Lacerta Black -- James Potter --

49

They day after Christmas, James was ready to give Lacerta her gift. Something he'd put together with the help of both of his parents as well as helpful impute from Sirius. He watched as the girl he loved dearly presented him two different outfits, trying to find on that'll fit the occasion without actually knowing where they were going. 

"I doubt you want to wear a dress in the winter," James chucked softly. He pulled off his jumper to pass it to her with a quick peck on her forehead. "Just put on whatever you're comfortable with, Liz."

"You're never getting this back," she smirked as she pulled it over the plain camisole she was wearing. She grabbed a pair of plain, black trousers to take into her bathroom to change. His heart hammered with anxiety. His brain couldn't stop worrying about her reaction to the gift. It was bigger than anything he'd ever gotten anyone and meant more to him than most gifts. The only thing that would be greater would be an engagement ring, which he was eager to get but understood that she wouldn't react kindly to getting on while they're in school.

"You look amazing," he breathed out when she stepped back into the room. She truly did with her curls pulled on top of her head and the slight flush adding color to her pale cheeks. Seeing her with his clothes on did things to him and he bite his lip to distract himself from it. 

"You do too," she raised an eyebrow at his obviously flustered expression. "Where are we going?"

"Would you be alright if I blindfolded you until we got there?" he asked with a hopeful pout. She nodded and it made his heart swell because it meant that she trusted him fully. He wrapped one of his Gryffindor ties around her eyes. Her breathing picked up, but she didn't flinch back. He grabbed her hand and with a twirl they apparated to their location. 

He walked them up to the front door, making sure that she didn't trip on the pavement. "Ok," he said slowly. "I'm going to take off your blindfold."

His fingers shakily undid the knot and he let the tie drop to the floor. He tried to see it from her point of view. They stood in the middle of a quaint living room that had stairs off to the side and an archway to the kitchen directly in front of them. It had wood floors, which he knew she liked in a house, and a high ceiling with large windows to let in a lot of light. 

James looked to her to see her reaction. It was skillfully blank as she took her time looking around. He chewed at his bottom lip. She turned to him, "You bought a house."

It wasn't a question and he prayed that she wasn't upset with him. "Uh, I actually bought us a house. To live in together when we get out of Hogwarts. That's if you want too of course. Don't feel pressured. It has two rooms if you're not ready to share."

"James," she cupped his cheeks with her hands, that were cold enough to make him freeze. Her lips were against his in a second and he hungerly kissed her back. His hands went to her waist to draw her closer, but they pulled their heads back to catch their breath. "This is too much. I don't have a dowry anymore."

"I can take care of us," he assured her. "And we'll most likely get jobs after we graduate so you can help then. Or I'll accept payment in snogs and cuddles."

She smiled, "You're adorable. Where are we exactly?"

"Godric's Hollow," he answered. "Shall I show you upstairs?"

He was extra dramatic as he showcased the two bedrooms as well as the single bathroom. He took a bow when he was finished presenting every baseboard, windowpane, and closet. She giggled as he attempted a higher pitched tone, but she was still too quiet for his anxious mind. So, he took a second to ask, "What do you really think about all of this?"

"Well," she took her time. He could see her searching for the right words to say. "We're only seventeen and you bought us a house. I'm worried that you'll get sick of me if we live together, and this is practically a marriage proposal in my family's eyes!" 

"Slow down," he said soothingly. "We will be eighteen when we move in and I thought it was obvious that I could never get sick of you, Liz. My life is better because you're in it. And don't freak out about marriage. That's for later when we are settled in our home and happy in our careers. I love you and want to spend the rest of my days with you."

"I love you too," she sighed, embracing him tightly. "We'll be safe here, right? No Death Eaters know where we are?"

"I purchased it under a false name," he assured her. "And I doubt Voldemort is going to bust down the doors. He can't be that mad that we're better than him."

******

"How come," Voldemort said eerily calm from the head of the table. Regulus was stiffly looking at the table. He knew that he looked like a scared teen, but that was exactly what he was. So far, he had written to Dumbledore - without signing his name because he wasn't an idiot - and saved nearly five Muggle/Half-Blood families from their demise. No one suspected a Black. "None of my loyal follows can manage to kill a couple of bloody children!" 

He desperately wanted to say, 'neither could you.' But Regulus valued his life to a certain degree. "My Lord," Avery stammered. "I overheard Potter speaking with the elder Black brother about purchasing a home with the girl."

"Excellent Avery," Voldemort's mouth pulled over his teeth. "Where?"

"I don't know. . ." he blushed and straight down at the table. He looked like he was going to piss himself. 

Voldemort blinked. Once. Twice. Then he cast a wordless spell that had Avery gasping and clutching at his arm. "You incompetent fools!" he bellowed, having all of them jumping in their chairs. "How is it that we are having an easier time infiltrating the Ministry than getting rid of some snarky schoolchildren."

"You could always stage an attack on Hogsmeade?" an older Death Eater, he thought his name was Dolohov, asked carefully. "We could go about it like any other attack and then target Potter and the Black girl."

"Finally, someone has a good idea," Voldemort smirks. 

"May I be the one to kill my blood-traitor cousin?" Bellatrix perked up. Narcissa looked a little ill at the idea but kept quiet. 

"I shall be the one the kills them," he snapped, making his cousin duck her head like a wounded dog. "Regulus," he turned his head slowly to meet his eyes. "Where are the places your sister and her friends frequently go to?"

"Three Broomsticks, the coffee shop, Honeydukes, and Zonkos," he answered, trying to ignore his rapid beating heart. 

"Excellent," he walked around the table and put his hands on Regulus's shoulders. His sharp nails dug in slightly, like a warning if he was trying to trick him. A million plans went through his head on how to either keep them away from Hogsmeade or somehow warn them.

Even if they got banned, they could just sneak through the tunnel, and they would never believe him if he warned them. Regulus's brain was whirring with all the possibilities and his stomach twirling with anxiety because he knew that he had to go home soon, and Walburga and Orion were worse now than they've ever been before. 

He caught Bellatrix's eyes and watched as hers narrowed in suspicion. All his brain could repeat after that was, she knows. She knows. She knows. She knows.