"I have a request."
Fulk looked up from his desk, where he was seated, likely grading papers. A smirk slid onto his lips when his icy blue eyes met Lux's, as she shut the door behind them.
"Yes?" He raised a gentle eyebrow.
"I'd like to go to the Potter's home for winter break. I was invited, and I think it might be rude to turn them down."
"Since when do you care about being rude?"
She gulped, biting down on her lip. Fulk was bound to find out eventually, she figured, so she might as well get out with it. Dancing on the tips of her toes, and avoiding meeting eye contact, she said, "Since Sirius Black asked me to be his girlfriend."
"I knew it." Fulk's smirk expanded, as he rose from his seat. "I knew the boy was enamored with you. You sharing the same feelings, though, well that's certainly a shock. I truly never thought you'd get over Elias."
"I'm not." She clicked her tongue. "I'll never truly be over him, or what happened to him. But…I figured I ought to get out there again. Have some fun. And Sirius is handsome, and kind, and I do fancy him."
"No matter, I'm still happy for you." Fulk looked down at his desk. "If you're going to the Potter's for the holidays, I ought to give you your Christmas gift now, don't you reckon?"
Her brow furrowed together. "Since when do we exchange Christmas gifts?"
"Since I got a job, and enough money to purchase whatever my heart desires." He began to dig through the drawer of his desk, eventually pulling out a necklace, with a golden chain and a ruby gemstone centered on it, framed with delicate golden designs. "For you, my dear Lux."
Her jaw dropped, as she stepped towards him. "Merlin, Fulk, this must've cost a fortune!"
Fulk simply shrugged. "I saw it, and figured you needed to have it. It's beautiful, just like you, and it matches your ring as well."
"Thank you so much." She grinned up at him, not a smirk, but a grin, as her heart seemingly burst from her chest. "I'll wear it always."
"Good." He reached over, placing a hand atop her shoulder, and meeting her eyes. He wore a strange sort of expression, one unlike anything she'd ever seen on Fulk before, yet one she chose not to attempt to decipher. She was too beyond happy to care. "Take care, Lux. And if Mr. Black hurts you, rest assured, I will rip out his throat with my teeth."
"He won't hurt me." She insisted, as she moved to tie the necklace around her neck, the gemstone hovering on her chest, shining from the sliver of sunlight that cut through the curtains of the window. "And if he does, we both know I can take care of it myself. Philip is proof of that."
He let out a barking laugh, grinning at the memory of what she'd done to their long dead foe. "Yes, he truly is. Now run along, my dear."
Lux met Sirius on the train the next day. He was already in a compartment with Remus and Peter, and when she swung open the door, he broke out into a bright grin. "Luxie! You came!"
"Did you think I wouldn't?" She frowned as she sat down next to him, straightening her skirt as she did. "I already told you I would."
"Yes, but…" He shrugged.
Lux looked around. "Where's James?"
"He's with Lily, in the prefect's compartment. Probably having the time of his life." Peter explained.
At this, Sirius let out a laugh. "I heard he was planning on proposing again today."
Her brow furrowed together. "Again? How often does he propose to her?"
"About once a week. It's mad, really. He should realize by now that Evans wants nothing to do with him. It's time he moves on to someone else."
"Someone like who?" Remus asked with the cock of an eyebrow.
"Mary, maybe?" Sirius suggested. "Or Marlene. She's single, isn't she?" As if to confirm this, he glanced over at Lux, head tilted to the side.
"How would I know? I barely talk to them."
"You share a dorm, though." Peter pointed out.
She shrugged, not saying anything else on the subject.
"I suppose Luxie prefers our company to theirs." Sirius said as he flung an arm over her shoulder, dragging her over to him, so the pair were pressed against each other. Lux bit down on her tongue, otherwise not giving any reaction, as she felt Sirius's breathing against her.
"You're official, then?" Peter asked.
At this, Lux frowned. Surely Sirius would've told his mates by now that they were together. Unless…he didn't want to upset Remus. Of course. She could understand that, Remus seemed like the type of guy who aimed to kill with his words when angry, biting and scratching until you were worn down into nothing.
As if he could sense her thinking about him, Remus turned to look at her, eyebrows arched.
Her lips tingled, and she swiftly turned her gaze towards her shoes, gently tapping them together.
"Yeah, we sure are." Sirius responded, grinning, though Lux could hear a slight tremble in his voice, and his grip on her shoulder loosened. When no one said anything, he continued, his tone more confident, "Luxie agreed to be my girlfriend."
When Lux looked up, Remus was still staring at her, a shadow over his face, making him look like perhaps the most menacing of all the monsters in the world.
Her dead heart leapt in her chest.
Run.
"I'll be right back." Lux said suddenly, rising to her feet.
"Where are you—" Peter began, but before he could finish his question, she'd slipped out of the compartment and into the hall of the train. She had to get away, away from Remus, no matter what it took. But bloody hell, how was she supposed to do that when Sirius was his best mate?
She liked Sirius, she did. Well, she thought she did, anyways. She should. He was handsome, and a good kisser, and he treated her with kindness. What else could she ask for in a man?
Passion, she supposed, like the flame that had ignited between her and Elias those years ago. But flames were destined to destroy, to burn whatever it caught, diminish it to ask. Perhaps a lack of passion, a lack of fire, was what Lux needed. Perhaps Sirius was what she needed.
But how could she have him with Remus in the way?
She let out a breath, and moved to turn around, and make her way back to the compartment, but before she could, someone grabbed onto her arm, and yanked her into the compartment nearest to her.
"What the fuck?!" She shouted as the mysterious figure slammed the compartment door behind her, and subsequently slammed her against the wall, their arm pressed against her throat.
Panic seized in her, though the moment she met Severus Snape's eyes, she let out a sigh of relief. He stood no chance against her, none at all. What harm could he possibly pose to her? He was as pathetic as they came.
Not bothering to hide her strength, she shoved him off of her, sending him stumbling backwards. "Don't ever touch me again, Snape."
"What are you going to do, eat me?" He challenged with the raise of his eyebrow.
"Maybe." She shrugged casually, and he paled. "Though I doubt you'd taste any good."
When Snape said nothing, Lux continued. "Did you want something, or were you just trying to find an excuse to piss off someone far more powerful than you will ever be? If you're truly that suicidal, I can help you out. I don't mind, really."
"I want to know how you walk in the sun."
"Why? Are you considering joining me in vampirism?"
"Of course not!"
"Then how does it concern you?"
He said nothing, simply glaring at her, though she could tell that beneath his anger, he held pure panic. Snape picked a fight he could not win, and he was well aware of that now. How was that boy not in Gryffindor, for his pure stupidity? Weren't Slytherins supposed to be cunning?
"Forget it. You'll get what you have coming to you, Erzsebet. Just you wait." He huffed, and before she could say anything, he stormed out of the compartment, slamming the door behind him.
Lux inhaled a deep breath, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself down. She had externally emitted the confidence she had intended to, but crevices were forming in her skin from anxiety.
Sirius knowing, that was one thing, but Snape was ticking time bomb, one she'd have to extinguish eventually. He would only stay silent for so long, unless she did something to really scare him out of telling.
No matter. She had to pull herself together, had to be presentable for when she returned to the compartment with the boys. She'd deal with Snape later.
When she returned to the compartment, Sirius and Peter were engaged in some sort of card game, and while Sirius looked up and grinned at her arrival, he swiftly returned his attention back to his friend.
"Where'd you run off to?" Remus asked.
"Nowhere." She shifted in her seat under his harsh gaze. "Why do you care?"
"Just making conversation."
"Since when do you make conversation with me?"
Remus rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else on the subject.
Eventually, the train pulled into the station. The sun had already set, and the frigid air left Lux shivering as they stepped off the train and towards James's family. James had emerged from his place in the Prefect's compartment before the others, and was standing with his mother and father, grinning as he waved for them to join him.
"Hello, boys!" His mother exclaimed, rushing over to Sirius and wrapping him in a tight hug. She repeated the same action with Remus and Peter, before diverting her attention to Lux. "And the new friend! Merlin, you're perhaps the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Of course, I'm sure you get that often, dear."
"Thank you." Lux couldn't find it in her to crack a smile. James's mum was right, she did get called beautiful often, but how could she believe it when she couldn't see for herself? "You are too, Mrs. Potter."
"Aren't you a dear!" She exclaimed, before wrapping her in a tight hug as well. She smelled of roses, and perfume, and nothing at all like Lux remembered Mary Erzsebet to smell like, though at the same time, it reminded her of her mother. The gentle touch, the loving embrace, all of it, and when she eventually broke away, Lux found herself craving that hug more than anything. "And none of this Mrs. Potter nonsense. You can call me Effie."
"And I'm Fleamont." James's father stepped in, giving her a warm smile. "James has told us so much about you. You're new to Hogwarts this year, correct?"
Sirius's eyes slid her way, and she avoided looking at him as she spoke. "Yes, I was homeschooled by my father. He's now teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Isn't that just lovely!" Fleamont exclaimed, though Lux wasn't sure what he thought was so lovely about that.
So, she nodded in agreement, keeping her mouth shut.
"Mum, not to be rude, but can we please go?" James shuddered. "I mean, I'm all for you talking to Lux, but I'm bloody freezing."
"Of course, of course." Effie ruffled her son's hair. "We'll talk more when we're home! Come on, let's all join hands."
They apparated outside of the Potter mansion, where the snow was lacking as much density as King's Cross had, though the air wasn't any less freezing.
The boys, along with Effie and Fleamont Potter moved to step inside the expansive home, and as Lux followed, a sinking feeling hit her like a punch to the gut, as she stared at the open door.
This wasn't her home.
She had to be invited in.
Likely looking like a complete idiot, she hovered outside the doorframe, begging to all the Gods she could think of that Sirius would somehow notice, and perhaps he'd be able to invite her in. It was his home too, after all, not just the Potter's.
"Are you going to come in, Lux?" Peter asked, and she nearly groaned.
"Er, yeah…" She bit down on her lip, eyeing the doorway.
Sirius's head shot up from where he was kicking off his boots, and his eyes met hers with a knowing look in them. "Yeah, Luxie, come on in."
She gave him an appreciative nod, before stepping inside the warm home, and closing the door behind her.
"You have a lovely home, Effie." Lux complimented as she sat down on the couch, after being given a grand tour of the mansion. Sirius was at her side, his hand entwined with hers.
"You're such a sweetheart. Oh, Sirius, I'm so glad you asked us to let her come visit!" Effie exclaimed. "You're welcome here anytime you want. Our home is your home, Lux."
"Thank you."
"Oh, my dear, that's a beautiful necklace!" Effie leaned in, eyeing the necklace that hung off of Lux's neck, the one Fulk had given her. "And it matches your ring, too! Where did you get it?"
"My father. It was a Christmas gift."
"I hope your father isn't too upset we're stealing you away for the holidays." She frowned.
"He isn't, I'm certain. I see him enough over the school year. I'm sure he's happy to have a break from me, if I'm being honest."
"Well, I'm very happy you're here, at least." Effie grinned, before turning to look at the boys. "Are you all hungry? Did you get anything to eat on the train? Oh, my dears, you must all be starving! Fleamont, can you put in dinner? The chicken — the big one. There's a lot of us."
"Of course, dear." Fleamont rose from his seat and made his way into the kitchen.
The moment her husband disappeared into the kitchen, she reverted her attention back to Lux, as though she were the most interesting thing she'd ever laid her eyes upon. Perhaps she was so used to being surrounded by a swarm of boys, that someone of her same sex was relieving to her.
"Lux is a lovely name. Does it mean something? Is it a family name?"
She shrugged. "Er…I suppose it must be. I don't know where my parents got it from."
"You told me it was a family name." Remus interjected, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the Potter home. "When we found that detention slip."
"I said it must be. Not that it was."
Sirius shifted in his seat.
"Is the Erzsebet family English, then?" Effie swiftly interrupted what was evidently growing to be a confrontation. "Or are you immigrants? I've never heard of them before."
"I'm English, on both sides. As far as I'm aware, anyways. Though I took my mother's last name, not my father's."
"And tell me about them! What are your parents like?"
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Luxie, can I show you the gardens?" Sirius jumped into the conversation suddenly. "We didn't get a chance to see them. They're beautiful."
"Sirius, it'll be all covered in snow." James frowned.
"Well, the snow is pretty!" He tugged on her hand, yanking her off the couch and onto her feet. "C'mon."
Lux allowed herself to be dragged through the home, and out the backdoor, into the Potter's gardens. James was right, just about everything was draped under a thin blanket of snow, though Sirius had also been correct, that the snow was more than beautiful.
"Thanks." She let out a foggy breath when he shut the door behind them, separating the pair from the rest of the group.
"Effie means well, she does. She's just overbearing."
"I know. She certainly is kind. She…she reminds me a bit of my mother, actually." She pressed her lips together in a thin line, shivering as a gust of cold wind brushed against her skin. "I probably shouldn't have come here, Sirius."
"Why's that?"
She shrugged.
"Come on, Luxie. You know better than this." He placed both of his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. "What's the matter? Be honest with me."
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong." She lied, ignoring the way Snape's voice rang in her head, mixing with her mother's, in one horrible blur. "Can we go back inside? I'm cold."
His lips twitched, as though he could see straight through her. However, he said nothing else on the subject, as he flung an arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close. "Of course."