“No, there's nothing half so sweet in life as love's young dream." - Thomas Moore
Sirius hated the heat. It was a thought that started forming in his mind a few days earlier when a heat wave hit the country and summer was upon the Hogwarts students. The halls were stuffy, the Great Hall was a sauna and the classrooms were pure torture. It was beyond him how an old, windy castle could suddenly become an oven. Shooting dirty looks at the window he tried to turn his attention to the teachings of Professor Flitwick but found himself unable to do so, as he was dreading the next class, Potions. Looking around he saw James scribbling something on a piece of parchment, Remus taking notes and Peter trying to mimic the Professor’s wand movements, to save himself the effort of practicing later on his own. Deciding there was no entertainment to be had here, he scanned the room, his eyes finally resting on the back of a girl. Elise was sitting in a desk in front of him, next to Lily and Mary, her eyes searching the book that lay open in front of her, taking small notes on the side with her quill. Her hair was pulled back and Sirius smiled as he eyed the delicate skin of her neck, the contour of her jaw and the lines forming on her rosy face as she read the material.
Months after meeting her it still surprised him how easily he had let her in and how well she had integrated into his life. She was a smart girl and knew how to make herself liked, she had the perfect manners that were expected from the daughter of a French diplomat and she had a temper that could rival that of Lily Evans.
Of course he had not expected her to be perfect, far from it. It was in his character to study people, to analyze them before engaging in conversation and then deciding whether he had anything in common with them. He first started studying her on the night she came to Hogwarts. How fast she fell into the conversation and started interacting with the girls of Gryffindor. Her slight scowl when McGonagall had mispronounced her last name and how she just shook it off. That was the first sign that intrigued him. She didn’t make first impressions based solely on circumstances. She had yet to see the Head of House teach a class and so she refrained from letting herself form an opinion. Then he saw how she reacted to the usual afternoon shouting match between James and Evans. She actually gave him good advice and something about the way she phrased it made James actually listen to reason.
Then on their first walk by the lake he saw that underneath her prim and proper appearance she was a girl that got nervous, emotional and distracted. She wouldn’t understand, even if he were to explain, how much her running away spoke to him. Any other girl would fall in the arms of the Black’s eldest, the rebel. She didn’t. Her reasons, designed to convince either him or herself, were not important.
He discovered her to be funny and intelligent, silly sometimes and at other times she carried herself as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. This was what Sirius Black called “the institution of a woman”. It had been seared in his brain from a young age, that a woman was an institution. She had to be the perfect combination of brains, beauty and class that ensured the man next to her would feel as comfortable next to her at a Quidditch match as he would at a Ministry Ball. And so far Elise had proved herself worthy.
This last thought made him laugh bitterly on the inside. Worthy. Such a pureblooded word to describe your girlfriend. He slowly discovered the more unpleasant aspects of her personality.
The way in which she would argue when something didn’t go her way and how she would get annoyed with him if he interrupted her homework. She was as stubborn as a mule and hardly ever listened to advice, stating simply that it was best if she bumped her head on the wall by herself.
And even though there were times when they would fight and she would drive him mad, Sirius wouldn’t change her for any reason.
The sound of chairs and people moving made him come back to reality. A very hot, humid reality that he was facing the dungeons, with their cauldrons and the fire that helped brew their potions. Sirius decided in a moment that he wouldn’t be subjecting himself to such torture and scanned the room to find Elise. He didn’t see her, but instead spotted the red pony tail that belonged to Lily Evans and followed them outside the classroom.
“There’s my girl.” he whispered softly into Elise’s ear as he caught up to her and circled her waste with his arms. She relaxed in his arms and smiled.
“Had a nice nap during Charms?” she chuckled, turning around and kissing his cheek.
“Actually, I did not nap. Instead I spent the hour thinking of a most pleasant way for us to spend the afternoon.” he replied, one of his hands taking hers as he started pulling her in the direction of the Entrance Hall.
“No you don’t!” she exclaimed, catching his drift and pulling in the opposite direction. “We need to go see Slughorn, he wouldn’t survive the weekend if he didn’t get to look at you.”
This didn’t seem to convince him and he took her book bag from her shoulder, still pulling in his direction.
“What am I going to tell him if he asks why I missed class?” she finally inquired, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll tell him you had to go see the nurse!” Mary offered, from behind her. She and Lily had stopped to wait for Elise.
“I will not lie to a Professor!” she scoffed, letting go of Sirius’s hand and crossing her arms. “What will that do to my reputation?”
“I think a break will do you better than a good record with Slughorn. Besides, if you owl your parents for a good story with a Ministry official and share at the next party he throws you’re as good as pinned on that wall of his!” Mary insisted, pushing her gently towards Sirius’s direction. “You know you want to go, just go, we’ll worry about old Slug!” she concluded, gesturing to both Lily and herself. Elise turned her head to look at Lily, who surprisingly smiled and nodded, waving her off.
“I’ll see you at dinner! Don’t have too much fun!” she called as she and Mary left for class. Elise stared after her with a little shocked look on her face.
“C’mon Aimee, even Evans thinks you should live a little.” Sirius persisted, using the name he had given her. She smiled, shaking her head and grabbed his hand as the two started making their way to the grounds.
He had seen the name Aimee in one of her books and demanded to know the translation. When he learned it translated to “beloved” he started using it as a sort of private nickname for her. It made her heart beat faster when she heard it on his lips, mostly because they had never had the serious talk regarding their feelings.
They walked in the sunshine for a while, finally reaching their tree, in proximity to the lake. Sirius jokingly referred to it as “their tree“, seeing as they spent most of their spring afternoons on a blanket in its shade. In the hot weather, the leaves that clung lazily to the branches offered a perfect retreat. Elise conjured a blanket and the pair took off their school robes and sat down. Sirius continued looking at her from the corner of his eye. She caught his eye and poked him in the side with a finger.
“Quit staring at me!” she demanded, poking him once more for good measure.
“And what’s going to happen if I don’t stop?” he questioned, an amused look on his face.
“You’re going to give me the evil eye!” she exclaimed, looking at him with wide eyes.
Sirius started laughing and gazed at her curiously “I’m going to give you the what?”
“The evil eye!” she sighed. “Honestly, don’t they teach you anything in this country?” she teased. He shook his head and she continued. “When I was little and my parents had to work at the same time I would go with papa to the Ministry’s nursery. We had a lady from Eastern Europe there taking care of us and she explained how people with light colored eyes can give you the evil eye if they stare too much.” came the explanation. “You see, if you get the evil eye you get headaches and a fever and there’s a special chant you have to say to make it go away.”
“And this actually works?” Sirius wondered.
“I think it’s in the mind more than anything!” she shrugged. “But it was worth bringing it up just to see you confused.” she giggled.
“I’ll have you know I’m adorable even when I’m confused!” he announced, a pout forming on his face. Elise leaned in and pecked his lips.
“You look like a duck when you do that, cheri.” she said lovingly, which made Sirius start to tickle her. Her laugh echoed through the lazy afternoon, filling the air and making him tickle her even more. She knew that there was no way she could get him to stop so she placed a hand on his back and pulled herself up, her lips crashing with his.
The gesture made him stop what he was doing and instead placed his hands on her hips, his fingers caressing the soft fabric of her shirt as her hands found his hair and pulled softly at the dark strands. He traced her lips with his tongue tightening his hold on her, one hand now making it’s way up and down her back. He smiled as she shivered under his touch, her hands now gripping at his shirt, their kiss growing more intense. He wanted to drink her, to inhale her, to feel her so close that she became one with him. She broke the kiss, gasping for air and smiling at him, their foreheads touching.
“You need to stop kissing me like that, Mr. Black.” she whispered into his lips. “There’s only so much a girl’s heart can take.”
“That’s okay, I’ll take care of it, your heart. And I also promise not to let the eye get you. Be it evil or just wandering.” he responded, making her laugh once again. He kissed her lips again and they melted into the feeling. When they parted, he placed an arm around her and she leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder.
“Sirius?”
“Yes, Aimee?” there it was, the nickname.
“Will you come to Paris with me this summer?” Elise asked quietly, gazing at the sun’s reflection on the surface of the Black Lake.
“Wouldn’t your parents mind my visit?” he answered, gently pulling her face to face him.
“Actually, I’m not sure if they’ll even be there. I was thinking we could spend a week in Paris and then if you like we can invite everybody to the vacation house.” she suggested, turning her entire body towards him.
A grin formed on his face at the prospect of spending time with her abroad. “We can delay their arrival to the house too, if you want.” he suggested innocently.
She laughed at his innocent appearance and kissed his nose, tracing a pattern on his collarbone with her fingers. “I think you’re going to love Paris.” she whispered into his ear.
“I think I already do.” he breathed, leaning in to kiss her again.
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AN: I'm back! Inspiration hit for this one late night and I knew that if I didn't type it up and post it Sophie -Elise and Sirius would probably never speak to me again. So here's chapter 9. Also, you can check out my other WIP, a NextGen novella.
Next chapter of TWWW brings us more Harry and Remus and the start of the summer vacations!
Thank you to everybody who's read and left feedback, this story has over 2000 views. :)
Once again, I don't own anything.
XoXo
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