiss on my lips before pulling away.
"Come on." We walked up the stairs hand in hand, only laughing a little as we did it. He pushed open the door to the seventh-year boy's dormitory and we were greeted by a cacophony of snores from the occupants. My eyes widened at the sound as he tugged me over to the bed closest to the window. "Do you want something else to wear?" he whispered in my ear. The jeans and sweater that had seemed so perfect this morning were suddenly tight and scratchy as I stood there. Sirius turned to his trunk and started to dig, after a second he came up with a burgundy shirt that he handed to me. I stared at him expectantly. "What?"
"Turn around you perv," I whispered. Sirius let out a breathy laugh, but obliged anyway and turned to face the wall. "No peeking." I shimmied out of my sweater and felt the cool air hit my stomach before pulling the shirt over my chest as quickly as I could. It covered my butt, but only just, and I realized that one small mistake would leave me exposed as I pulled my jeans off. "I'm decent."
Sirius turned around and his eyes widened when he saw me. "You call that decent?" I crawled into the bed and waited patiently for him to pull off his own jeans and jumper. The sight of his pale chest turned my mouth to sandpaper. He was chiseled beneath all of those layers, his pale skin was marred by a light dusting of chest hair, and an even darker trail of hair leading down into his shorts. I understood why he had half of the school lusting after him then. He found his spot next to me, and I realized just how small the bed was. With a flick of his wand, the curtains closed tightly around us and the sound of snoring ceased. In the silence that followed, I found myself nervous and all too aware of what was going on around me. Oh, Ginny what have you done? I thought to myself. Sirius turned to face me, and the look on his face calmed me instantly. "No funny business," he said. His words sent off butterflies in my stomach and a blush found its way up my neck.
"Only sleep," I nodded. He leaned forward to wrap his hands around my waist and I found myself scooting closer to the warmth that his body provided. He brought one hand up to my face to brush the hair that had fallen onto my cheek away. His fingers left a trail of heat in their wake, and a blush crept up my neck as he stared at me in awe.
"Ginny," He whispered as his thumb traced my jaw. I shivered under the weight of my name.
"Sirius?"
"I think this is the best date I've ever been on," He grinned wolfishly.
"I've had better," I shrugged. The look of shock on his face was enough to make me lose my breath laughing. As I did everything I could to silence the giggles, Sirius began to pout like a petulant child.
"Don't lie to me, Red." I leaned forward to place a bruising kiss on his mouth.
"Fine," I breathed. "It was pretty incredible."
"I think I can do better," he replied.
"I'd like to see you try," I dared him. He leaned forward to close the distance between us once again. This time his kiss was sure, and firm, and reminded me why I was always thinking about kissing him in the first place. His lips, while soft in touch, were firm and sure of what to do to drive me wild. His hands never wandered nervously, but knew exactly where to go and what to do to set the fire burning inside of me once again. And his tongue – well he knew exactly what to do with that. He leaned back to catch his breath, leaving me breathless and wanting in his wake.
"Sorry," He grinned. "I promised you no funny business."
"Well, maybe a little isn't so bad." It was like I'd given him the best gift of all time with my words and his lips were back on mine in an instant.
For a brief moment, I was unaware of the world around me. It was only us, kissing in that too small bed with the curtains closed tight to drown out the sounds of snoring, and snogging. I felt alive as the fire of desire burning inside of me, and I felt truly happy for the first time in – well I don't know when.