𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚟𝚎 - 𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

Chapter 21

The cold did little to bother Aurelia and Sirius' pleasant moods as they trudged through thick layers of snow, walking back from a short trip to the muggle village closest to the Potter home. James had come down with the flu that morning, and so had been placed on bedrest for the day by Euphemia, whilst Fleamont had decided to do some tinkering in his workshop.

Aurelia and Sirius did not mind though.

Both of them felt slightly giddy at being left alone to their own devices for the day, and Sirius made true to his promise to show Aurelia all of his favourite places in the muggle village so close to his home. She wore the quidditch sweater he'd insisted she keep months earlier, and he had borrowed one of her beanies, marvelling at the pompom on top.

Anyone who saw them walking together would immediately assume they were dating, and even Euphemia had a hard time believing the two were simply friends.

"Siri, will you play your guitar for me some time?" Aurelia asked with a lazy grin, skipping ahead of him as snowflakes fell around her dark hair, speckling it like glitter. The pockets of her cloak were full of muggle sweets that Sirius had bought for them both, nestled beside the camera she refused to part with.

"Only if you sing, Lia," Sirius replied, shaking snowflakes from his curly hair. She laughed in response, walking closer towards the cliff face that overlooked the muggle town they'd just visited. The drop was steep, even for the likes of witches and wizards, and Sirius kept a close eye on Aurelia as she walked by the edge.

Aurelia granted Sirius' request and began to hum a muggle song she'd heard him play many times when she'd been in his dorm room. Despite herself being muggle born, the only songs she'd ever heard were hymns in Latin and English, as well as the sparse Irish songs her grandmother had sung when she was a little girl, so she knew only the tunes, and not the lyrics.

Sirius however, did.

"You are the dancing queen, young and sweet," he sang under his breath, tightening Aurelia's scarf around his neck. "Only seventeen."

"Dancing queen," Aurelia echoed, beginning to groove from side to side. "Feel the beat, from the tambourine, oh yeah."

"You can dance," Sirius hummed, letting his eyes trail over his companion's body. His cheeks flushed as Aurelia twirled around in front of him, a smile of pure joy on her face as snow landed amongst her brown hair.

She was so lost in her song that she did not see the ledge she now teetered far too close to, and Sirius could only yell out in horror, as Aurelia's foot slipped from the ledge, and she fell backwards, heading towards rock faces that could only spare her a quick death. Sirius leapt for Aurelia, her name barely falling off the tip of his tongue and reached for her hand.

He'd never been so thankful for his rigorous quidditch training as he caught Aurelia and managed to stay on the ledge, flat on his stomach. Aurelia looked up at him fearfully, her legs dangling as if they could no longer perform any movement, and tears began to form out of the corners of her eyes.

Sirius promised himself then and there that he would never let any harm come by her again.

"Hold on, Lia, you're alright," he murmured, never breaking her gaze. She shivered, causing her hand to slip slightly, and she yelped, her brow creasing.

"Please don't let me go Siri," she whispered, fear creeping into her usually calm voice.

"I promise," he said solemnly, inching back onto his knees. Slowly, but carefully, he began to pull Aurelia up, never once breaking eye contact. When her body came back into contact with the snow, she leapt onto him, and squeezed her arms around his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Sirius wrapped his arms around her body, which still shook from fear, and he inhaled her sweet perfume, stroking her back idly. "You're okay. Lia, you're okay now."

"Have I ever told you my worst fear is falling?" she whispered, nestling her head closer into his neck. "That and waking up one day only to realise you and the group were all just a dream."

"My worst fear is losing the Marauders," Sirius admitted, pulling away from Aurelia slowly. "And you."

Aurelia blinked, tears drying up as fast as they still fell from the shock.

"Why would you be scared of losing me?" she said, her voice no louder than the rustle of a feather. Sirius inhaled deeply, dropping his gaze from Aurelia, but her thin fingers took a hold of his chin, and lifted his head up, in a delicate motion.

"This isn't how I wanted to tell you," Sirius started, reaching up a hand to clasp Aurelia's frozen fingers. "Godric, I wanted to take you out somewhere nice, dressed up in our fanciest clothes, and tell you how I felt. But I'm too far into this now to simply back out and plan."

"I like you, Aurelia. Actually, no scrap that. I love you. At first, I thought I could simply love you only as a friend, but you're more than that to me, Lia. I love you, Aurelia Hope. And you don't have to say anything or do anything, because Godric knows you are the strongest and most independent person I know, but-"

A pair of soft, rosy tinted lips shut him up.

Aurelia's only response was a kiss she'd been wishing to have with the boy she knew she loved more than just a friend, and Sirius immediately understood, cupping her face with his large, warm hands. It was an innocent kiss, one from two who had never delved into anything before, but both could feel the butterflies in their stomach as they smiled against each other's lips, the near-death experience from minutes ago not even a mere thought.

"You love me?" Aurelia confirmed quietly, mumbling the words against his lips.

"Devotedly so."

"You love me."

"And I always will."

"Someone loves me."

"And do you love me, my Lia?"

"I do not know much about love, but I do believe the warmth in my heart at the mere thought of you confirms it, my Siri."

"You called me your Siri."

"Just as you called me your Lia. You are mine, and I am yours. We love each other."