Liquid Luck [Sirius Black]/editing

Chapter 129

It's late afternoon and the temperature of this hot August day is quickly dropping as the sun sets over the ocean. Squinting through the golden rays, I look out at the deep blue sea where Sirius and Fabian are mercilessly splashing each other.

"I don't know how they're swimming right now." I laugh, hugging my arms around my legs and curling my toes in the sand.

"Are you cold?" Duke asks softly from beside me.

"Just a little," I shrug. He sheds his green windbreaker jacket and tries to hand it to me but I shake my head. "No, Dukey, you run cold."

"I'm alright. Really, I've got my jumper." Duke carefully drapes the jacket over my shoulders and then turns back to watch the sunset. His hair tousles as the wind picks up, and it looks like soft threads of spun gold under the sun's orange glow. His lips pull up into a half-smile, "I got the job, by the way. The Healer position at St Mungo's."

"That's amazing, I'm so happy for you!" I tackle him in a bone-crushing hug making him laugh. "When do you start?"

"A week. Well, sort of. In a week I'll be paired with a more experienced Healer. I'll only be observing and assisting for a while, but I'm really nervous about starting."

"Would it help at all if my dad is the Healer you get partnered with?"

His eyes light up hopefully. "I love your dad, it would definitely help. Do you think he'd do it?"

"Of course! The word 'no' isn't really in his vocabulary."

Sirius comes jogging over and collapses on my towel. Duke looks between us and clears his throat, "You know, I think I'll take a dip." He sends me a wink as he leaves to join Fabian.

Sirius scoots closer to me and playfully walks his fingers up my thigh. He looks up at me through his eyelashes and I muster a half-smile. "You okay?"

I take his hand and play with his fingers, debating whether or not I should tell him what I'm really thinking about. "Have you been reading the papers recently?" I ask him hesitantly. He nods. "Everyday the list of missing persons grows longer. All these people are reduced to is a name on some sad list, it's horrible. And scary, too. Never in a million years did I think I would willingly read the Prophet. But I do now because I'm afraid someday I'll see a name I recognize."

He lifts himself into a sitting position and slips his arms around me under Duke's jacket, resting his hands on the small of my back. "Love, worrying about what you can't control is a waste of time and it won't stop bad things from happening. That's why I stopped reading."

"It feels selfish not to." I look into his eyes.

"You could never be selfish. And if it upsets you, I think you should stop, too. If you worry too much about what could happen, you'll miss out on what is. Everyone you know is safe right now." He leans in so his lips are right at my ear when he whispers, "So let's just enjoy tonight, okay?"

"Okay," I relax in his embrace, nuzzling into his wet chest. "Thank you."

"Come swimming with me, angel." He says.

I draw back a little, putting my hands on his chest and huffing out a laugh of disbelief. "You're bloody mental for even thinking I'd go anywhere near that freezing cold water."