Marauders One Shots

Comfort (S.B.)

A/N: An entry into a writing challenge. 1.1K 

Warnings: sadness? worry on the reader's end.

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Breakfast at Hogwarts was always accompanied with Owl Post. They would arrive, dropping off letters and parcels before flying to the Owlery where they could rest for a while.

This morning, as your family's owl dropped a letter in front of you, so did Sirius'. He grimaces as he opens the letter as a letter from his family never signals good news. He is quiet as he reads it over. He doesn't finish the letter before he crumples it up in his hand and shoves it into one of his pockets.

You place a hand on his, "Something wrong, love?"

Sirius flips your hands so he can intertwine them, "Nothing to worry about."

You smile at him, hoping its reassuring considering you don't believe a word that's come out of his mouth. You catch eyes with James, silently passing on the message to keep an eye on Sirius throughout the morning. James nods, and you sigh a breath of relief. Your mornings were spent separate from each other so it was calming to know someone would be checking on him.

He stands abruptly, pulling you up with him. He presses a quick kiss to your cheek, "Come on, sweetheart. I'll walk you to your first class."

You return the kiss, "I like the sound of that, Mr. Black. Lead the way."

Leaving the Great Hall, you can't help but hold onto Sirius' hand that little bit tighter. His relationship with his family wasn't good, and the last thing you wanted was for Sirius to be hurt any further by them. If it was up to you, you would steal him away from them and keep him at your house. You couldn't understand how anyone could find faults in him; yes, he was loud, he was brash, he was sometimes reckless, but he was also selfless, loving, kind. He had completely stolen your heart, and you were certain you had stolen his. He found it hard to talk about his feelings, but he was slowly opening up to you. You felt something close to pride when he started to open up to you about his feelings, about what he sees in his future after Hogwarts.

From the moment that Sirius had left you outside your classroom with a deep kiss, the morning had started to crawl by. The only thing you wanted to do was to see Sirius and see if he was doing any better, but it seemed that time had other options for you.

Heading straight to the Great Hall the moment the bell rang for lunch; you catch sight of the Marauders chatting over their lunch with no sign of Sirius.

"James, where is he?"

"He's gone back to the common room. That letter really shook him up, I'm worried if I'm honest."

You nod, shouting a 'thank you' over your shoulder as you leave the Great Hall to head to the common room.

Entering it, your eyes land on Sirius immediately. He's sat in front of the fire, staring away at nothing, but you know that there is everything running through his mind.

"Wanna go for a walk?" you ask. "The weather is nice, and I want to spend some time with you."

Sirius nods silently, following you out of the common room.

Taking hold of his hand, you steer Sirius towards the Black Lake. The weather had held out all day; there were some black clouds over breakfast, but by md-morning they had cleared away to make room for the sun. A rarity in the Scottish highlands. Sirius is quiet as you start to walk around the lake

"I'm here when you're ready to talk," You whisper, grabbing his hand and lacing your fingers together.

"I know you are." He replies, squeezing your hand in silent thanks.

A quiet descends between the two of you; the only sound being your feet in the grass and mud. The wind is cold, but the sun is warm, and the day feels close to perfect as you glance at your entwined hands.

Sirius hands you the crumpled piece of paper from this morning. "Read it, please."

You pause the walk around the lake, unfolding the letter. It doesn't take you long to read it; it takes you longer to hold back the tears. On some level, you had always known that Sirius's family would try to arrange a marriage for him – they hadn't ever approved of you because of your blood status. It was messed up, but Sirius had never let it interfere with your relationship.

"I won't do it." Sirius states firmly.

"It sounds like you don't have a choice. This is your family."

"And what have they done for me?" He shouts, gesturing wildly around him. "All they have given me is a name and even that is a stain. I will not do it; I am done."

"Okay."

Sirius stares at you in disbelief, his chest heaving. "That's all you have to say?"

You want to laugh, "Sirius, your family is trying to force you into an arranged marriage. I want to say a whole lot more, but you've just said that you won't do it and I believe you."

He still stares at you in disbelief, "You're amazing, you know that right?"

A smirk makes its way across your face, "I've been told a few times actually."

Sirius laughs, "It's incredible, you are incredible, in just a few words you're able to comfort me and help me feel better."

You smile widely, "That's part of the job description of girlfriend, love. You say you don't want to do it, so you won't, and I will be here through it all. I won't leave your side."

Sirius stalks towards you, he places both hands on either side of your face, "I don't want to marry anyone who isn't you."

Your eyes widen, "Are you proposing to me?"

"Not yet. But I will. My family be damned. There is only one person in this entire world that I want to marry and that is you. Their approval means absolutely nothing to me. All I want after Hogwarts is you."

Tears well in your eyes again, "I really like the sound of that if I'm being honest."

"You do?" He asks, looking vulnerable, looking younger than he is. In that moment, you know. You know that you want to spend the rest of your life with him; to share it all with him. If an eternity was possible, you would spend that with him, but you'll take any time you can.

You nod, "A future with you after Hogwarts sounds like a dream I do not want to wake from."

He dips his head, pressing his lips to yours – a whole future promised on this kiss.