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Sunlight was beginning to stream through my window and, even with my eyes closed, it startled me awake. Raising a hand to shield my eyes, I suddenly became quite aware of how cold it was without the blanket.

And then I felt a weight pressing lightly on my stomach. Bare stomach. There was something warm brushing against my bare stomach! Why was there-

Last night's memories flooded my memory, replaying in my head. My cheeks began to burn as remembered everything that had happened. So that meant...

Turning my head slightly, I caught only a glimpse of his face, seeing as the majority of his body was hidden under the covers and his head was being swallowed by my pillow. I couldn't see his face because he was facing down, his left arm pinning me down to the bed.

The only way I was going to get out of here was by waking him. We needed to get to work soon anyway.

Pulling the covers close to me, I managed to sit up as far as I could and lean over. "Sirius..." I whispered softly near his ear.

He mumbled something incoherent in the pillow and snuggled deeper into the covers. I held back a soft sigh and instead, leaned even more forward, brushing right against his ear.

"Sirius..." I whispered a bit louder.

He groaned, the sound deep in his throat. Finally, he opened one of his eyes and focused on me. It took him a moment and then he blinked and opened his other eye. "Good morning, Ivy..." His voice was very hoarse, on the verge of cracking. I didn't mention how adorable it was – he probably wanted to hear something along the lines of his voice was the epitome of sexy and I wanted to have him right then and there at the sound of it...not that it was adorable.

Sirius yawned, curling his fingers around me and bringing me closer. He kissed me lightly on the temple and said, after a minute of comforting silence, "What time is it?"

I checked the time. "Nine." It was already nine? I thought it was much earlier, at least an hour earlier to give us time to just lie here. What I would give to spend forever like this...

He let out another groan, kissing me against on the side of the head before pushing the covers down the bed and setting his feet on the floor. I could only watch as he began to look for his clothes.

I was blushing again – I could just feel my cheeks turning red hot and my pulse definitely increased. My mouth was too dry to say anything so I just kept staring.

When he finally found the last article of clothing (his shirt which he was buttoning up), he turned back toward me, leaning over the bed. "You know I'd love to stay but the Order probably thinks I was attacked by now and are going to kill me for not checking in last night," he said, pressing his forehead against mine, his eyes lit up. "We'll talk about this tonight, okay?"

I could only nod as he closed the gap, leaving with just a short peck on the lips. I could tell that he had to use restraint to not let it go further. He apparated away and I was left alone, huddled in my bed covers.

Work was a mess – I couldn't keep my mind at the task in front of me. It kept wandering to last night, what had happened, what was going to happen. I couldn't stop thinking about him.

When I got home, I quickly cleaned up, waiting with shaking hands for him to appear. Just the thought of seeing him again caused goosebumps to erupt on my skin and my face to turn red.

"How was work?" his voice came out of nowhere. I spun around to see him standing behind me, leaning against the armrest of the couch.

"Oh," I said, situating the vase on the table. "It – it was...work. How was your's? Did you get into trouble?"

He flinched. Sirius Black flinched when I said the word 'trouble'. Something wasn't right. The world must have stopped revolving or the oceans were dry. "Well," he began, drawing out his words. "I told everyone that I was too exhausted to check in last night."

He stopped. I knew there was more to the story. "And?" I pried.

Sirius then grimaced. Not good. "And then James exclaimed that he went to my flat this morning and I wasn't there."

I blinked. "Why didn't you say that you got up early?"

"He came over at four," Sirius responded in a hard voice.

My lips formed a silent oh. "And...?"

"He said I was probably over at your house because I had mentioned I wanted to visit you. They speculated from there."

My mind was reeling. "That means everyone thinks that-"

"Yes."

Everyone knew. Everyone knew that Sirius and I had spent the night together. How was I ever going to face them again when I knew that they knew?

I backed up slowly, falling into the armchair across from the couch. "Oh," was the only sound that escaped from my lips.

"Listen, forget what they think," Sirius exclaimed, sitting down on the couch. "Don't stress over it."

He didn't want me to start to worry like I always did. He knew that it was going to haunt me until it drove me crazy. "I'm not going to worry about it," I announced. "It's in the past anyway."

Sirius tilted his head at me, trying to gage where this was coming from. "You're not going to worry?"

I shrugged. "I'm going to try." Which was true. I knew it would bother me, but I wasn't going to let it run my life.

A grin spread across Sirius's face. "You're learning."

I smiled as Sirius leaned forward and began to explain, in detail, his entire mission. I tucked my feet under my legs and listened attentively. And even though he didn't know it, he was learning too. Because we were both sitting there, just listening to each other speak. Just communicating.




Someone was frantically knocking on the door. It must have been urgent by the way they were threatening to break it down. Might as well take my time to let them in. Slowly, I walked toward the door and twisted the doorknob.

"Ivy...just open the door!" Ah, it was Lily. I wonder what she was so excited about.

As soon as the door was opened wide often, she squeezed her way in and started proclaiming that we needed an emergency conversation.

I blinked, letting her whirl around to face me, holding out an envelope. I took it cautiously and she began babbling again.

"Okay, I know it's last minute and all but James and I have set the wedding for Feburary 21st."

I just stared at her. "That's less than two weeks away." And the day before my birthday. But that didn't matter.

She nodded. "I know..." she trailed off, taking in a deep breath.

"But why?" I asked further. Only a couple days to plan a wedding? That was crazy talk. Didn't it take months, years even?

She hesitated to answer, but when she did, her voice was hushed. "He's growing stronger, Ivy. We just don't know how much time we have left."

"Don't say that," I whispered, an uneasy feeling going down my spine at her words.

She ignored my comment. "We both decided to get married as soon as possible. Just a small wedding, a couple close friends and family. As little as possible."

I nodded, my mouth dry.

Lily continued, "Do you want to be maid of honor? Because if it's too much, I'll just ask Mary."

It took me a moment to realize that she asked me that important question like it was nothing. I thought about it for a second; did I want to be bestowed with such an honor? Or should I just let Mary do it.

Mary and Lily seemed like they were greater friends – it wasn't until around sixth year did we finally start spending time with each other. Mary seemed like the better choice.

"I think you should let Mary be your maid of honor," I answered truthfully.

She wasn't hurt or disappointed with my decision. Instead, she just smiled and said, "Okay. Oh, and you can wear whatever you want – any color. We don't really have time to color coordinate everything."

I nodded and smiled to her requests. When she was finally done, a big smile appeared on her face and I could tell just by looking at her that she absolutely loved the idea of her and James getting married.

Who would have thought that a couple years ago?

"You're getting married to James Potter," I proclaimed, duplicating her smile.

Lily just laughed. "And you're going out with Sirius Black," she responded.

She knew what had happened last night; did she expect me to tell her all the details? Were we supposed to gossip about subjects like this? Suddenly, I felt awkward and didn't know what to say.

My face must have changed because she took one look at me and said, "Oh, don't worry. I don't need to hear the details of your personal life." I slowly let out a breath of relief. "James will probably bother Sirius enough as it is." And then my breath of relief turned into a groan. That was bound to be an interesting conversation.

After checking the time, Lily quickly began to explain that she was late for something, and without an explanation, she was gone. I didn't even have to question it; it was probably wedding plans.

And then I realized something that made me bit my lip to hold back a groan. I had to go dress shopping.

It was something I procrastinated. Everyday, I found a reason not to go. It was quite easy with Sirius over every minute. He was the perfect distraction.

Valentine's day came quickly and Sirius began the morning by complaining that he would never be able to top last year. I stole a glance over at the tulips that still were in full blossom, a small smile tugging at my lips.

"You don't have to get me anything," I tried to reason with him but he kept insisting that he did. He didn't want to "waste Uncle Alphard's money on something useless".

We were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, elbows propped up, hands under our chins. Maybe we would spend all day just having this staring contest.

"Aha!" Sirius lost the game by turning away and setting his hand on the table. I leaned back, grateful that I could blink again. And then he had to say that awful word. Shopping. I cringed inwardly.

"You need to get a dress, Ivy," he said, practically pulling me along the cobbled streets. I don't even know how he got me outside.

I began whining. "But I don't want to go shopping. Can't we just stay inside today?"

He grinned. "No, we're going to find you a dress and I'm going to buy it for you."

Stupid boyfriend with stupid money from an uncle. Now I had to spend the most romantic holiday trying on dresses and having to make a decision to buy one.

We went into the first shop that had dresses in their window display. I wasn't the greatest shopper. The first item of clothing I saw was usually the one I liked the most but something would always be wrong with it. They wouldn't have my size or it wouldn't fit right or it just didn't look good on me.

So when my eyes fell upon the red dress in the display, I tried to ignore it. But I kept seeing it out of the corner of my eye. It was simple: just a short, ruffled dress with straps. The plunging neckline was a worry though; I didn't want to wear something that showed that much.

"Do you like that one?" I turned to see Sirius staring at me. He had caught me staring at it. "You should try it on," he said without waiting for my answer.

And then it was in my hands and I was being whisked away by an employee as she stripped me of my clothing and pulled the dress over my head.

My eyes were tightly shut; I didn't want to look in the mirror. Something was going to be wrong with it...

"Not that one," I heard Sirius suddenly say behind me.

I knew it: I probably looked hideous if Sirius had an opinion like that. My shoulders slumped and I tried to take a breath.

And then his hands were on my arms and his lips against my neck. "Wearing that-" he whispered in low voice, "-I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you all night."

Without even opening my eyes, I knew that this was the dress I was going to buy.




Winding a tie around my hair, I pulled it into a low ponytail, brushing it to the side. I took a few moments to stare at my reflection in the mirror.

"You look beautiful," my mirror told me. It was a birthday present for my fifth birthday, something that I had grew up with. My parents must have known that I would have low self esteem. The mirror didn't help much but the compliments it gave me from time to time did make me feel a bit better.

I tilted my head to the side, trying to see what was missing. Something was off but what was it-?

It was glinting at me from the side table and caught my eye. I immediately reached for it and held it up against my hair. Perfect.

The door opened behind me when I was in the process of clipping the hair clip next to my ponytail. I didn't have to turn around, instead, I looked in the mirror to see Sirius close the door and glance up at me.

He didn't say anything at first which caused doubts to fill my head and my hands to shake. I finally managed to get the clip he gave me in my hair and slowly put down my hands, all the while staring back into the mirror at him.

Smoothing out the dress in front of me, I took a deep breath and turned around to face him. My eyes immediately went down to look at the floor; his eyes were just too intense to keep a gaze with.

"You look absolutely-" I looked up at the sound of Sirius's voice. He was smiling broadly, his eyes roaming over my entire body. I fidgeted slightly, trying to keep a gaze with his amused eyes. "I can't even find a word for it," he finally decided to say.

The smile on his face helped me relax a bit. "Like the dress?" I asked trying to keep a straight face as I turned around quickly.

Sirius just laughed but I could tell it was a bit uneasy. "Let's go." It was obvious that he was trying to avoid the subject. He couldn't have been mad that I got the dress. Most likely, he was frustrated in a way that I still understand. Frustrated that he couldn't do anything because we were at a wedding.

And I really liked that feeling. I could have giggled.

The wedding was hidden in a small building just on the outskirts of London. There were spells and charms surrounding the place, making it safe for the aurors that were attending the event. I had heard that it was previously a problem: Many aurors in one place, an easy target for Death Eaters. However, Lily had always gotten the best marks in Charms and she immediately went to work, fixing it easily.

We apparated outside of the building and walked through the enchantments easily. Sirius went off to find James and I decided to go find the bride. It was quite easy – I could see Dorcas and Mary walking (no, more like sprinting) down a hallway off to the side. A door suddenly came into view and once they rushed into it, I knew I found the right place.

"Ivy!" Lily spotted me as soon as I rounded the corner into the room. She was standing in front of the door as Mary fixed the bottom of her simple, white dress. Her hair was piled up loosely on her head and a veil was pushed back on top. Her dress was absolutely perfect, just one color of white, simple but radiant. I glanced up at the expression on her face to see her looking frantic.

Oh no.

"Can you please go see how James is doing? I had a dream that he never came and I don't know if it'll end up true-" She began babbling on about how he never showed up because horrible things happened to him as he tried to get to the ceremony.

"Okay, okay!" I had to yell over her rant and then turn away. "I'll go."

I barely heard the 'thank you!' as I made my way up the hallway. It took awhile to find the room where James was residing, but I finally found it in the opposite hallway.

When I walked in, James was lounging on the couch, joking with the other Marauders. I couldn't believe it – he was the opposite of Lily.

"Hey, Ivy!" James caught the first glimpse of me, jumping up and grabbing me into a hug. I patted him nervously on the back, grateful that he didn't start spinning me in circles. Pulling away and taking a good look at me, he exclaimed, "You look stunning," with a massive grin on his face.

"Lily sent me-" I began to say but when I saw Remus's eyes widen, I stopped in the middle of my sentence.

James blinked. "Lily sent you?" He let out a sharp breath.

I didn't know what to say. "Um-"

It was then that James started to hyperventilate, falling back onto the couch and holding his head in his hands. I backed up in fright. "She's not going to want to marry me. What was I thinking?"

Sirius slided over to me. "Remus just got him to calm down. Thanks." His sarcastic tone made me frown.

"Sorry," I said, shrugging slightly. How was I supposed to know?

I left as James started to breath erratically and found the room in which the ceremony was going to be held. Mary was in there so I quickly gave her the news that James was doing fine and she went away to tell Lily. I couldn't just tell Lily that "oh, hey, James is hyperventilating but everything will turn out fine".

Everything had to turn out fine. It was James and Lily's wedding – they deserved their perfect day. They needed a perfect day.

Because who knew if there was time left for another one?

When the ceremony actually began at noon, I was mildly surprised. I had expected the whole behind-the-scenes to be chaotic and the ceremony to be running late. But, no, James was standing where he should have been and Lily was about to walk down the aisle.

I couldn't help but smile as Lily made her way towards James. I could see both of their fears erased the minute they locked eyes on each other. For a minute, I wished I had my journal with me so I could write that down to remember. But it was their moment: not mine, not my characters.

Sirius stole one glance at me at the beginning of the ceremony, flashing me a quick grin before turning his attention back on the vows.

And as Lily and James said their own vows to each other, I found myself lost in their words, their love for each other. It was evident by the way they smiled and said their vows clearly and strongly: this wasn't a false, flimsy love. It was a true, made-just-for-them love.

"I was a bit discouraged when Lily didn't fall in love with me immediately. I thought she would take one look at this face and fall for my handsome features-" James was joking, causing the attendees to laugh. I just watched it all, amused and absolutely taken by this whole new experience (I had never attended a wedding before this one).

Lily was rolling her eyes. "Only a complete idiot would fall in love with an egotistical prat," she responded with a smile on her face.

I chuckled as the banter continued and finally, the exchange of rings took place. James didn't hesitate with the "I do", saying it quite loud and clear. Lily took a deep breath before her's and I could see tears glistening on her cheeks.

The words "you may kiss the bride" were barely said before James had placed his hands on Lily's face, wiping away her tears and catching her in a passionate kiss.

Everyone clapped as "I now present Mr. and Mrs. Potter" was announced over our celebration and during their kiss.

Lily ended up breaking their embrace by letting out a laugh and whispering something in James's ear. He grinned in response and, with interlaced hands, they made their way back down the aisle together.

I didn't understand why people ever cried at weddings but watching the sentimental act take place in front of me was moving. I didn't cry but I looked over to see Mary about to burst into tears.

Sirius immediately bounded over to me and grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's go party."

Now, since I had never been to a wedding, I also had never been to a reception. I knew the stories: there was going to be food and a bar, maybe some games, and, of course, dancing. I had always thought the catching of the bouquet was something that people didn't actually do, but when James forced me to stand with a bunch of girls, I found out I was wrong.

What would happen if you caught the bouquet? Did you immediately have to get married? From what I read, the person had the good fortune to be the next woman to get married. Is it basically roping you into it?

So, when I stood there, I began to back up little by little. I didn't want to catch the bouquet – not when it had consequences like that.

Marriage – Sirius and I had never talked about something like that. I bet it wasn't anywhere on his mind.

Lily ended up throwing it to the right, out of the crowd of girls and into the hands of Remus was standing on the sidelines. He stared down at the flowers and then looked up, a look of complete bewilderment on his face.

Sirius thought it was absolutely hilarious. "Good job, mate. You're soon to be a blushing bride!" Remus just gave Sirius a look and handed the bouquet to Dorcas next to him. She took it awkwardly and shrugged at Lily who was watching the scene play out.

After I managed to escape that fiasco, I sat back down at the table and cautiously sipped the wine I was given. It was bitter and I wasn't sure if I would be able to drink the whole glass.

"Now, be careful with that wine," Sirius exclaimed as he slipped into the seat next to me, picking up his own glass. "I don't want to be taken advantage of later tonight."

I almost snorted into my glass at the reminder of that oh-so-wonderful drunken night about a year ago. "Oh, don't worry. I'm tired anyway – just going to go to bed as soon as I get home," I teased him back.

He frowned at me, a reaction I was expecting to see. "You're not funny," he proclaimed bluntly.

I just chuckled. "Well, at least I amuse myself at times."

After he rolled his eyes at my comment, Sirius finally stood up to make his best man speech (a little late, of course – he was waiting for the perfect moment).

"Prongs, mate, I agree with Lily. You're an absolute prat and I don't understand why anyone would want to marry you-" he began with a grin. James just laughed. "Well, I guess you're both crazy, so-" Lily sent him a glare. "Okay, okay. Honestly, you two were made for each other. You compliment each other so well that I don't think one would be able to live without the other. I don't even know how you managed to be blind to that fact for six years, Lily, but really, seeing you two together is like...well, Bertie Bott's and peanut butter." Almost everyone in the room cringed at the mental picture of jelly beans smothered in the gooey substance. "Trust me, it's good," Sirius added. "James and Lily, I wish you the best. And I hope you live like Bertie Bott's and peanut butter for the rest of your lives. Perfect together."

Everyone in the room couldn't hide their amused smiles. We all grabbed our glasses and chanted "To James and Lily!" before taking a sip.

The whole event was perfect in my eyes. James and Lily were totally lost in each other and no outside threats managed their way in. It was just a normal, perfect wedding featuring two of my best friends. And I couldn't ask for more.

James and Lily Potter had to be the luckiest, happiest people at that moment. And I could only wish that it would stay that way forever.

The reception lasted until late that night and I was completely worn when I finally said my goodbyes and congratulations to James and Lily (fireworks courtesy of the Marauders behind them). Finally, I then apparated back to my flat.

Sirius followed me as we apparated just outside of the front of my building. Suddenly, he was pulling on my hand, leading me up the steps to the front door. He seemed restless – like he couldn't wait another minute to get inside.

Sending him a strange look, I unlocked the door and stepped over the threshold into the room. He didn't waste any time and, without any warning, I found myself against the closest wall and trapped by Sirius pining me there.

"I warned you about wearing that dress," he growled in a rush of words before capturing my lips in a sweltering kiss.

The first thought that entered my mind was 'was he waiting to get me alone all day?' before my mind was blissfully wiped blank by his touch on my arms and his lips crashing over mine. They moved hungrily and greedily, making me whimper and lose myself completely.

I barley could register the fact that he had the straps of my dress between his fingers, pulling them down, exposing my bare shoulders.

And then he was pushing my dress up roughly, over my hips, a red-hot line following his hands on my skin. He rested his hands on the bunched fabric around my hips as he continued to attack my mouth.

My last coherent thought was that I didn't care if he gave me a silly warning: I wanted this just as much as he did. I needed him.




I woke up to a strange tingling feeling on one of my arms. Without even opening my eyes, I concentrated on the pattern the feeling was leaving on my skin. I...V...Y...my name, he was tracing my name on my skin. I shivered at the thought and yawned, opening my eyes slightly to see him watching me.

Moving closer to him, I found a comfortable place in his arms as he sighed into my hair. Then he was leaning forward and breathing a 'happy birthday' in my ear.

I smiled in response and 'mmm'ed softly, barely awake. My eyes were slowly closing again...

He didn't say anything for awhile, just continued to trace words and letters on my bare skin with his fingers. I couldn't pay attention to what he was writing this early in the morning: my mind wasn't working yet.

I barely heard the two words muttered softly in my hair. It took a moment for me to comprehend what he had spoken but when it finally became clear, my eyes snapped open and I rolled over to face him with wide eyes.

"What?" I gasped, my voice catching on the word.

He repeated the words I thought I heard him say. His eyes were cautious but also pleading with me at the same time. He knew that this was taking a risk.

When I didn't say anything, he said it again. "Marry me..." he murmured, brushing back my hair, leaving the gentlest of touches against my skin.

I – I couldn't – what? One word kept repeating in my head: Why? Why me? Why now? Why would he want to do this with me at a time like this? Did James and Lily's wedding cause his brain to go into overload? Was he on a wedding high?

I said the word out loud. "Why?" It was almost tearful the way I said it. I just couldn't see the logic behind this. We had just gotten back together. We hadn't been together for a year – well, a year today, but not a straight, full year.

This was crazy talk. It was the sleep talking. It had to be.

"I don't want to lose you again," he was saying only millimeters from my ear. My mind was whirling. "I want to wake up like this everyday. I want you everyday."

He was crazy. Absolutely crazy. That wasn't a basis for a marriage. We could continue that without a marriage. "But the responsibility - we're not ready for that," I tried to reason as I stared up at the ceiling. I couldn't look at him. If I took one look into those eyes, I would agree to this insanity. I was smarter than that.

"If James and Lily can handle it, we can," he said. So it was about James and Lily. I was about to tell him that we couldn't base our relationship off of their's when he added, "Can you see it?"

"No," I responded softly. I couldn't see us getting married. Sirius as my husband? I was still getting used to the idea of him being my boyfriend. "It's not-" I tried to explain, but words were failing me. "I can't see-"

"So?" Sirius exclaimed, his voice getting louder. "It's the great unknown, something exciting. A new adventure for me and you – not the Marauders but just us, together, forever. A different thrill, something amazing." I glanced up at him hesitantly, catching his pleading eyes in the light. Oh no. "And we love each other. Isn't that enough?"

I had to look up in his eyes. He had to make it sound like something we could really do. I let out a frustrated sigh, closing my eyes. "You're making it hard to say no," I told him truthfully.

"Good." I could hear the grin in his voice.

I opened one eye and looked at him, saying the thought that came to mind. "Are you just trying to top last year?" Was every single one of my birthdays going to be crazy like this?

"Maybe," he answered shortly.

I looked away, staring back up at the ceiling. It was a crazy idea – but really, how crazy was it? With the war, everyone was getting married as quickly as possible. It was common for this to happen. But marrying Sirius Black? Who thought that would ever happen?

Biting my lip, I asked myself an important question: Why shouldn't I say yes? And when I thought about it, I realized the only answer I could come up with was "everyone else". Why couldn't it just be about me and him?

And with the final thought in my head, I opened my mouth to give an answer. It took a few tries to finally say an audible answer. "Yes."

His eyes widened. I never thought that he would be surprised I would agree. I had thought that he always knew I would. "Okay," he confirmed, as if he was saying it to himself too. Practically beaming, he rolled over to bring me into a kiss.

A knock on the door cut it short.

Since it was my birthday, I really should have saw this coming. Sirius groaned, getting off of me and rolling back over to his side. I quickly sat up and leaned over to find my clothes.

"Coming!" I shouted to the person who wouldn't stop knocking at the door. Finally pulling on my shirt, I made my way out of the bedroom (closing the door behind me, of course) and to the front door.

I almost had a heart attack. "Mum!" I greeted the person as I opened the door. She was the last person I expected to see.

My mother smiled at me and brought me into an unexpected hug. "Happy birthday, Ivy!" She was definitely way too excited to be here. And she had a present in her hands. Maybe that's why – she had a great gift she couldn't wait to give me. All I had to do was take the gift, unwrap it, and send her on her way. It was a bit harsh, but I couldn't just let her stay here when my boyfriend was naked, sprawled out on my bed.

Shaking my head of that thought, I smiled at my mum. "How are you?"

She smiled back at me. "Good. How are things here?"

This was going to take forever. "Great. My job at the Daily Prophet is really nice."

There was a silence consisting of awkward nods and twiddling of thumbs. "Oh," my mother finally said. "I got you something."

Okay, we were finally getting somewhere. Wondering briefly what Sirius was doing in my bedroom, I grabbed the present from my mother. Taking off the paper, I saw the words 'The Complete Works of Jane Austen' printed on the side of the heavy box.

"Wow, mum," I said, tilting it to the side. "A new set?"

She nodded. "I just thought I would get you your own set so I can finally get my own books back."

Reading the summary on the back of the box, I said without thinking, "Oh, yeah, they're in the bedroom."

And when my mum got up and said "I'll just get them then", I finally realized my mistake. Oh god, oh god, oh god, I was dead. And she was already at the bedroom door, twisting the handle, pushing the door open.

I couldn't do anything. My wand was on the table a few yards away. I wouldn't be able to make it in time.

She was going to kill me. Excommunicate me from the family.

Or she was going to kill Sirius for taking away her baby's innocence. Inwardly cringing, I waited for the screaming to begin.

But it didn't. Peeking in behind her, I watched as she walked in a seemingly empty room. Even the bed was made on his side.

What the-?

My mother grabbed the books on the bedside table and turned to face me. "Well, I suppose you have plans with your friends today," she said, surprising me. "I'll see you soon."

She enveloped me into a hug again as I thanked her for the present. She finally left after she said 'happy birthday' to me about a hundred more times.

I heaved a huge sigh the moment she was gone, basking in the silence of the room.

"You have cute feet," I suddenly heard from the floor. Bending down, I caught a glimpse of a hand coming out from underneath the bed, holding up the bed skirt.

I sat down on the floor. "How did you know to hide?" I asked.

"Your mother scares me," he replied instantaneously. "I had to hide."

I couldn't control my laughter at the mental image of Sirius scrambling to hide at the sound of my mother's voice. "Well, thanks for that," I finally managed to say.

"I don't really feel like getting mauled to death by your mother, so it's really no problem." I really wished I could have seen his expression on his face. Ducking underneath the bed frame, I was met a pair of lips, pressing against mine.

Awkward, yes, but I had much experience with awkward. I could handle awkward very well.