Chasing The Stars | Marauders | Sirius Black

40 ~ There's So Much to Love

This is my FAVOURITE chapter ever, oh my god I love it so much ahhh! It's longer than usual but OH WELL and thank you thank you thank you for 6k!!!

"How did you do it?" Eloise strode to the sofa in Gryffindor Common Room and threw herself down next to the smug Sirius. She crossed her arms and a pout fell on her lips. She heard Sirius chuckle and he threw an arm around her shoulders,

"Ahh poor, innocent, naive Puff" he said, "You should know by now that the great Sirius Black never loses a bet"

"What bet?" James asked from the armchair,

"I bet Padfoot that Dumbledore would show me his socks before he showed this...this... earlobe" she explained gesturing to Sirius,

"Earlobe?"

"I suppose it's rather fitting" Remus smirked and Eloise threw her hands in the air in exasperation,

"I don't know! I'm upset and my insults are lacking" she said, crossing her arms once more.

"What were the terms of this bet?" Remus asked from Sirius' other side. With his words, Eloise's face darkened and began mumbling a stream of curses under her breath. Peter looked rather scared at Eloise's furious face and Sirius laughed,

"Eloise is going to kiss me"

"WHAT?"

"Oh Merlin's saggy left testicle" Eloise's head fell into her hands, of course Lily had to walk in to the Common Room at that moment,

"Eloise Gemina Potter!" Lily walked over to the group and stood in front of where Eloise was sat, hands on her hips, "Explain".

~~~

Eloise and Cameron were sat on a wall on the Hogwarts Grounds, Eloise had escaped Lily's grasp after having explained the bet in great detail and assuring her that she wasn't going to fall in love with Sirius. Eloise was enjoying the comfortable silence of the May evening as the sun began to set, the soft hum of crickets sounding over their melodic breathing and the pleasant ripple of the Black Lake. Eloise leant her head on Cameron's shoulder,

"This is nice" she said quietly and she felt Cameron turn to face her, he leant forwards and put his hand on her cheek, kissing her. Eloise was shocked and began to pull away but Cameron kept a hold on her cheek,
"Cam-" she tried to say but he wouldn't pull his lips away from hers. She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him,

"I-I'm not in the mood Cameron, can we just...sit?" she asked. Cameron smiled, a sight which would usually give Eloise butterflies but at that moment it looked slightly manic. He leant forward again and captured her lips, she made a noise of discomfort and tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge. He tried to deepen the kiss and she felt his tongue on her lips. Eloise reached for her wand and pointed it at Cameron, a wordless hex hit him and he was blown off of her. She jumped off of the wall and sprinted away, breathing heavily and tears welling up in her eyes.

She ran through the halls, reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, she practically shouted the password and ran into the Common Room. It was getting late so it was almost empty, fortunately for Eloise as she didn't want the majority of her house to see her cry. She spotted the familiar head of messy brown hair and walked towards her brother.

"Hello Puff-" James was interrupted as Eloise fell into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head in to his chest. "Hey, Belle, what happened?" he asked softly, worry evident in his voice as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. Eloise sniffled slightly and pulled her head away from James' chest,

"Cameron" she said with a weak voice. James' entire aura changed, his back straightened and she felt him tense underneath her, his hazel eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched,

"What. Did. He. Do?" he asked, his tone dangerous. Eloise looked up and saw James' expression mirrored in both Remus and Sirius. She sighed and wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath,

"He kissed me and I told him to stop but he wouldn't, in the end I had to hex him and run away" she bit her lip and looked at the floor. James exhaled sharply through his nose and brought her into his chest again,

"Don't worry Ellie Bellie, your big brother will kill him for you"

~~~

Eloise was curled up on the sofa in front of the fire with Sirius, James having gone to Ravenclaw Tower with Remus, since the prefect had an excuse for walking about after hours. Sirius had put up a fight after James had recommended his staying behind,

"But I want to pummel Cameron" he had whined,

"No Pads, stay with Puff, I'll do plenty of pummeling for the both of us" James had told him before wrapping his cloak around himself and leaving with Remus. Eloise was staring into the fire when she felt an arm wrap itself around her and suddenly she was pulled into Sirius' side. She smiled slightly and snuggled closer into him, resting her head on his shoulder,

"I'm sorry about what happened Lou" Sirius said quietly, resting his head atop of hers, "Milton's an absolute twat"

"You got that right" she sighed, "I'm going to break up with him tomorrow" she said as she closed her eyes, "He's different to when we first met four months ago, now he's possessive and touchy."

"You always deserved more than him Lou" Sirius said, his voice close to a whisper. Eloise lifted her head from his shoulder and faced him, "You deserve someone who loves everything about you" he continued, his grey eyes searching hers, "Someone who loves how your nose crinkles when you laugh and how your eyes change depending on how you feel. Someone who loves how your tongue sticks out when you concentrate and how your eyes go wide when you pretend to be listening to what the Professors are saying" Eloise let out a light laugh and ran a hand through the short, blonde hair she was sporting that day, she could feel her cheeks heating up but listened intently, ""You need someone who loves that you know every word to every Beatles song and will take any opportunity to sing them, no matter the occasion. Someone who loves the way you write so close to the parchment that your nose brushes the page, how you always check everyone else is happy before you begin your meal just in case anyone wants anything else, how you will always help those in need and will stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. Someone who loves you faults, like how you get angry when someone thinks you're wrong when you know you're right, or how you're overly sensitive and will cry at the stupidest things. You deserve someone who will love all of you unconditionally and will never stop, because there's so much to love"

Eloise was taken aback. Her eyes had glossed over with tears and her hands had risen to her mouth. There was so much sincerity in Sirius' words, such vulnerable honesty. Eloise was shocked at the amount of attention he payed to her, how much he had focused on the things she did. She didn't have a reply what he had said...in words that is. She did what her heart was telling her and completely ignored her brain. She blocked out the worries that were flowing through her mind as she leant forward, kissing Sirius lightly. He kissed back and all of the concerns that were gnawing at her insides vanished and were replaced with warmth. A heat spread through her veins and the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach melted into one as happiness exploded in her body. There was no regret in that moment as their lips moulded together, electricity flowing through the air as their skin met, their hearts beating in synch.

They pulled away from one another but stayed close, foreheads touching, both out of breath.

"What did you say about me not getting a kiss"

"Shut up Padfoot"