One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 73

Sirius grins as James drunkenly dances with Remus and Peter.

The boys would be leaving tomorrow, so James had broken into Gwen's locked cabinet to raid her stash of wine. When she'd found out, his excuse was that tonight called for celebration.

Sirius was rather upset that he was leaving with the rest of the Marauders. He'd tried to convince Gwen to go with but she'd refused. She didn't want to impose. There was only a couple of weeks left before the start of term, and while he'd wanted to lock her up in the cottage and kick the boys out...Gwen wanted to celebrate too.

So celebrate they did. Peter and even Remus were slightly drunk. Drunk enough to sway and skip along to music on the small wooden wireless that James had brought with. Sirius glances across the bonfire past his drunk friends, eyes quickly finding Gwen.

He melts slightly at the way the orange glow dances on her cheeks, the way her head tips back when she laughs and claps for the dancing boys as they sing loudly over the distant crashing waves,

"There came a girl from France
Who didn't know how to dance
The only thing that she could do
Was knees up Mother Brown

Oh, knees up Mother Brown
Knees up Mother Brown
Knees up, knees up, never let the breeze up,
Knees up Mother Brown!"

Sirius grins when Gwen whistles for them when they finish, collapsing back into their folding chairs around the fire. Peter groans quietly, "Merlin, that's enough dancing for me tonight."

James and Remus nod their heads in agreement, Remus passing a half empty bottle of wine to Sirius. He only takes one drink. He wasn't nearly as drunk as his friends, just buzzed enough to make his laughs come easier. Maybe the alcohol is what guides him next.

James let's out a low whistle and Remus jeers as Sirius climbs to his feet, rounding the campfire to stand in front of Gwen. Her features look sharp when his shadow blocks some of the glow from the fire, her eyes bright with mirth as she looks up at him. Sirius holds out his hand and Gwen looks at it blankly for a minute before shaking her head.

"Come on, Ninnie. Dance with me."

Her lips twitch down slightly when she replies, "I can't."

His brows furrow in confusion. The tightness around her eyes and her faint smile makes realization dawn on him. She couldn't dance because of her magic. Sirius grabs her hand anyway and pulls her to her feet,

"Let's try," He offers, guiding her arms around his neck. Gwen sighs, arguing quietly, "Sirius, I—"

"They're drunk enough they probably won't even notice. Let's just try, okay? I want to dance with my girlfriend."

Gwen softens slightly at his words, but still hesitates. Flitwick had advised her to not dance early on as a student at Hogwarts. For her safety, and for the safety of the boys she was around. Men were known to do stupid things when Veela danced and spread their charm. But Sirius was safe, and James and Peter were half asleep. Remus wouldn't be affected. She finally sighs and grumbles, "Fine, you bloody dog."

Sirius rests his hands on her hips and they sway around the campfire. He can sense her nerves, the way she keeps looking at the boys to make sure she isn't charming them. He smiles slightly and murmurs, "Forget them, Ninnie. And if you charm them, so what? You should get to dance. Especially with someone as bloody handsome as myself."

Gwen rolls her eyes, but smiles as he moves them away from the fire, covered partially by darkness as he dips her. He feels his heart warm at the bubbly laugh that escapes her. She holds onto him tighter when he swings her back upright, her eyes wide as she wonders, "Where did you learn to dance?"

"Ahhh," Sirius sighs, chuckling as he admits, "Purebloods rather enjoy holding balls. They're dreadful mind you, but I was expected to dance at them. To find a potential girl to marry."

Gwen quirks a brow and says flatly as he moves them, "Poor girls."

Sirius scowls playfully and pinches her side, lips twitching when another laugh escapes her. He grows slightly dizzy when he spins her, but he's not sure if it's her charm or her happy smile that makes him feel dazed. He pulls her in closer, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder while they sway back and forth.

"The things you do to me, Whitlock," Sirius mutters, eyes fluttering shut as he gently kisses her warm skin. Gwen smiles and teases gently, "Well I've heard that I'm a creature that turns men into fools."

Sirius grimaces, pulling back to see her face. And while she thinks his past words are funny, they feel like a punch to the gut for him. He swallows roughly and murmurs, "That was a terrible thing for me to say."

"It's fi—"

"It's not. And I don't have an excuse. Because their isn't one. I was angry and jealous and confused. You don't turn me into a fool because you have pretty hair or spooky Veela magic," Sirius grins slightly when she laughs, but continues on, "You turn me into a fool because you're the most challenging person I know. In the best way possible. You've been making a fool out of me long before your hair and your eyes turned and you could use your magic."

Gwen's eyes grow wide at his words, her stomach erupting in butterflies. He spins her again, giving her time to attempt to formulate a response. There isn't one. Besides the sudden and intrusive thought of a four letter word that scares the living daylights out of her. It's too soon. Too fast. So instead, when she turns back to him she stands on her toes and kisses him softly.

Sirius grows dizzy again, the combination of her dancing and her soft lips pulling him into a foggy place where the only thing he knows is that Gwenyth Whitlock is an extraordinary being.

She must be able to tell, because she quickly pulls back and whispers, "Sorry. Shouldn't have done that."

Sirius glances over at where James and Peter are passed out and where Remus is very pointedly looking at the sky to avoid intruding on the couple. He gulps and turns back to Gwen, mumbling, "Don't apologize...I like it."

Gwen smiles faintly and replies, "It seems fitting that Sirius Black would like the charm that is supposed to drive men mad."

Sirius smirks and shakes his head, his hands insistent on hers that she come back closer to him.

"That's where your wrong, Ninnie," Sirius says quietly, lips ever so lightly brushing the shell of her ear. He feels electricity when she shivers from his touch. His eyes close for a brief moment when she rests her hands on his back. She felt so good. It felt so good to hold her like this, to dance with her. To see her do another thing she felt like she couldn't. He swallows past the lump in his throat and whispers,

"It's not the charm that I like. It's you."