Pragma // s.b.

52

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Sometimes, when people aren't going to be strong, you have to be strong for them. Love isn't easy, but life isn't easy. That's just the way it is. The great hall was packed with people. It was around the time everyone was eating dinner. "Briony!", someone called out from the Hufflepuff table, but I just smiled and moved forward. As I approached the Gryffindor table, silence began to fall.

    There he sat. His back was moving up and down as it shook with laughter. Remus saw me first, his eyes widening. Then Peter fell silent. James continued to laugh until Lily hit him. His eyes fell on me and he stopped mid sentence. Sirius still hadn't turned. My heart was beating a million miles a minute. I was filled with reckless abandonment. I didn't care about anything else but him.

    I reached out a finger and tapped him on the shoulder. A small crowd of onlookers had gathered by this point. Sirius turned slowly, a smirk playing on his lips. His eyes met mine and the expression fell. "Briony...hi", he breathed. "Okay", I said, fairly loudly. "Do you wanna go somewhere?", he whispered, glancing around at his friends and then onto the not so subtle gawkers. "No", I said quickly, "No. This is fine".

His eyebrows drew together and he opened his mouth to say something. "I don't care if they hear", I laughed, "Because I'm not ashamed to be with you. I love you Sirius Black. I love you and I don't care who knows it". His mouth was slightly open. Remus was beaming. I glanced to the side and my eyes fell upon Liv, who looked in awe.

"I am in love with you, Black. There is nothing you could do to make me love you any

less. No matter how hard you try to push me away, I will always be here". Sirius closed his mouth. I stood there, slightly out of breath. My cheeks tinted pink. "Okay", I let out, "That's all". I let out a breathy giggle and turned on my heel. I didn't really expect him to have anything to say, and I didn't regret saying what I felt.

    I was making my way towards Olivia when I heard a collective gasp from the onlookers and then felt a hand on my waist. Suddenly, I was spun around. Letting out a gasp, I felt his lips press to mine. Our lips moved in sync and we only pulled apart when a loud wolf whistle came from the direction of James. "I've been yours since the moment I met you, Briony Carter", Sirius whispered in my ear. I let out a giggle and pulled him in for another kiss.

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    The rest of the year flew by in an unassuming bliss. Sirius and I stayed together, holding tight to each other. I knew that it was real, it was beautiful. When people asked us how we got together, we just smiled and said, "Do you want the long or short version?". We had ups and downs, twists and turns like all good relationships.

All too soon, our final year at Hogwarts came to an end. I went off to train to become a healer, I found that I was fairly good at taking care of people. Soon, I began working at St. Mungos. We didn't know where the road would lead, but we knew that our love was strong and true. And whether or not we ended up together in the end, our love was long lasting. Someone once asked me when I fell in love with him, and I told them, "I didn't fall in love, I stood in it".

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Alright, guys! I am so thankful for all the reads, votes, and comments. Writing this story has been a great way for me to destress, get my mind off school, and have a creative outlet. I am so grateful for every single one of you guys. I am currently working on a starting a story about Lupin, it's called Quarter Past Midnight, so be on the lookout! Much love. 

CCC