One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 36

Gwen left that afternoon, after she got to see James and Sirius open their gifts.

Getting tackled by James over his tickets to a Chuddley Cannons quidditch match against the Kenmare Kestrals was almost as amusing as watching Sirius getting his nose bitten by the teacup that she'd purchased at Zonkos.

They'd tried to get her to stay, but she insisted that she had to leave. She'd profusely thanked Fleamont and Mia and then she was off before Sirius could convince her to stay.

James and Sirius quietly play Wizards Chess, sitting in front of the fire while the Potters chatted in the kitchen. James snickers when Sirius sighs for the umpteenth time, asking cheekily,

"Miss your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Sirius grumbles, his rook taking one of James' pawns rather aggressively. James frowns at his fallen piece and asks curiously,

"Why not?"

"Because, we're friends," Sirius insists. "It's Ninnie for merlin's sake! She's a narc and bloody impossible to deal with."

"You seemed to have a good time at her house," James points out, smiling inwardly when Sirius mumbles,

"Whatever. I just like the beach."

"Well," James says, letting out a noise of contentment when his bishop takes down Sirius' rook. "If you don't ask her out someone else will. Lily was telling me that Fabian Prewett is quite keen on asking her to Hogsmead. And they've already snogged...and then some."

Sirius whips his head up from the chess board, his eyes widening. He's shocked, for two reasons.

"Did you just say that you and Lily were talking?"

James smiles smugly and shrugs, replying cheekily, "Apparently I said something that worked when I was drunk. She's at least tolerating me now. She didn't send back my Christmas gift either."

Sirius grins and claps his friend on the shoulder, saying cheerfully, "Good work, Prongs. Now what's this about Ninnie and Fabian?"

James glances at him knowingly before telling his pawn where to move. James winces when Sirius kicks him under the table, groaning, "Fine! Fuck, you don't have to kick me, Padfoot."

Sirius narrows his eyes, gesturing for James to continue.

"I don't know that much about it," James offers. "Apparently she and Fabian snogged at a party beginning of last year. And then it kind of just went from there. She's never showed any real interest in him I suppose. But Fabian likes her, has for a while."

Sirius frowns, asking, "How come I didn't know any of this?"

"You were too busy trying to prank her. Plus you were snogging quite a few people as well," James points out. Sirius feels that weird twisting in his gut, foreign and scary and full of anger.

"Well fine!" Sirius explodes, starling James and even the chess pieces.

"That's fine! I hope she and Fabian are happy together!"

Mia pokes her head in and furrows her brow at her boys, asking confusedly, "Who is Fabian?"

James smirks and jeers, "Ninnie's boyfriend."

Steam is practically coming out of Sirius' ears, and rationally he knows it's not fair. It's not fair to be mad at the girl because they were friends. It's not like she couldn't date other people. But then an image pops into his head of the Veela on her beach with a boy with red hair makes him sick to his stomach.

"She said she wasn't interested in anyone," Mia says nonchalantly, taking a seat on the sofa behind Sirius. She sees his shoulders relax from their previously stiff position, a tiny smile threatening to appear on the witch's face when Sirius peers over his shoulder and asks,

"You and Gwen were talking about boys?"

Mia smirks and mines locking her lips and throwing away the key. But when she slyly winks at Sirius he feels a twinge of relief. Especially when Mia says calmly,

"We talked about a lot of things. Like you're Christmas present."

Sirius grunts, turning back to face James and the game, "That sodding tea cup?"

"No, something else. I believe she said she was going to hide it to make you angry."

Sirius jumps to his feet, spilling the chess pieces all over James' lap as he cries out, "Hey!"

"Where is it?" Sirius asks excitedly, unable to help the immediate amusement and frustration combo he usually feels towards the Veela.

Mia laughs, not having seen Sirius like this in a long time. He was lighter, happier even when he was so obviously brooding over a certain someone. The older witch says cheekily,

"You know, I never would've guessed Gwen would be a Ravenclaw. But she's quite witty."

She hands the boys a piece of paper, their eyes growing wide at what's written on it. James, now wholly invested in the hunt for the gift reads confusedly,

"A spirited jig it dances bright, banishing all but darkest night. Give it food and it will live; give it water and it will die."

James looks up at his mom, completely perplexed. Sirius re reads the looping scrawl over and over, musing irritably, "Bloody Veela. What kind of person uses riddles?"

He pauses, thinking hard out loud,

"Give it food it lives, give it water....fire?"

Mia grins broadly and the boys whirl around, James quickly casting aguamenti on the fireplace. Sirius reaches inside and searches around the damp ashes, his hand bumping something that feels like glass.
He grabs it quickly and stands with it in his hands, staring down at it in awe. It's a glass bottle, charmed with a moving scene inside of it.

It looks like the beach by her house, white sand and green dune grass, and sprawling waves with whitecaps. The charm makes it so that the waves crash on the shore, turning the sand darker. There are even tiny seagulls that circle over what Sirius swears is the small garden where they planted bulbs.

"What does the tag say?" James asks, leaning in to watch the waves and the birds. Sirius lifts up the tag, his throat growing impossibly tighter. He can feel Mia watching, James glancing up at him too as he traces Gwen's handwriting over and over with his eyes. He can practically hear the waves crashing and the birds crying and the wind whistling in his ears.

"It's says Toujours pur."