A/N: I had an inordinate amount of fun writing this chapter ;D I hope this chapter doesn't seem too out of the blue. I did originally intend to lead up to this a bit more before actually getting into it. I think the main issue I've had with writing this story is trying to balance out Vivian's plot with the extended timeline between graduation and Halloween night. My new perspective on that is to just take the timeline out of the picture entirely and mark the passage of time with the events rather than mentioning the exact year. I hope that made sense? Anyway I wanted to mention that because Harry will be in the picture soon. I kind of have to do it this way if I want to finish writing this story without pulling all my hair out though so...bear with me please!
Anyway hope everyone's having a wonderful week. Please enjoy this long chapter full of Marauder scenes, James being a lovable idiot, and Vivian going back and forth between wanting to hex Sirius and wanting to snog him senseless. ;)
Chapter Twenty Eight | In aetemum
[In eternity]
Gavin returns to Norway shortly after his visit to the cottage, and though they continue corresponding with one another, their busy schedules slow their communication. Gavin jumps right back into his studies with gusto, and as for Vivian…
The night of the Halloween Gala had altered her somehow. Even now, months later, the change cannot be denied. Her nightmares continue to plague her to the point where she cannot fall asleep without Sirius beside her to offer some form of silent safety. Some nights, when he is working late or on a mission for the Order, she stays up to wait for him to return rather than risk going to sleep by herself. It wouldn't be wrong to make the claim that she's become restless as a result, and not only in a physical sense.
Gavin's reaction to learning of her nightmares had given her pause. She cannot help but wonder if there is more to them than she'd thought, but since they are always just the same as ever, she also cannot bring herself to step too far down that frightening road and consider the possibilities that Gavin may be right. Instead, she tries to ignore the issue altogether – a tactic that she knows will backfire on her eventually, but is easier to swallow for now.
The start of the new year has introduced several small alterations into her life, the main one being Sirius and James's completion of their Auror Training and the beginning of their full-time work at the Auror Department. This is good, because it seems to make Sirius happy and it makes him feel more useful to be on the front lines in a more official sense, rather than just fighting behind the scenes with the Order. It's bad because it means that his hours are longer and he often returns home later than he means to, getting wrapped up in the many open cases at work. Coupled with Vivian's own schedule, it feels as though some days she only catches the barest glimpse of him despite the fact that they both work at the Ministry. Even their weekends are not always their own. Sirius's position in the Auror Department is yet on the lower rung of the ladder, which means that he's one of the first called to the scene at all hours of the day or night.
Perhaps this is why today feels so surreal.
"Are you finished yet?" she calls, banging her fist against the bathroom door with an impatient expression. "I swear you've spent more time getting ready than I have."
The grumble is not as quiet as she'd meant it to be, because Sirius's muffled voice immediately fires back, "That's because you're not as pretty as I am, Godric."
Vivian sighs at that. Crossing her arms, she grouses, "You're so bloody arrogant, Sirius Bl – "
The door swings open before she can finish her insult, revealing Sirius in all his glory, dressed to the nines in black dress robes. He cuts a handsome figure in them. The slim-fitting trousers and the carefully tucked-in white button down are both tailored to perfection. He's wearing a bowtie in deep red that matches her dress. To her surprise, he's even combed his hair back, the long strands falling in a more organized style down to the collar of his shirt. To top it all off, a two-tiered set of robes are clasped around him, integrating into the lapels of his suit jacket and falling over his shoulders handsomely. She's not sure she's ever seen him so dressed up.
Vivian's words are very quickly silenced at the sight of him. In fact, though she's a bit embarrassed to admit it, she finds herself blatantly staring.
Well, it's not every day that Sirius actually makes an effort to look so…er –
"I believe the words you're looking for is 'spectacularly attractive'," Sirius smugly says, reading her expression with a knowing glint in his eye.
Vivian lifts her chin at that and rearranges her expression into one of supreme distaste. She snorts derisively.
"I'm not sure I'd go that far," she snidely informs him, though her attempt doesn't appear to work very well, because Sirius's smile only turns into a full-blown grin.
Bloody hell. He's got no right to look that incredible. She's half tempted to drag him into their bedroom right this very moment and not leave the house at all.
Sirius settles against the doorway of the bathroom with a debonair smirk. It doesn't help her case.
"Really?" he innocently wonders. "Because I think you're drooling a little bit, Viv. Just there."
He nods to her mouth and snickers in a satisfied way when Vivian's eyes narrow dangerously at him. She is not drooling, by the by. Honestly.
With a glower, she snaps, "Fine. You look spectacularly attractive. Are you happy?"
A beat of silence, then…
"Well at least you've admitted it," Sirius pleasantly returns, sounding a bit caught off guard at Vivian's sudden burst of honesty. He sweeps his cloak back with a bit more finesse than necessary and slips his hand into his pocket. The action drags Vivian's eyes down his frame. He smirks wider.
"Eyes up here, Godric," he says, his voice pitched into an almost sing-song tone that is nearly a laugh.
Vivian huffs and rolls her eyes, decidedly done with his teasing.
"Merlin's Pants, let's just go," Vivian mutters, and steps back before she's tempted to reach out and do something that will only make him even more infuriatingly pleased with himself.
Sirius barks out a laugh as she turns and stomps down the hall, eyeing her retreating form with a dash of appreciation. When she doesn't stop to wait for him, though, he quickly pushes himself off the doorway and strides after her, patting down his pockets to make sure that he's got his wand. Once that's accounted for, Sirius does the one thing that he's been wanting to do since he'd opened the bathroom door and saw her standing on the other side of it.
He isn't the only one who looks spectacularly attractive today, after all.
A few things ought to be noted here. The first is that they are already running a little bit late (which is naturally because of Sirius's obsession with his perfect hair). The second is that, if they're any later, one James Potter will be very upset with them (and a cranky Potter is not exactly something Vivian wants to deal with right now). The third is that, when Sirius reaches out to grab her wrist and twist her around just as she's about to open the front door, the first two things promptly drift from her mind. The reason? Well.
"Sirius, wh – "
Vivian's initial complaint at his attempt to stop her from leaving doesn't get any farther than that, for the moment Sirius presses her against the front door and sweeps in to drag her into a heady kiss, her mind goes completely blank. She not certain whether it's because of the purely masculine scent that promptly envelopes her, or if its due to the simple fact that Sirius just so happens to look sexier than she's ever seen him, or if all she's been able to think about since seeing him is what actions she could take to make him look even sexier – but she's not ashamed to admit that the moment his hands curl around her waist and pull her insistently against him, she responds wholeheartedly.
"You didn't give me the chance to…mm, to tell you how absolutely gorgeous you look," Sirius murmurs against her mouth, his hands tightening around her and grasping at the fabric of her red dress. She can practically feel the intention behind his grasp. Sirius makes no effort to hide said intentions when he nips at her bottom lip and gruffly informs her, "I think I'd rather tear this off you right now and never leave the house again."
Her breath catches. Sirius smirks when he hears it, and tilts his head to kiss her deeper, wanting nothing more than to drag his fingers through her carefully done up hairstyle and thoroughly mess it up. His hands clench all the tighter into the back of her dress to stop him from doing so. He doubts Vivian would much appreciate showing up late and looking like she's been absolutely ravished. Though he's not sure he'd mind.
"Sirius," she complains. It's not very convincing, especially when she grabs the lapels of his jacket and pulls him closer.
Alas, they really are going to be late if they don't leave, but it still takes an inordinate amount of self-control to break the kiss. Whatever remaining control he has seems to have fled him after that, because he can't for the life of him bring himself to let her go completely. The scent of her perfume is enthralling, as is the overmastering sensation of her warm body pressed against his.
"We should leave," he remarks, but makes no effort to do so.
Vivian's mouth swings up. She agrees, "We should."
Neither of them moves.
"…James will kill us both if we're late," he reasons.
Vivian nods, then shrugs lightly and leans in to kiss the corner of his mouth, murmuring, "We could take him."
At this, Sirius barks out another laugh, does his best to push down the spiral of shivers that her proximity induces, and darts in to kiss her properly one last time. Then he pulls back completely, immediately lamenting at the loss of her warmth even as he reaches up to smooth out the wrinkled state of his lapels.
"Right," he nods, clearing his throat. His eyes linger on her figure for a moment before he swallows back the powerful wave of desire that catches him hard in the chest, and he sighs, "You really shouldn't look so incredible, Godric."
The continued usage of her much-hated nickname makes her roll her eyes at him, her own arousal diminishing in the face of it.
"For Merlin's sake, Sirius, don't call me that," she grouses at him for the millionth time, and reaches behind her to twist the doorknob open.
Before he can reply, she's turning to step outside, bracing herself against the chill of early spring. The cold does wonders at calming her heartbeat, which had gone into overdrive the moment Sirius had pushed her against the door. However, it doesn't fully calm her, especially when Sirius joins her outside and hooks an arm around her waist, his eyes glinting with that look.
"How about we make a game of it?" he suggests as they walk past the wards that encircle the cottage. His voice is a little too innocent. It immediately sparks Vivian's suspicion.
She turns to send him a raised eyebrow and repeats, "A game…?"
Her tone clearly demands an explanation, which Sirius is all too happy to provide. He smirks widely, drags her more firmly against him, and leans in to murmur in her ear, "Every time I call you 'Godric' today, I'm actually telling you that I want to drag you to the nearest empty room and tear that dress off of you."
Her breath catches in her throat again, even worse than before. Sirius's voice is pitched with that low, enticing tone which never ceases to make her heart race, and whatever attempts she had made moments past to calm down now well and truly fall away.
Her mouth parts as her desire thuds back into her with a vengeance. She doesn't have time to act on it, though, because Sirius chooses that moment to gather her ever closer and apparate them off to their destination. The void of nothingness immediately pulls at her, leaving her with no opportunity to so much as respond to his little suggestion.
That damned Gryffindor…
He's smirking widely when they reappear some moments later just outside of Godric's Hollow – an irony that doesn't escape her. Unfortunately for her, she still has no opportunity to respond once they appear on the outskirts of it, because the moment they do, they quickly realize that they are not alone.
The small wizarding community has undergone something of a transformation since the last time Vivian had been here. A large white tent has been constructed nearby, filled with tables and chairs. People are already gathering nearby, dressed in their best robes. Godric's Hollow rises up in the near distance across the field that they are currently standing in, its quaint rooftops shining in the early afternoon sunlight.
Taking a breath, Vivian sarcastically murmurs, "Oh look, Sirius, there aren't any empty rooms in sight."
She spears him with a look that quickly becomes far less piercing when Sirius only smirks widely and shrugs, "Mm. Lots of trees, though."
Her heart misses a beat.
"…Sirius," she begins, sounding somewhat conflicted. She finds herself partially frustrated at his teasing and partially (alright, very) enticed by it, and she can't decide whether she'd rather hex him for his distracting suggestion or goad him into said trees and get him back for it.
Sirius's smirking expression lifts up a notch. He seems to be well aware of her dilemma. He also seems to be very interested in making it worse.
"James will be waiting for me at the house," he coughs, edging away from her with that irresistible, aggravating smirk. He winks at her before adding in a lower voice, "See you later…Godric."
His eyes dart down to her red dress with obvious intent, then he turns on his heel and strides off across the field to find his query, leaving Vivian's heart racing where she stands.
That damned Gryffindor.
…She will get him back for this.
With a scowl, Vivian turns as well and marches in the other direction. Lily is getting ready in a separate house across the village from where the Potter's live. The place belongs to a family friend of Mrs. Potter, who had generously invited Lily to use it this morning. The woman who owns it is in attendance as well, though she seems to have made herself scarce by the time Vivian stomps inside some minutes later, still trying to shake off the arousing warmth that Sirius's frustratingly enticing game has driven into her. So far, she hasn't been successful.
She finds Lily in the bedroom just off from the sitting area on the ground floor, surrounded by her bridal party. She's already dressed and ready, though Marlene seems to have decided that she's not yet perfect. The Maid of Honor is currently leaning over Lily with a makeup brush in one hand and a mascara wand in the other, trying to make Lily's eyelashes more, and Vivian quotes, 'eye-catching'.
"Vivian! There you are. I was beginning to worry," Lily exclaims when she sees her reflection in the mirror. She turns in her seat to send Vivian a relieved look, which quickly turns confused when she sees the blazing way Vivian's eyes are gleaming.
"Are you alright?" Lily asks, sounding a bit concerned.
Vivian pauses, makes an attempt at clearing her expression, and coughs, "Yeah. Fine."
Lily doesn't look like she believes her. With a raised eyebrow, she says, "You look a bit flustered."
That damned Gryffindor.
"It's…erm, cold outside," Vivian halfheartedly responds, saying the first thing that comes to mind. It's a blatant lie, too. If anything, she feels much too warm for her liking.
Marlene gives a tsking sound and forces Lily's head back in her direction, shrilly saying, "We don't have time for this! We're already running late!"
Lily sighs at her friend and mutters, "I think my makeup is just fine, Marl."
Alice Longbottom, who is standing nearby fiddling with Lily's bouquet, smiles quietly and agrees, "I'm sure James will be too distracted with the realization that he's about to marry you to pay much mind to your makeup."
This summons a small smile to Lily's face, her cheeks blushing just so.
Vivian hums dryly in agreement and mutters, "He's only been dreaming of this day since the moment he saw you on the Hogwarts Express." Then, beneath her breath, she sarcastically adds, "He's such a prissy idiot."
Lily hears that last bit and laughs. To Vivian's disgust, she grins, "He's my idiot, though."
Making a face, Vivian snorts, "You can have him."
Lily, naturally, only grins further at this.
"Are you nervous?" Remus wonders as he leans against the windowsill of James's bedroom, eyeing his best mate as he stands in front of the mirror. He hasn't yet remarked on the frankly girlish way James is admiring himself, turning this way and that as he makes several failed attempts at controlling his ever-messy hair. (Yet being the keyword.)
James sniffs, straightens his dress robes, and declares, "Not in the slightest!"
His voice gives him away, though. It's pitched slightly higher than normal despite his efforts to appear completely at ease with the fact that his lifelong dream of marrying Lily Evans is about to come true –
His lifelong dream of marrying Lily Evans is about to come true.
Merlin's bloody hat…
"Really?" Peter wonders dubiously as he fiddles with the cuffs of his sleeves. "Because you look like you might bolt any minute now."
These words make James turn and send Peter a look. He swallows, then sniffs again and nods, "Yeah, bolt to the alter, you mean, because I'm not nervous at all."
Remus and Peter exchange a glance that James doesn't see, because he's turned back to the mirror in another unsuccessful attempt at wrangling his hair into a less messy style. It isn't working, by the way.
He's distracted from this inevitable failure by the sound of a voice sarcastically quipping, "Why would Prongs be nervous? He's only about to sign his life away in holy matrimony."
James startles, turns to the door, and exclaims, "Padfoot! Where the hell have you been?"
Padfoot sends Prongs a wide smirk and smugly replies, "Sorry, mate. A girl in a red dress distracted me."
Remus makes a sound from where he's standing by the window and snorts, "Big surprise there."
James's expression turns a shade dry. He abandons his attempts to fix his hair to instead cross his arms over his chest and shake his head. In a dramatically disappointed voice, he says, "Merlin, Padfoot. I'm about to get married to the love of my life and all you can think about is chasing Pride's skirts."
Sirius barks out a laugh and closes the door behind him with an unapologetic shrug. He breezily responds, "I'm here now, aren't I?" He eyes James for a moment, then says, "You look nice, I s'pose."
James narrows his eyes and immediately repeats, "Nice?! I'm the groom. I'm supposed to be look fantastic! I'm supposed to look better than every other bloke out there – "
Remus sighs and mutters to Sirius, "It's probably better not to say anything to him when he's in this state, Padfoot."
Sirius hums in agreement, shuffling over to stand beside Remus as James has a small tirade in the center of the room.
" – What if Lily thinks I only look subpar?! Merlin – what if she thinks you lot look better than I do – Sirius, why d'you look so annoyingly good in those dress robes?"
Sirius shrugs and casually says, "Can't help it, Prongs. I look good in everything."
James continues without hearing him.
"I've got to get my hair fixed. Wormtail, hand me that comb," James demands, extending his hand as he turns back to the mirror and stares at his appearance with no shortage of determination.
Sirius nods sympathetically. "Yeah, you do look a bit ridiculous with your hair going in every direction."
This doesn't help, of course. Remus lifts a hand to run it over his face and hisses, "You had to go there, didn't you?"
Sirius shrugs. Peter hands James the comb. James begins to hyperventilate as he forcefully pulls it through his hair.
"What? Call it payback for that time he attacked me with the comb in seventh year," Sirius defends beneath his breath when he sees the expression Remus is sending his way.
"Not helping," Remus fires back. The stressful energy of the room is only making him stressed out, and he's not even the one getting married today.
Peter clears his throat and attempts, "I think you look great, Prongs."
The attempt falls flat.
"I don't want to look great. I want to make sure Lily won't be able to take her eyes off me," James sappily announces.
Sirius rolls his eyes.
"You need to relax, mate," he says, stepping over to his friend and forcibly dragging his hand away from his hair. "I don't know why you're so nervous. It's just Lily."
James tries and fails to wrangle the comb back whilst adamantly denying, "I'm not nervous!"
Remus snorts beneath his breath. Peter cringes at the slightly high-pitched tone of James's voice. Sirius sighs and tosses the stolen comb into the trash bin by the door, then turns back to James to grab his shoulders and stop him from attempting to go after it.
"You look fine," he tells him, catching his eye. When James stops trying to push him off, Sirius calmly says, "Now, repeat after me. I'm marrying Lily Evans today."
James wrinkles his nose at hearing those words leave Sirius's mouth, but gives in when Sirius sends him an impatient look.
"…I'm marrying Lily Evans today," he repeats, sounding somewhat annoyed at the intervention.
Sirius nods. "I've been waiting to marry Lily for practically my whole life…"
"I'm been waiting to marry Lily for practically my whole life," James parrots back with an eyeroll.
"Because I'm an obsessive prat," Sirius happily adds.
James narrows his eyes at him and mutters, "I am not."
"Yes you are," Sirius tells him without missing a beat. "For some reason beyond my understanding, Lily actually wants to marry me, too…"
James scowls at him.
"…Lily wants to marry me, too," he grouses, completely ignoring the first bit.
Sirius shrugs it off and continues, "Because she's somehow fallen head over heels for me despite the odds being completely stacked against me."
James ignores that last part, too, and merely repeats, "She's fallen head over heels for me…"
His voice becomes somewhat dreamy. Sirius snorts back a laugh and nods, "So you'd better get yourself to the alter."
James grins. "Right. I should, shouldn't I?"
Sirius gives him a friendly slap on the shoulder and breezily reminds him, "Yeah, because if you don't leave now, you're going to miss your wedding."
One glance at the clock has James hyperventilating all over again.
"Bloody hell!" he exclaims, shoving Sirius away and spinning around to give himself one last look-over in the mirror. "What if Lily thinks I've jilted her? Merlin's tits - !"
With that, James flees the room, nearly trips on his robes as he hastens through the door, and leaves the rest of the Marauders blinking at his sudden exit.
"…Right. We should probably follow him before he trips his way down the stairs and knocks himself unconscious," Sirius helpfully suggests.
Remus sighs. "Unfortunately, I could clearly see that happening," he dryly responds, pushing off from the window.
Peter just nods in agreement…just as James's voice hollers through the house with a vengeance.
"HURRY UP PADFOOT! I CAN'T SHOW UP WITHOUT MY BEST MAN!"
James Potter looks like he's about to faint. The sight has a wide smirk unfurling over Vivian's face before she can rein it in. She does her best to swallow her snicker as she follows Marlene down the aisle, holding a bouquet of red roses and baby's breath in her hands. The color choice is a bit deplorable, in her opinion, but she supposes that's what she gets for being a bridesmaid at a Gryffindor wedding.
Anyway, back to her current source of amusement –
James looks seconds away from fainting. Sirius has his hand wrapped around his arm as if he's thinking the same thing. When Vivian catches his eye with an eyebrow raised in quiet amusement, Sirius sends her an exasperated look that she immediately understands. Apparently, Potter's been a handful getting ready for his own wedding. She finds it somewhat hilarious that he's more nervous than the bride despite the fact that he's been literally dreaming of this day for half his life.
When Vivian steps up to the flowered bough and takes her place across from Remus, James's pale countenance turns a bit livelier. Lily falls into place beside him with a quiet grin that seems to do wonders for James's demeanor, because he immediately stands a bit taller and bites back a grin of his own, which springs to his lips the moment their eyes lock.
The ceremony itself is disgustingly sweet. Vivian almost wishes that James would faint after all, if only to makes things more interesting. Instead, his strength seems to return to him tenfold as he says his vows, his voice clear and his grin only intensifying when Lily turns to say hers. When they slip the rings on each other's hands, they're both smiling so widely that it makes Vivian's face hurt just to look at them.
She'll admit, grudgingly of course, that it's a nice ceremony. She'll also admit that she's just as glad that Potter doesn't faint, because even though it would be absolutely hilarious and she'd never let him live it down, she reckons it would rather ruin the mood.
When at last the vows are exchanged and the rings in place, James grins so brightly that it's nearly blinding. He kisses Lily with an exuberance that makes Vivian politely look away, her eyes straying over to where Sirius is standing across the aisle. He sends her a little winking smile that makes the corner of her mouth curve up. When his eyes begin to glimmer meaningfully at her, though, she quickly looks away, feeling her cheeks redden slightly at the loaded quality of his stare. The guests begin to cheer loudly for the bride and groom as the pair turns to face them, hands clasped together and grins splitting over their faces.
Right. Vivian sends Sirius a warning look that he completely ignores as he steps up to take Marlene's arm and follow the pair back down the aisle. Vivian follows suit, slipping her hand into Remus's arm with a quiet huff. If he hears the sound, he doesn't remark upon it, and merely sends her one of his quiet smiles.
"You look lovely, Vivian," he whispers to her as they walk.
She sends him a small smile too and murmurs, "Thanks. You dress up nicely yourself."
Thank God for Lily Evans, who had quickly realized that, since Sirius and Marlene were both named Best Man and Maid of Honor, Vivian would be left with one of the other groomsmen to walk down the aisle with. Lily had decided that Remus would likely be the least aggravating choice as Vivian's match. If Vivian was paired off with Peter, she'd probably have bitten his head off by now. Out of all of them, Remus is decidedly the least annoying Marauder (Sirius included) and Vivian doesn't particularly mind walking beside him as they step across the field to where the tent is set up.
The afternoon sun has lowered somewhat by now, though there's still some hours left of the day before nightfall. It doesn't stop anyone from immediately getting into a celebratory mood, of course. As James and Lily steps to the side to greet their guests, people usher into the tent and gather in groups, helping themselves to drinks. Vivian breaks free from Remus to do the same, taking a few generous sips of wine as she shuffles off to the side where it's a little quieter.
Before long, Sirius joins her.
"You should've seen the state James was in when I arrived," he laughingly informs her, holding a glass of his own as they watch James and Lily greet the guests from across the tent.
Vivian snorts, "I can clearly imagine it. He looked like he was about to keel over before Lily arrived."
"One look at her seemed to do the trick," he smiles, his eyes creasing as he takes in the sight of his best mate and his new wife.
Vivian hums in agreement, smiling too. James is an annoying prat, but a small part of her (very small, obviously) has to admit that he's rather grown on her.
"Course, she's not quite as gorgeous as you are, Godric," Sirius murmurs suddenly, and sends her a sidelong glance rife with meaning.
The look in his eye makes Vivian stand straighter, her heart spluttering momentarily before she gathers her composure and snarks, "Are you going to call me that all evening?"
He smirks, his eyes absolutely blazing, and lowly replies, "Until I get you alone, yeah."
A delicious shiver races down her spine before she can stop it.
Right. Time to get him back for this aggravating game of his. The fact that he's suddenly made her – dare she say it? – excited to hear that cursed nickname is an injustice of the highest order.
A Slytherin Smirk winds its way over her mouth. The sight makes him pause, though he quickly pauses for another reason entirely when she says in a loaded voice, "When you do get me alone, you're in for a surprise, Sirius."
It's the way she says his name, he decides, that really captures his attention. There's a smoky quality to it. It's quiet and promising and makes him lift an eyebrow in slight confusion as he attempts to figure out the source of it.
"…Why?" he cautiously wonders, catching her eye.
Vivian smirks wider and turns to fiddle with his collar, pretending that it isn't already perfectly laid down. Her knuckles brush just so against the skin of his neck as she murmurs, "I think you'll like what I'm wearing underneath this dress a lot more than the dress itself."
His eyes immediately darken. Her words appear to have caught him off guard, for he doesn't respond for a long moment. When he does, his voice is somewhat hoarse.
"What are you wearing?" he asks. His voice is almost a demand. He needs to know.
Vivian, however, only exhales with a laugh and drawls, "What, do you want me to describe it to you?"
He completely ignores the slight sarcasm in her voice in favor of eagerly nodding, "Yes. Please."
His overeager tone makes her smirk even wider. She takes a slow sip of her wine, thoroughly enjoying the way Sirius is leaning into her with bated breath.
"I'll give you a little hint," she finally decides, turning to catch his eye. She bites her bottom lip, delights in the way his gaze immediately falls to her mouth, and murmurs, "It perfectly matches the nickname you keep using."
Sirius's eyes dart back to hers. He looks like he's sorely tempted to pull her against him right then and there, the other guests be damned.
"It's red?" he asks, his voice low and unmistakably aroused.
Vivian tilts her head, studies the blaze of fire in his eyes, and murmurs, "It's Gryffindor red."
Then, before he can respond to that frankly delicious statement, Vivian is throwing him one last smirk and stepping away to join the other bridesmaids across the tent, leaving a thoroughly enchanted Sirius to stare longingly after her.
"Sirius must really like you in that dress," Lily muses as she comes over to join her bridesmaids after greeting all the guests. She glances between Vivian and Sirius with a raised brow. The former hardly even bats an eye at Sirius, who is standing across the tent with James and the other Marauders. He's hardly managed to keep his eyes off her.
A secretive smile captures Vivian's mouth at Lily's sudden assessment. She shrugs, "As much as I hate to admit it, I do look good in red."
Very good, actually. She's sure Sirius will agree.
Lily seems to catch onto the secretive tone of her voice, at least in part, because her expression fills with the slightest edge of aversion at the thought of accidentally remarking upon her friends' private lives. Though she doesn't fully understand what Vivian is talking about, the trace of mischief in her voice gives her enough of a hint.
"Well. I guess I chose a good style," Lily hedges, looking as though she's very much trying to stay as out of it as possible. She still can't quite help herself from sending Sirius a look, though. He catches sight of it of course. Lily is standing right next to Vivian, so it's hard to miss. His reaction to it is not at all apologetic, however. Instead of looking embarrassed at being caught staring, Sirius merely curves his mouth into a Marauding smirk and nudges James in the stomach. James looks over at him, then looks over at Lily, then sends his bride a face-splitting grin that promptly makes Lily forget about everything but him.
"I'm still reeling over the fact that you suddenly decided you were in love with that idiot," Vivian sighs, turning her attention to James's face. She shakes her head as if disappointed.
Lily only sighs happily and murmurs, "I am in love with him…"
A grunt leaves Vivian's throat at that. Merlin. To spare herself the revulsion of having to watch James and Lily's mooning stares, she turns her attention back to Sirius, who is now laughing at something Remus is saying. He's turned in her direction, though, and it only takes him a second to realize that she's looking at him. She catches herself before she reacts to the dark and meaningful glance he sends her way.
Two can play this little game of his.
With an almost vicious smile, Vivian reaches up to fiddle idly with the strap of her dress…only to push it aside ever so slightly to reveal the bright red strap of the lacy outfit she's wearing beneath it. The whole action is done in such a way to make it appear accidental as she glances over at Marlene, pretending to be listening to what she's saying. It's only the knowing smile that blazes like wildfire over her mouth that gives her away, which only grows wider when she catches sight of the way Sirius is all but gaping at her now.
She turns to catch his eye and raises her eyebrows at him. He mouth snaps shut, and she nearly laughs aloud at the expression that crosses his face. He almost looks like he's in pain.
Dinner is served soon after, and everyone takes their seats at one of the many tables beneath the tent. Dusk is beginning to fall outside of it, so several people go around with their wands outstretched to light the dozens of floating candles drifting around the space. Vivian claims her chair beside Sirius just as her plate magically fills with food.
"Godric," Sirius greets, eyeing her with that blazing heat as she sits down.
Her mouth twitches.
"Sirius," she purrs back. "Are you feeling alright? You looked a bit out of sorts before."
He shoots her a look that she pretends not to understand, and nearly growls, "I'm perfectly fine."
She sends him a complacent look and quips, "Good. The reception will last well into the night, after all."
His expression turns strained.
"Are you sure you're alright?" she knowingly wonders, a laugh wedged into her tone.
The laugh dies down rather quickly when she suddenly feels his hand settle on her thigh under the table, giving her a retributory squeeze. This time, he really does growl when he responds, "Never been better, Vivian."
Beneath the tablecloth, his fingers drift along the curve of her inner thigh, and she swallows thickly.
"Sirius," she warns, putting her hands in her lap and then curling her fingers around his to ward him off of doing anything untoward. She thinks she'd die of embarrassment if anyone noticed.
He must see something of that in her eyes, because he allows her the action, interlocking their hands. He still sounds a bit tense, though, when he mutters beneath his breath, "Gryffindor red…"
She bites her lip to prevent herself from laughing. When he sees it, he chuckles and shakes his head, sighing, "Of all the colors to choose."
Vivian shrugs and innocently says, "I thought it was fitting."
His eyes flash at her. "I'll let you know if I agree later on, after you've stopped torturing me."
"Torturing you?" she repeats as James makes to stand up several chairs down. She lowers her voice and whispers, "You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
The look on his face makes it clear that he does not agree with that assessment, but he doesn't really have any time to argue this point.
"Thank you all for coming!" James loudly says above the chatter. As the occupants of the tent turn and look at him, he reaches down to take Lily's hand with a handsome grin and says, "I know things have been difficult, to say the least, and that some of you have taken a bit of a risk to be in attendance, but Lily and I are grateful to see so many of our friends celebrating with us tonight."
There's a small murmur of the crowd before everyone settles back down as Lily stands up to join her new husband, smiling widely as she clasps their hands tightly together.
"I'm almost reluctant to have Sirius give his Best Man speech," James sighs, shooting his friend a look. "I can only imagine what he's going to say. I do have to thank him though. Before the ceremony, I was a tiny bit nervous – "
"A tiny bit?" Sirius snorts under his breath, just loud enough for James to hear. James shoots him another look.
He clears his throat and continues, "I've been in love with Lily for as long as I can remember, so it was understandable." That last bit is slightly stressed when Sirius grunts out a small laugh.
"Anyway, please join me in raising a glass to my new wife," James says, sounding a bit giddy when he says the word 'wife'. "The most beautiful woman in the room. The love of my life. The only girl I've ever loved – Lily Potter."
Lily blushes brightly at the way James says this, her face reddening even more when he leans over to kiss her cheek with a grin. The guests lift their glasses as well and the tent fills with the cheerful sound of congratulatory praise and clinking glasses. The bride and groom share a little moment when they toast each other. Even Vivian has to admit that it's more sweet than sickening. She allows herself a small smile as she lifts her glass and takes a sip of champagne.
Then, as James and Lily sit back down, Sirius squeezes her hand and stands up, clearing his throat loudly and turning to send James a Marauding grin. The sight makes James grin back, albeit a little bit worryingly, most likely on account of the pure mischief flashing through Sirius's eyes.
"I do have to admit," Sirius begins, "I'm a tiny bit surprised that Lily actually agreed to marry this twat."
The guests chuckle at this. James sniffs at the way Sirius says 'tiny bit', clearly referencing his previous words. And of course the way he calls him a twat, naturally.
"James's spent his entire time at Hogwarts practically worshipping the ground Lily walked on," Sirius sighs. "You can imagine how annoying that got after the first year or so. Still, no matter how many times Lily blatantly rejected him, he just couldn't help himself. He's got a bit of a masochistic streak if you ask me."
James grumbles a bit at that. Lily looks slightly embarrassed at the mention of her many rejections.
"Still, I also have to admit that there's no one better suited for my best mate than Lily, and I think I can say the same for her," Sirius adds in a slightly gentler tone. He winks at James and says, "If anyone was meant to be together, it'd be you two. So without further ado, to James and Lily."
He lifts his glass and takes a sip. The guests follow suit, repeating the phrase enthusiastically as another round of clinking glasses fill the tent. Sirius looks rather pleased with himself as he reclaims his chair. He leans forward to catch James's eye and shrugs, "Short and sweet, yeah?"
James grins at him. "Perfect. Though that masochistic bit could've been left out."
Sirius tilts his head and pretends to consider this before responding, "Nah, I think it was unavoidable, mate."
James glowers at him for a moment, before Lily laughs and stands up, holding out her hand to her new husband.
"Dance with me, James," she says, her chin lifted in an almost regal demand.
James stares at her for half a moment as if he's been absolutely enchanted by her yet again, then he sends her his widest grin yet and takes her hand. He somehow manages to hold back his dreamy sigh as Lily pulls him away to the dance floor.
As they leave, Sirius swings an arm over the back of Vivian's chair and turns to send her one of his crooked grins. "Well? What did you think?" he asks.
Vivian takes a bit of the roast chicken in front of her and raises an eyebrow. "About your speech? It was alright."
He eyes her. "Only alright? I spent over an hour writing that!"
She sighs at him. "Yes, I know. I was there. And you only spent an hour on it because you kept getting bored."
"Speeches aren't really my thing," he shrugs. "Want to dance?"
She gestures to her dinner. "I'm eating."
This does not dissuade him. Sirius only smirks, stands up, and pulls her along with him. "You can eat later," he tells her, and drags her off onto the floor where several other couples have already joined James and Lily.
Vivian sighs at him but doesn't really complain. She isn't sure she has it in her, especially when Sirius pulls her close to him and murmurs, "You've got no idea what you do to me, Godric."
The way he says her nickname makes her swallow. She clenches her fingers into his dress robes and murmurs, "You do realize we can't leave for a while yet. We're both in the bridal party."
He hums into her ear, sending another thrilling shiver down her spine, and murmurs back, "True. But that doesn't mean I can't torture you a little bit. For retribution's sake, you know."
His hand sinks lower down her back, not enough to capture anyone's attention but enough to draw another shiver out of her. He feels it as she trembles slightly in his arms and smirks. Her breath catches again when she feels his lips brush ever so lightly against her ear.
She thinks she understands why he had disagreed with her assessment of the word 'torture', before.
"You're not playing fair," she mutters at him, sounding beautifully breathless.
Sirius splays his hand against her lower back and scoffingly replies, "You're not playing fair. Giving me that glimpse before…honestly, do you even know how much I want to drag you out of this tent right now?"
Another thrill dashes through her with a vengeance. His voice is low and perfect and it leaves no mystery to what exactly he intends to do when he does manage to get her alone. She has to take a moment to catch her breath at the thought.
"I guess you'll have to be patient," she says, though she doesn't sound very happy about it.
He huffs out a short laugh at the morose way she says this and mutters, "…I'm not exactly known for my patience…Godric."
Vivian turns her head to send him a look, frustratingly saying, "Please stop calling me that. It's driving me crazy."
His eyes flash with pleasure at this. "Crazy in an 'I'm going to hex you' way, or crazy in an 'I want to tear your clothes off' way?"
Vivian glowers at the hopeful cadence of his question and honestly grumbles, "A little bit of both."
He only laughs in response to that and waggles his eyebrows dramatically at her. "Oh, in a kinky mood tonight, Godric?" he purrs at her, his eyes flashing all over again with the loaded meaning of her nickname. He snickers again when she sends him a warning look. The expression isn't half as threatening as it might otherwise be, and he knows exactly why.
"Ahem. Might I cut in, Padfoot?" Prongs suddenly asks as he appears at their sides. Lily is at his side, looking between Sirius and Vivian with that expression again – the one that say she doesn't really want to know what they were just whispering about, but can unfortunately hazard a guess.
Sirius lifts an eyebrow at James, then glances at Vivian's expression, which has turned slightly more threatening during the span of the last few seconds. He snickers again at the sight she makes, obviously hoping that he'll say no. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't.
"Certainly, Prongs," he responds in a posh voice. He takes Vivian's hand and places it in James's with a smirk. Vivian nearly snatches her hand back, but alas, James is slightly quicker and expecting the move, and clamps his fingers around hers before she can escape.
He grins at her. She scowls back.
"Lily?" Sirius asks, silently asking her to dance. She smiles and agrees, much more graciously than Vivian. Her and Sirius both snicker amongst themselves as they leave Vivian to her fate.
"Why," Vivian sighs as James pulls her into a dance.
James looks faintly offended but mostly amused when he shrugs, "Why not? You are an Official Honorary Marauder, if you remember."
Vivian glowers at him and mutters, "I do, unfortunately."
James nods, spinning them around with a bit more gusto than she'd prefer.
"Well, it's therefore my duty as the leader of the Marauders to make sure you're having fun," James smartly tells her, then grins boyishly and adds, "Plus, Padfoot looked like he was seconds away from snogging you, and I didn't want Mrs. Lynch to have a heart attack."
He nods over to an old woman sitting at one of the tables, surveying the dancing with a discerning eye. Vivian follows his gaze and snorts.
"Besides," James smirks, "now that I'm a married man, I feel like I ought to give you a few pointers, Pride, and there's no time like the present, right?"
Vivian raises her eyebrows and returns her gaze to Potter, who's got that look about him that immediately makes her suspicious.
"…Pointers?" she repeats, almost hesitant to even ask.
"Yeah, pointers. Namely regarding how you're going to drag Sirius to the alter, seeing as he's next," James shrugs, and spins her around again so quickly that she almost loses her footing.
Gritting her teeth, Vivian snarks, "Drag Sirius to the alter? What makes you think I want to marry that idiot? Besides, you've been married for what, two hours?"
James hums and immediately corrects, "Two hours and twenty minutes or so, actually. And it's true that Padfoot isn't really marriage material, which is why you need my help so desperately."
Vivian's eyebrow starts twitching.
"Did you miss the part where I said that I'm perfectly happy not getting married?" Vivian dryly asks, then snaps, "And would you please stop dragging me around the dance floor?"
James ignores everything she just said, naturally, and merely sighs, "Of course, let's be honest, Pride – you're not really marriage material either. You should probably try to smile a bit more, for starters. And maybe less hex-threats? Though on second thought, I do think Sirius needs a bit of threatening every now and again to keep him in line…don't tell him I said that, though."
"I think I might hex you in a moment," Vivian informs him, sounding deathly serious.
"Well in any case, we've got plenty of time to fix the both of you," James carries on, ignoring that too. "Wow, I feel so wise all the sudden. Must be because I'm married now."
"I am going to hex you," Vivian says decisively, and drags her hand out of his to reach for her wand.
James lifts his eyebrows and sighs at her.
"Honestly, Pride, don't be so uncultured. You can't hex the groom. No really, you shouldn't – Pride – !"
Vivian is beyond exhausted by the time her and Sirius return to the cottage late that night. The moment they apparate outside of Tinsworth, a rush of cold wind catches them solidly, throwing their cloaks out. Vivian shivers into Sirius's body, and he wraps an arm around her, pulling her closer.
"You look tired," he notes as they start walking down the small hill to where the cottage awaits. At the moment, it's completely invisible to them thanks to the wards.
"I am tired. And my feet hurt from wearing these heels all night," she complains. She's half-tempted to take them off right here and now, but the chillness of the ground stops her from doing so.
Sirius hums, pulling her through the wards. Once they step inside of them, the cottage flickers into existence, its cheerful lights flickering on with one swish of Sirius's wand. He unlocks the front door, sending her a sidelong look.
"Well I hope you know you're not going to be getting any sleep tonight, Godric," he murmurs at her, smirking at the look she sends him in return. He drags her inside with a laugh.
"I have yet to unwrap my surprise…" he adds, closing the door behind them and pressing her gently against it. His warm hands encircle her waist as he shuffles close.
She sighs, tilting her head back as he lowers his mouth to hers. Despite the long day of burning glances, the kiss is surprisingly soft. Until his hand slides down her leg to drag her skirts up, of course.
Vivian exhales with a slight laugh at his sudden impatience and tugs him closer, her fingers threading into his hair. He breathes out with a slow groan as his hand palms its way up her thigh and cups her between her legs. She's not far behind him, swallowing back a light moan when he begins to massage her.
"I've been wanting to do this all day," he mutters, and slips his fingers beneath the fabric of her panties to feel her properly. He shivers brightly at the heat of her.
"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," she quips, moving down his neck in a series of slow kisses. Her tiredness still lingers within her, but the promise of the night ahead transforms it into something entirely new. Coupled with the way Sirius is touching her, stirring hot desire through her, she can't even think about pulling away from him.
He turns his face to kiss her again, this time deeper. A low noise escapes him when she returns his kiss, loosening his belt and dragging his bottom lip between her teeth as her hands sinks into his trousers to touch him. The action seems to make his impatience broil all the hotter. He tears his hands away from her to slide them over her dress, searching for the zipper as he rocks his hips against her hand.
"It's on the side," Vivian purrs, biting his lip as she rubs at him.
He growls and all but yanks the zipper down the moment his fingers alight upon it.
"You're going to rip it!" Vivian laughs, abandoning her movements to curl her hands around his waist. A giddy feeling rises up within her, removing the last remnants of her exhaustion and replacing it with lust, hot and ardent and entirely a result of the way Sirius is now looking at her as her dress pools at her feet.
"Bloody hell," he croaks, backing up a step to take her in.
She's wrapped up in lacy lingerie the color of Gryffindor red, pushing her breasts up and dashing against her skin like a prayer. He can't look away as she kicks her dress to the side and leans back against the door, her red heels only making her look all the sexier. He's never seen anything so irresistible. He thinks he might've died and gone to heaven.
"…Right," he says, swallowing thickly. "Bedroom. Now."
Vivian smirks.
"Now?" she repeats, lifting an eyebrow.
Sirius pauses, hesitates, then reaches forward to grab her waist and drag her against him.
"…In a minute," he rectifies, his hands feeling over the lace with a low groan. He shivers against her and growls, "You look so bloody fantastic – "
He swallows back the rest of his words when Vivian drags her hands down his chest and untucks his shirt. It quickly joins her dress on the floor, followed by his belt. Then, sending him a burning look, she takes his hand and pulls him through the room, not interested in wasting any more time.
Sirius, naturally, doesn't argue.