Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Hold on Tight	By : cls2256 Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 7315 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. This fic is for entertainment purposes only!

Chapter List
- 1-one
- 2-two
- 3-three
- 4-four
- 5-five
- 6-six
- 7-seven
- 8-eight
- 9-nine
- 10-ten
- 11-eleven
- 12-twelve
- 13-thirteen
- 14-fourteen
- 15-fifteen
- 16-sixteen
- 17-seventeen
- 18-eighteen
- 19-nineteen
- 20-twenty
- 21-twenty one
- 22-twenty two
- 23-twenty three
- 24-twenty four
- 25-twenty five
- 26-twenty six
- 27-twenty seven
- 28-twenty eight
- 29-Twenty nine
- 18
- 19
- 20
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter is brought to you by social isolation! Going insane being stuck inside, and I'm about out of my good snacks, but I'm healthy so I guess I can't complain too bad. Hoping you all are safe and healthy!!
Grab a snack for this one, its a bit longer than my usual!

"Alright, flex your hand— how does it feel?"
Allie had proven her broken bone mending skills to be superb. Sirius opened and closed his hand, turning his palm up and down with no effort or residual pain.
"Feels good as new," he said, nodding, "thanks."
"Well, you're still going to swell, so here in a few hours, you won't feel so 'new.' Here—" Allie rummaged in her medical kit, pulling out a few vials of various colored potions and setting them on the table in front of Sirius. "drink these, they'll help."
Sirius picked up one of the vials and popped the cork. "Down the hatch? All of them?"
Allie nodded, "Down the hatch." she repeated.
One by one, Sirius took each of the vials as if he were shooting back Mexican tequila. He unknowingly saved the potion with the worst aftertaste for last, smacking his tongue and grimacing at the foul, bitter taste left in his mouth. Allie seemed less than sympathetic, paying no mind to the sounds of disgust Sirius was making. She leaned against the table as if she were almost sitting on it and crossed her arms.
"Now, are you going to tell me how you broke your hand?"
"I—"
Sirius was dreading the moment he was going to have to explain himself. With anyone else, Allie might be too timid to ask the reasoning behind an obviously self-inflicted wound. With him, however, she was comfortable enough to ask and demand a real answer.
"I punched the brick wall outside the Leaky Cauldron."
"You did what?"
Allie's incredulous look made Sirius squirm in his seat. He felt heat flood to his ears as he smiled awkwardly, hoping to play off the situation as nothing of her concern.
"I just lost my temper, that's all," Sirius said quickly, shrugging.
Allie's brow furrowed into a look of concentration as if she were carefully analyzing his words in her head. "You lost your temper," she stated flatly, almost under her breath.
He knew this wasn't going to be enough for her. He was going to have to give her more than a measly 'I lost my temper,' but how could he explain himself without breaking her heart? He didn't even know where to begin with Lenore, let alone tell her that Alma was convinced he was sleeping with her. No, he was in too deep to tell her now—she'd be even more upset that he hid this all from her.
"Sirius," Allie readjusted in her chair as she seemed to ponder what to say next. "you don't just shatter your own hand simply because you lost your temper."
"I—"
What would make her stop questioning? What could he say to shut down the conversation, at least for now? Her green eyes flickered with curiosity and concern, x-raying him for the truth. He briefly wondered for a moment if Remus had taught her Legilimency in their private lessons last year—he'd be royally fucked if that were the case.
"I'm not ready to talk about it yet."
He prayed this would work. To his delight, Allie took his hand and interlaced her fingers with his, her expression softening.
"You've got me worried," she said, her tone much gentler and more understanding. "You've been… odd this week. Anxious."
"I wouldn't say 'anxious'..." Sirius laughed awkwardly.
He'd hoped to ease the tension with a casual laugh, but his efforts were futile. At least he figured that Allie wasn't able to read his mind; otherwise, he reckoned she'd be choking the life out of him rather than holding his hand.
"You haven't exactly been even-keeled, either,"
Allie leaned forward, lifting his hand to gently kiss his knuckles that just a moment ago were bloodied and bashed.
"Talk to me, Sirius," she whispered, nuzzling her cheek against the back of his hand. "let me in."
Sirius felt his heartstrings pull as he contemplated what to say. He wanted to tell her everything, to let her in, but how? How could he tell her everything without hurting her?
Remus entered the kitchen just in time, saving Sirius from having to confess for the time being. Remus sat down at the table across from them, fighting to button the cuff of his linen shirt.
"Hand back in one piece?" he asked, "It looks good."
"Yeah, Allie patched me right up," Sirius said, releasing Allie's hand and smiling at her. "Good as new."
"I told him he's still going to feel it later, his hand will swell from the bones resetting. Probably will ache for a day or two, but nothing a pain potion can't dull."
"Sounds like Madam Pomfrey is teaching you well," Remus praised. "I'm impressed."
"She is a wonderful mentor," Allie blushed, fighting a smile. "I, uh— I need a bath before tonight, it's getting late. We should plan on leaving here in about two hours."
"We'll be ready," Remus said, nodding.
Remus’s eyes followed Allie as she exited the kitchen. He waited until her light footsteps were no longer audible before he turned to Sirius, raising his brow in curiosity.
"So, are you going to tell me how you really broke your hand?"
"I lost my temper and punched the brick wall outside the Leaky Cauldron," Sirius sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Just like I told her."
"Well yes, you obviously punched something hard and solid," Remus said, chuckling, "I mean, why did you lose your temper and punch the brick wall?"
Sirius ran his tongue against his teeth a few times, contemplating where to begin.
“For starters,” he began. "I know for sure I was dosed,"
"You do? For sure?" Remus asked.
Sirius sighed, nodding. "Lenore basically came on to me today. I told her I knew she slipped me something—"
"And she admitted it?"
"Well, no, but she all but said the words. Trust me, she did it." Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders. "Then another server, Alma, accused me of shagging Lenore in the broom closet, which I didn't, of course, and I lost my temper."
Remus’s brow rose suspiciously. "Why were you in the broom closet with her to begin with?"
"Because I pulled her in there to call her out on her bullshit," Sirius said impatiently. "That’s all it was. Alma must've seen her leave the closet just after me, and assumed otherwise."
Remus pursed his lips as he contemplated this. After a moment, "Do you think she will say anything to Allie? If there's no truth behind it, I don't see why it would be a big deal."
"Allie is self-conscious around Lenore, and I don't want to give her any reason to doubt me," Sirius stated. "Snape's potion didn't work completely, and I don't want her obsessing over that."
“What didn’t the potion fix?” Remus asked.
"Well, I dreamt of Lenore last night, but I was in control of the dream this time. I told her I didn't want her, that I loved Allie, but in the broom closet," Sirius cleared his throat, feeling heat creep back into his ears. "Let's just say If I wasn't with anyone, I would've shagged her. Or at least been interested."
"Sirius…" Remus said warningly
"I know I know," Sirius said quickly, throwing his hands up to stop Remus from continuing. "It sounds terrible, but I swear it's just a physical attraction. I think she's a snake and I don't trust her.
"That's good then," Remus said simply, with an almost questioning tone.
"The only thing is, I don't need to trust someone to shag them," Sirius muttered.
"I disagree," Remus said, chuckling. "I think it takes a great deal of trust to shag."
"And you always were the romantic," Sirius rolled his eyes, and they both laughed. After a moment, "What if this is just me reverting to my old patterns?"
Remus leaned back in his chair, pondering this thought for a moment before speaking. "I think you want to be a different man than you were twenty years ago. Then, you saw no problem with your lifestyle— you remember the argument you and Lily got into? After she nearly divorced James for driving your motorbike home drunk?"
Sirius smiled; he remembered the argument in question as if it were yesterday.
"That was the day I found out I was going to be a godfather," He said, "How could I forget..."
It was an unseasonably warm February day, Sirius recalled. He'd crashed on James and Lily's couch after a wild night of cocaine, booze, and girls after a concert in London. He hardly remembered James throwing him into the sidecar of his motorbike to fly them home, drunk and sloppy himself. He barely recalled James and Lily screaming at each other until he passed out on the couch. He was woken up abruptly the next morning by a bucket of ice water dumping over his head.
“What the—” Sirius sputtered. "What the hell, Lils?"
The sleeve of his leather jacket tossed over the back of the sofa proved ineffective to dry himself off. He cursed under his breath as Lily berated him.
"Not only did you allow my husband to drunkenly pilot that death contraption you call a motorbike last night," Lily hissed. "But you come stumbling in at 3:00 in the morning half-dead from whatever the hell you got into, making me worry sick!"
"Can you please not speak so damn loud?"
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lily said with false sweetness. “Bit of a hangover this morning?”
“Something like that…”
Sirius sat up, groaning as the severity of his headache hit him full force. He raked his damp hair out of his face and sighed.
“You don't need to worry about me, I'm perfectly fine."
"I beg to differ," Lily said, crossing her arms, "I cleaned up your vomit several times last night, rolling you onto your side, so you didn't choke."
Sirius rolled his eyes.
"You need to grow up, Sirius," Lily said, "I won't have you be a poor influence on your godson."
"I'm not a poor— wait, what?"
James cleared his throat and stepped over, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder.
"We're pregnant," James said, "Lily told me last night after she gave me a good kick in the arse."
Sirius's mouth dropped open, staring at the both of them. "And you want me to be the godfather?"
"Of course we do," Lily said, reaching up and placing her hand on James's shoulder, "But these wild nights need to stop, seriously— I worry sick about the lot of you."
Sirius opened and closed his mouth a few times, his brain swirling with the aftermaths of his night and the news that his best friends were going to be parents.
"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "Won't happen again."
"It better not," Lily said, turning and kissing James on the cheek before walking away. "Because if it does, I'll have you both beheaded and mounted on the wall for display."

"You were much tamer after finding out you were going to be a godfather," Remus said, "Your world shifted, and you calmed down," Remus chuckled "Well, somewhat." He added casually. "But you knew you wanted to be a godfather, and that 'want' influenced who you became."
"I suppose so," Sirius leaned back in his chair and sighed. "But what does that have to do with this?"
"Do you love Allie?"
Sirius scoffed, chuckling under his breath. "Of course I do. She's… perfect, in every way."
Remus nodded, "and do you want a family with her?"
Sirius swallowed hard, nodding quickly and looking down at the floor. He wasn't sure if he desired anything as much as he wanted to have a family— a life with her.
"More than I've ever wanted anything.' he whispered.
Remus smiled. "There's your answer then."
Sirius knocked on the bathroom door a few minutes later, then opened the door to stick his head in. The bathroom was completely steamed up, undoubtedly from Allie’s scalding hot showers she lived to take.
“Sorry, I’ve been in here a bit, haven't I,” Allie said from behind the shower curtain. “I’m almost done, I promise.”
Sirius pulled back the curtain, as Allie was rinsing her hair, her skin as red as a boiled lobster.
“Can I join you?” he murmured softly.
Allie smiled and nodded, for which Sirius grinned in return. He shed his clothes and stepped in, yelping as the hot water stung him like 1000 needles.
“Oh, sorry,” Allie giggled “I forgot you don’t like it this hot.”
Allie turned down the temperature knob to a comfortable warmth. She took a large dollop of conditioner and raked it through her hair before twisting it into a knot on top of her head. She moved out of the way so Sirius could step under the showerhead.
“While you’re here,” she asked, “Can you wash my back?”
Sirius chuckled and picked up her fluffy pink loofah and slathered it with soap. He scrubbed small circles into her back, ensuring he covered every inch of her skin. When he finished, he set the loofah down and wrapped his arms around her so that his chest pressed into her back.
“I love you,”
He murmured softly against her skin, burying his face into the crook of her neck.
“I know,” Allie said, a trace of a laugh in her voice as if Sirius reminding her of this detail was silly. “I love you too, what’s going on?”
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes willing him to spill his heart. He looked over her face appraisingly, observing every square inch except her eyes. If he looked her directly in the eye right now, he’d tell her everything, and then there would be no turning back.
“I just wanted you to know,” he said softly.
Sirius reached up, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Allie gave him a questioning look and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her eyes appeared to search him as she took a moment to ponder what she was going to say.
“Is there something I should be worried about?” she asked.
Sirius gave her a reassuring half-smile.
“No, nothing to be worried about,” He kissed her forehead gently, stuffing down feelings of guilt for his dishonesty. “I promise.”

“You look handsome,”
Allie smiled at him from the reflection of her vanity mirror, watching Sirius adjust his bowtie in the small, cracked mirror hanging on the bedroom wall. His aubergine and black three-piece velvet suit would match well with the solid black masquerade mask that Allie picked up for him. Sirius raked his shoulder-length waves out of his face, slickening his hair back with a bit of hair gel.
“I look like a groomsman in a muggle wedding,” Sirius said, stepping back to observe his ensemble.
“No, you don’t,” Allie giggled, giving him a once over. “Muggle men aren’t fond of velvet,”
Allie returned her attention back to the mirror, where she was twisting her fire red curls into a neat chignon. She secured each piece back with a bobby pin, impressing Sirius with how she knew where to pin her hair when she couldn’t see what she was doing.
“You’ll look put together once you have your mask on,” she continued. “Very masquerade-like; Can you help me with my hair comb?”
She held up a short gold hair comb adoring little shimmering moonstones. Sirius stepped behind her and took the comb, holding it up for her to see in the mirror.
“Where does it go?” he asked.
“Into the bun, off to the left.”
He gently slid it into the left side of her bun, hoping he had placed it where she wanted it. She reached up and felt the comb, then nodded. He grinned, then rested his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently.
“Your hair looks lovely. It would be a shame if I messed it up after how hard you worked.”
Sirius grinned as he gently traced an invisible line along her skin from her ear lobe to the cap of her shoulder. Allie rolled her eyes playfully.
“Yes, it would,” she laughed “Don’t get any funny ideas.”
Allie rose from her vanity and walked over to the closet, pulling off her dressing gown. She slipped into a mint green floor-length chiffon dress with off the shoulder sleeves and an empire waist that accentuated her pregnancy belly.
“Can you zip me?”
Her zipper was the tiniest zipper Sirius had ever seen. He fumbled with the pull tab, struggling to grab hold of such a finicky piece of technology.
“Slippery little bastard…” he grumbled under his breath.
After a moment of struggling, he got a firm hold on the pull tab, and it zipped up with ease.
“There.” he said, chuckling, “tricky bugger, but I got him.”
She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled. “Thank you,” she giggled. “Don’t forget your mask.”
Sirius grabbed his mask off the dresser, stretching the back elastic to go over his head without messing with his hair. He situated the mask on his face and scoffed.
“Now, I look like Zorro.” He said flatly.
Allie laughed as she tied her mask’s ribbon behind her head.
“No, you don’t,” she insisted, giggling, “you’re missing the hat, his mask is shaped differently, and—” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek playfully. “Zorro didn’t wear velvet.”
Sirius rolled his eyes, admiring Allie’s cream-colored ornate mask. It was delicate, feminine—the pattern scrolled over the smooth satin surface reminded Sirius of skillfully piped buttercream swirls on a wedding cake.
“Well, shall we?” Allie asked, “I’m sure Remus is ready by now.”
Sirius grinned and extended his arm towards the door, theatrically bowing to earn another laugh.
“After you, Milady.”
Remus was in the kitchen, leaning against the fireplace and dressed in a suit near identical to Sirius. In place of aubergine velvet, Allie had chosen a rich cobalt for Remus, and a white mask that covered only half of his face, a la Phantom of the Opera.
“Madam Malkin’s have a two for one special, kitten?” Sirius laughed, looking Remus up and down.
Allie blushed deeply. “Maybe…”
“Don’t mock a lady that knows how to shop a bargain,” Remus teased, “Allie, you did a wonderful job dressing us for the occasion.”
Allie smiled. “I’m glad one of you appreciates my taste.”
“Oh, I do,” Remus winked “I don’t typically get to dress in such a nice fabric as velvet. Shall we get going?”
The three of them wrapped themselves in floor-length traveling cloaks, as to keep the soot and ash off of them. Allie was too far along to apparate, and Remus felt it best to travel by floo. With the knowledge they were all being tailed, he figured this would be the safest form of travel for the evening.
They went into the fireplace one by one, Sirius first, then Allie, then Remus. The network spat them out into the manager’s office of the Leaky Cauldron, where they tossed their cloaks over the desk.
“Hopefully, mum won’t mind that we leave our cloaks here,” Allie said, “If she does, blame me.”
They made their way down the back narrow hallways of the pub, passing the kitchen on their way out into the main dining room.
“Black? Is that you?”
Sirius cursed under his breath as Thorson came trotting up to them, showcasing his crooked, yellowed smile. Wasn’t the point of wearing a mask so that people wouldn’t recognize you?
“Well, don’t you clean up nice,” Thorson said, reaching out to clasp his hand on Sirius’s shoulder.
“Don’t touch, Thorson,” Sirius snapped, raising a scolding finger up. “This is velvet.”
“Ah, I won’t get your fancy clothes all dirty,” Thorson laughed wheezily. “Whose this fella? Friend of yours?”
Remus smiled politely, his mask shifting due to his face movement. “Remus Lupin. Sirius and I go back to our Hogwarts days.”
“Ohh, an old friend,” Thorson grinned wildly, “Black’s an old friend o’ mine too! Best mates in our cell block in Azkaban…”
It took them a solid ten minutes before they were able to pry themselves away from Thorson and head out into the dining room.
“I didn’t realize you’d made such close friends in Azkaban, Sirius…” Remus said, a hint of teasing in his tone.
“I didn’t,” Sirius said “Thorson was just always up my ass. Brown noser, arse kisser— whatever you want to call him, he’s that.”
They were met with an already crowded pub, which was surprising for the party only having started 15 minutes prior. The pub’s temporary extension charm had been expanded beyond what it was this afternoon to accommodate a band and a larger dance floor.
“Wow... “ Allie breathed, “this place looks amazing.”
Sirius just remembered that Allie hadn’t seen the pub in mid-decoration mode this afternoon, so she was seeing the white pumpkins and large black candelabras for the first time. The chandeliers covered in Spanish moss looked much more picturesque than it had this afternoon. The tables were finished off with the fanciest plate settings Sirius had seen in years. The pub felt like a grand ballroom for a Ministry gala, rather than Wizarding London's own greasy spoon.
They made their way to an unclaimed table, settling at one equidistant from the bar and the dance floor. Remus sat to Sirius’s left and Allie to his right. Upon closer inspection of the band setting up, Sirius realized their musical guests were the Weird Sisters.
“How much do you think it costs to get the Weird Sisters here?” Sirius asked Allie.
“Didn’t cost a thing!”
Sirius whipped around, surprised to find Colleen had just been walking by. She smiled, looking chipper and relaxed compared to the nutcase she was this afternoon. She continued,
“Apparently, Lenore is friends with the drummer, they’re here as a favor.”
“Of course,” Sirius muttered, “Naturally, Lenore would have ties to the most famous band as of current.”
As Sirius reached for a signature cocktail menu, Shannon plopped down at the table. Sirius sighed and set the cocktail menu down. He didn’t have enough energy to deal with both Thorson and Shannon’s high energy today.
“Hi Sirius, Allie— hey, I think I know you, don’t I?” Shannon said, looking at Remus inquisitively.
“Uhm, we did meet, briefly,” Remus said, “this past spring,”
“Oh, you were the one who came and got Allie after the minister was here,” Shannon said “That's right, well good to see you again — has anyone seen Rupert? He’s working, but he said he was going to try to sneak away for a few minutes before we got too busy...”
“Rupert?” Allie giggled. “was Rupert supposed to be your date tonight?”
“No,” Shannon said quickly “Well, yes, no, maybe?” Shannon said dismissively, scanning the crowd. “He had to work, of course, he couldn’t be my date. Anyway, I’m going to go find him if you see him tell him I’m looking for him?”
Shannon scurried away towards the kitchen, the skirt of her blue dress flailing behind her. Remus laughed once she was out of earshot.
“Your sister is a bundle of energy, isn't she?”
“That’s nothing,” Allie laughed “wait till she’s had a drink or two.”
They made small talk over the next few minutes, increasing the volume of their voices as the pub grew more crowded. Allie stood abruptly, smiling off towards the direction of the front door.
“Oh, she’s here!”
She hustled over to a woman in a red dress. Upon closer inspection, Sirius realized that the woman Allie was now hugging was Tonks. Her form-fitted gown showed off her curves without trying too hard. Her hair was a rich golden brown, cascading down to her waist in loose curls that reminded Sirius of an old Hollywood film star. Her mask glimmered like a thousand rubies, adorning a small silk flower on the left temple. Sirius turned to Remus, who was clearly entranced, staring at her with his mouth ajar.
“Moony,” Sirius said in a sing-song like fashion, smirking, “it's not polite to stare.”
Remus snapped his attention to Sirius. A slight look of panic crossed his eyes. “Did you know she was coming?”
“No, I didn’t. If I had to guess, Allie must’ve invited her.”
Tonks and Allie made their way over to the table, arms interlocked with each other like a couple giddy schoolgirls.
“Wotcher, Sirius, Remus,” Tonks said, nodding to each one, respectively.
“Hi,” Remus said thickly, “You look—um, well, I uh, was just about to get us something to drink, what are you having?”
Tonks smiled, “Surprise me.”
Remus gave her an awkward smile, nodding as he rose from the table. As he did so, his thigh hit the edge of the table, rattling the centerpieces and causing much attention. Allie giggled as Tonks gave Remus a sympathetic smile. Remus turned bright red before hightailing it away from the table and toward the bar.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight, Tonks,” Sirius said, “But it's a pleasant surprise.”
“Allie found out I had the night off and insisted I come,” Tonks smiled weakly “I hope I didn't upset Remus…”
“No, no, he’s fine,” Sirius waved a hand, “you know him, awkward as ever— you’re a knockout, by the way.”
Tonks smiled sheepishly as she took her seat next to Allie, “I was hoping to get his attention.”
“Oh, I think you did.” Sirius grinned.
Sirius turned his head to look for Remus in the crowd by the bar. Instead of Remus, he found Lenore, Sitting atop the bar as if she owned the place and staring directly at him. She looked like a midnight raven, her long dark hair pinned off to the side and her shimmering black dress hugging her tightly. She had a pair of black satin gloves that came up just above her elbows. Her mask was fashioned out of black lace. She had a ‘femme fatale black swan meets elegance’ vibe about her that made Sirius’s insides stir in a mixture of irritation and pleasure.
No. She doesn’t get to have this effect on you. He told himself.
Her eyes bore into Sirius’s, looking at him with his arm around Allie with the utmost annoyance. Sirius smirked at her, then leaned over and kissed Allie’s cheek, hoping to piss her off further. When he snuck another glance her way, she was gone, practically vanished into thin air.
“Here we are,” Remus said, setting down each person’s drink in front of them. “Sirius, I got you a double scotch, neat— and just a ginger ale for Allie, and—” Remus set a wine glass down in front of Tonks, liquid a deep shade of crimson. “Shiraz, for you, Dor—uh, Tonks.”
“You remembered my favorite,” Tonks smiled, “Thank you.”
Remus let out a nervous laugh as the ice in his own scotch tinked against the glass.
“Uh, I think I need a smoke before the evening starts,” he said quickly, “Sirius, fancy a fag?”
Sirius looked up at him, puzzled for a moment before he saw the pleading look of desperation in his eye.
“Oh, yes, I could use a smoke too,” Sirius said, clasping his hands together. “Ladies, we’ll be back.
Sirius leaned down to kiss Allie, leaving her with a quick peck on the lips. Allie grabbed his sleeve, raising a brow above her mask.
“Don’t you pick up that nasty habit just because Remus needs a wingman.” She remarked.
“I won’t,” Sirius insisted, “It's one cigarette.”
Allie gave him a roguish smirk as she released his sleeve. Remus wasted no time to get away from the table, shuffling quickly through the crowd, Sirius just a few paces behind him. They weaved in and out of people gathering in clumps, muttering apologies until they were able to slip out the front door. Witches and wizards were lined up outside of the Leaky Cauldron, dropping a galleon into a large cauldron posted outside the front entrance.
“They even have a cover charge for this event,” Remus muttered. “What are they trying to make this place?”
Remus plucked a cigarette out of a red and white box, then handed the pack to Sirius. Sirius eyed the brown filters poking out of the top of the box dubiously.
"Reds? Are you trying to give my lungs dry rot?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Remus said with a wry smile. "I forgot you only smoke Karelia slims..."
"That was one time!" Sirius exclaimed.
Sirius cursed under his breath at Remus as he recalled the memory of approaching an attractive woman at a concert, using the pretense of 'needing a cigarette' as an excuse to talk to her. She offered him a Karelia slim, to which Sirius felt uncomfortable declining her girlish smoking choices when he specifically asked for a cigarette. James, Remus, and Peter never let him live it down, despite Sirius smoking the thin, feminine cigarette with confidence.
He plucked one out of the box and brought it to his lips, then used his wand tip to ignite the cigarette. He took a long draw, then coughed uncontrollably.
“I remember my first fag,” Remus teased, smirking.
“Piss off,” Sirius coughed a few more times before regaining his composure. “So— *cough*— what’s your deal with Tonks? You’re still acting like a bumbling schoolboy around her.”
“I don’t know, the last time I spoke to her didn’t end well.” Remus stared off at an unknown point across the street as he took a draw off his cigarette. “I can’t give her what she wants.”
“You mean ‘won’t.’”
Remus shot Sirius an irritated glance, shaking his head and scoffing under his breath.
“You know what being with me would do to her. It would make her an outcast, I could hurt her accidentally—”
“You’re overthinking,” Sirius stated, taking a drag off his cigarette without coughing this time. “Look, you can’t change the fact that she’s here, so just have fun. Look at it as you’re spending time with a friend.”
“I don’t want to be her friend,” Remus remarked, his one visible cheek blushing.
His tone did not imply that he didn’t like Tonks, but just the very opposite. Sirius grinned, clapping him on the shoulder in a brotherly fashion.
“Just… have fun tonight, I guess. Now, you’ve had your smoke, and you’ve gotten a drink, are you ready to have a conversation with her?”
Remus sighed. The moonlight of the waning gibbous moon illuminated his white mask brightly, showcasing his still sallow complexion from his transformation only a few days prior.
“Just kill me,” he moaned helplessly. “Here and now. Make it quick.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Come on, you git.”
A few drinks later, and Remus started to lighten up. His shoulders relaxed, he was making casual conversation, and Tonks was holding on to every word he was saying. Alma had been by to refresh their drinks a few times, giving Sirius dirty looks when Allie wasn’t looking. He wanted to stand up and scream that she didn't see what she thought she did, but apparently, their discussion this afternoon did nothing to sway her judgment. He wished the other servers would make their rounds by their table. He was starting to think Alma had volunteered herself for this section solely to annoy him.
The place was booming. The Weird Sisters had most of the patrons up on the dance floor, bobbing around and pumping their fists in the air. The bar had a decent amount of squatters, keeping the entirety of the bar staff occupied. Sirius watched as Lenore impressively maneuvered behind the bar in a floor-length gown, pouring one of her signature dark purple drink concoctions into champagne flutes. Jack seemed to be at her side the whole time, robotically handing her bottles and equipment the moment she held out her hand. He seemed to know what she needed before she had to ask for it. Watching the two of them gave him an eerie feeling- something wasn’t right about the two of them. It just seemed strange how he would follow Lenore around like a puppy dog.
“Thank you, everyone, thank you,” said Myron Wagtail, the lead vocalist for the Weird Sisters, addressing the crowd by the microphone. “We’re going to take a short break for dinner, but we’ll be back.”
Servers unlucky enough to get scheduled to work carried large trays of hors d’oeuvres through the crowd. They stopped at each table to pass tiny little cups of shrimp cocktail, dragon tartare, and garlic bruschetta. Alma swung by their table, offering everyone their selections, all the while giving Sirius the cold shoulder.
“Are you and Alma alright?” Allie asked once she was out of earshot.
“Oh, yeah,” Sirius waved her off, “She’s been cross all day.”
The next course served was a classic Caesar salad, topped with parmesan cheese and anchovy. Allie wrinkled her nose as she picked up the small fish with her fork, cringing.
“Would anybody like my anchovy?”
All the anchovies made their way into napkins, piled up as trash in the middle of the table. Sirius contemplated how he could use the discarded salty fish in a prank for later, his few glasses of scotch helping him tune in with his mischievous nature. He’d get a good laugh if he found a way to sneak the anchovies onto Allie’s pillow tonight or leave them for her to find atop her breakfast tomorrow morning.
Ultimately he decided against it, knowing his prank would earn him a week locked out of his bedroom, or worse— retaliation on Allie’s part. He wasn’t sure what type of pranks she could have rolled up her sleeve, but Sirius figured a quick trip to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes could have her armed with enough ammo to prank Sirius good every day for an entire month.
Shortly after, the main course of filet mignon paired with grilled beefsteak tomato halves and asparagus, and loaded baked potatoes were served. Steam billowed off of their plates as they arrived by magic onto the table— a grand presentation.
“This is way fancier food that we ever cook,” Sirius said, “I have a hard time believing Thorson and Rupert are taking care of this on their own.
“Rupert went to culinary school,” Allie said, “I’m sure he’s doing just fine.”
“He went to culinary school, and he works here?” Sirius asked incredulously.
Allie shot him a look. “He wants to purchase the place from Tom one day. It's a lucrative business.”
“Ambitious,” Sirius muttered under his breath, hoping to recover from his apparent foot in mouth comment.
As the dinner course came to a close, treacle tarts floated over to their table, garnished with a dollop of whipped cream. Sirius scooted his dessert plate over to Allie.
“I can’t eat anymore,” he said, “You can have my dessert.”
Allie shrugged, taking his plate from him. “Suit yourself.” she giggled.
Sirius clapped his hands together. “Who fancies another round, hmm? Same drinks all around?”
“Actually, can I get one of the purple things?” Tonks asked.
“Me too,” Allie said, “If they can make it virgin.”
Sirius nodded, then made his way over to the bar. Jack was the first to greet him, looking at Sirius with a blank expression. It was odd to see Jack’s face so empty when it used to be filled with such rage upon looking at him.
“What can I get you, Sirius?” Jack asked, blinking aimlessly.
"Can I get two scotches, and, uh—”
Sirius looked at the signature cocktail sign and pointed to the picture of the purple drink.
“these purple dragon eater things, can they be made virgin?"
"Sure thing, sport," Jack said, nodding. “We can certainly make it virgin.”
“One purple dragon eater as normal, and one virgin, please.”
Lenore picked up a bottle of blue curacao and a shaker, about to get started on Sirius’s drink order.
“And I’d like you to make them, Jack,” Sirius added quickly.
“But this is Lenore’s custom drink recipe,” Jack said blandly “she’s been making them all evening.”
“No, I insist that you make the drinks, Jack.”
Jack looked at Lenore questioningly as if he was unable to speak without her permission. Lenore nodded, and Jack set to work.
Sirius turned around and leaned his back against the bar, hoping to ignore Lenore while he waited. Tonks and Allie sat at their table with their backs to him, chit-chatting about something that made Tonks look frustrated. With Remus nowhere to be seen (most likely outside smoking his eighth cigarette of the night), Sirius figured that he was probably the topic of conversation.
“Don’t trust me to make your drinks?” Lenore asked, saccharine sweetly.
Sirius glanced over his shoulder quickly, just enough to catch a glance of Lenore leaning into the bar to his left.
“As a matter of fact, no, I don’t.”
Lenore snickered under her breath. After a moment, "So what do you think of my party?"
Sirius sighed heavily. Lenore was undoubtedly a woman of determination. Had she no pride? No ego?
“Stellar party,” Sirius said flatly. "You really outdid yourself."
"Oh, I know I did," Lenore smirked. "So, we didn't get a chance to finish our conversation from earlier…."
"Actually, I'm pretty sure we did," Sirius remarked.
"No, we didn't,” Lenore laughed sarcastically. “You know, I will get what I want, one way or another.”
Sirius opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Jack, setting 4 glasses down on the bar.
"Here's your drinks, Sirius," Jack said, “one galleon and two sickles, please.”
"Thanks, Jack," Sirius said, sliding him two brightly glittering galleons. "Keep the change."
Sirius then turned to look at Lenore for the first time. Her dark eyes flickered with curiosity and excitement.
"Whatever it is you want from me, it isn’t going to happen.”
Lenore raised a brow, giving him an expression that dared him to challenge her. Sirius gave her a smug smirk.
"Hate to disappoint you, kitten, but it's in my nature. Just ask my parents."
Sirius picked up two of the glasses, then flicked his wand to levitate the others to follow him and headed back to the table. He could feel Lenore's burning stare on the back of him but did not dare to look back.
Despite the occasional feeling of Lenore’s eyes on the back of his head, Sirius was having a wonderful time. Not only was this the best-dressed party that Wizarding London had seen in probably a long time, but being in the company of friends made the experience very enjoyable. Remus had stopped venturing outside for ‘escape smokes,’ and was actually laughing and engaging in conversation with Tonks. They made plans for him to lend her a few of his favorite books, as she insisted she introduce him to a few muggle TV shows she’d grown fond of, thanks to her father’s influence. Sirius and Alle exchanged small smiles at each other when Remus and Tonks weren’t looking, looks of excitement to see both of them enjoying each other's company.
Colleen came around with a tray of Purple Dragon Eaters, setting the flute glasses in front of them without even asking if they would like one.
“This is the signature drink of the night,” Colleen said, “And this one with the tag is virgin, Allison, so don’t you worry.”
“Uh, who sent these over?” Sirius asked, “We didn’t order a round…”
“I sent them over,” Colleen said, “They’re on the house, but I’d like the photographer to get a photo of the four of you toasting.”
An extremely tall, skinny bloke with a camera around his neck stepped forward. His camera appeared too heavy for him, the neck strap pulling his posture forward to emulate the hunchback of Notre Dame. He wore a large badge on his right breast pocket, the Daily Prophet logo emblazoned in bright crimson.
“And who made these?” Sirius asked, observing the purple drink carefully.
“Jack, I think,” Colleen looked at him skeptically. “Why, is there something wrong?”
Allie joined her mother in a skeptical glance. Sirius waved both of them off, smiling easily. “No, no, just curious, that’s all— Cheers!”
They all four raised their flutes as the camera flashed brightly, temporarily blinding them. Sirius clicked his glass against Allie’s, winked, and took a sip. He shrugged at the flute, holding the class upwards to observe the liquid's purple color in a better light.
“A bit sweeter than I usually drink, but not bad,” Sirius said “Moony, what do you think?”
“Yeah, it's good,” He said, “A bit girly, but it's tasty.”
They downed their drinks and hit the dance floor. The Weird Sisters were fantastic, creating an energy in the room that was just too infectious not to dance along with. Sirius spun Allie around, encouraging her to dance, despite her protests that she would look like a waddling duck trying to dance amidst the crowd.
"No one is looking at you," Sirius laughed "Come on, pretend it's just the two of us here."
It took her a few songs to lighten up, but once a song she liked came on, she seemed to let her walls down. She indeed did sort of waddle as she danced, but Sirius didn't mind, nor did the crowd around them. They danced to every song, fast and slow until Allie stumbled. Sirius caught her before she fell, assuming at first she had just tripped over her feet. When she didn’t start dancing immediately, Sirius realized something was wrong.
"Are you alright?" Sirius hollered over the music.
Allie looked pale, clammy. she swallowed and nodded. "I just got a little light-headed, that's all."
"Light-headed?" Sirius asked, straining to hear her soft voice over the pounding bass drum. "You need to sit down?"
Allie nodded. He took her hand and drug her through the crowd, back over to their table. Allie untied her mask and set it aside, and took her napkin to dab sweat off her face.
“You look flushed,” he said, “Did you get enough to eat?”
“I ate more than you,” she said, “I think I’m fine.”
“Well, you did have all that treacle tart, maybe you need something to level out your blood sugar,” he said, he reached out and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. Her skin was damp and sticky, and radiated heat. “kitten, you’re burning up.”
“I’m alright,” Allie said dismissively “just warm from dancing,”
Sirius frowned, “stay here, let me get you some crackers or something.”
Sirius set off towards the kitchen, weaving in and out of the crowd mingling and dancing all around. He wondered if they needed to extend the pub even further than they already had to give a bit of comfort through the crowd.
He was dreading getting sucked into a conversation with Thorson back in the kitchen. If Shannon was hanging out in there to be with Rupert, maybe she’d keep Thorson entertained enough to hardly notice Sirius pluck a sleeve of saltine crackers from the backstock.
Before he could get to the kitchen, Sirius felt something thin poke him in the back of the neck. Before he had a chance to turn around, a smooth, soft voice whispered in his ear.
“Imperio.”
A feeling of pure bliss washed over Sirius. He felt ten times lighter, ten times calmer. The edges of his vision blurred as if he’d had an entire bottle of whiskey to himself. He felt a delicate hand wrap around his and pull him towards the staircase leading up to the Inn.
“Come,”
He knew it was Lenore leading him up the stairs, but he didn’t fight her. He didn’t even try—hell, he didn’t even have the thought that he should. His feet were moving, but not of his own accord. He was watching from a small place of consciousness, but not one where he had any control. His thoughts and movements had no connection to him. In essence, it was like having an out of body experience, but still seeing it through his eyes.
Lenore pulled him into the first suite on the right. She pulled her wand and her pocketbook out of the folds of the dress and set them down on a small coffee table.
“You’re to ignore the Dark Lord’s mark on my left arm,” She said, pulling off her black satin gloves, “As far as you know, you never saw it.”
“I see no mark,” Sirius replied vacantly.
“Good boy,”
She looked over her shoulder and winked at Sirius as she untied her mask. He automatically moved behind her and settled his hands on her waist. She leaned her head to the side, brushing her hair off her neck.
“Kiss me,” She ordered gently.
Sirius immediately kissed her neck, taking his time to suckle her flesh as he ran his hands down her body. It felt like one of his dreams, but he didn’t have the sense to question what was happening. It was like he was a puppet in a moving picture, moving wherever the marionette told him to move.
“Help me with my zipper?” she asked sweetly,
This time, Sirius did not fumble with the pull tab of this zipper. He unzipped the back of her dress slowly as if he were savoring every inch of olive skin being revealed as he did so. Lenore allowed the gown to fall at her feet. She turned around and grabbed Sirius by the shirttail, pulling him towards the bed and leaving her dress in the middle of the floor. She wore a black satin brassiere and matching garter belt— undergarments meant for show. These were garments she meant to show off tonight.
“Take off your shirt.”
Sirius did as he was told, taking his jacket off and tossing it to the side. He tugged off his bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt and threw them to the side just as he did his jacket without a single thought. Lenore looked him up and down, smirking. She ran her fingers up his sternum, raising a brow curiously.
“You keep in shape for all that liquor you drink.”
“Always had a fast metabolism,” Sirius said.
He wasn’t sure where his reply came from, nor did he even question himself. He was floating on a cloud, unaware of his movements and reactions.
She fell backward onto the bed, pulling Sirius on top of her by his belt buckle. She kissed him firmly as she undid his belt, parting her lips to allow his tongue to swirl around hers. She pulled his belt off and tossed it to the side, then began working on his button and zipper.
The sound of glass shattering interrupted the moment, causing both Sirius and Lenore to avert their attention to the door.
“Sirius…?”
Allie stood in the doorway, hand outstretched from the glass she had been carrying. Her hand trembled, and her face was white as a sheet as she stared at Sirius and Lenore in disbelief.
“Allie?”
Something inside Sirius shattered. He felt like the smokescreen was ripped away, like all of a sudden, he was in control of his own body again. He looked between Lenore and Allie a few times before settling on Lenore, wide-eyed,
“You bitch.” He whispered venomously. He looked back at Allie, frozen in her place. “Allie, this isn’t what it looks like—”
Allie turned from white to red in an instant, then spun on her heel and bolted. Sirius let out a frustrated growl and called after her.
“Allie, Wait!”
He jumped up, frantically looking for his shirt in the pile of his clothes on the floor. He grabbed his shirt, tossing it on inside out before Lenore grabbed his arm. Sirius shook her off roughly.
“You used the imperius curse on me?!” he growled through clenched teeth.
“You were proving difficult to persuade,” Lenore said simply. “I told you I would get what I want, one way or another.”
He caught sight of something dark on Lenore’s forearm, and his heart stopped for a moment. Did he vaguely remember being told to ignore something on her arm? He charged forward, gripping her by the wrists and turning her forearms out. He let out a shaky breath as he observed the slow-moving snake tattoo, slithering in and out of a human skull.
“You’re a Death Eater,” Sirius breathed, releasing her wrists with a rough shove. “It's you, isn’t it? The one who's been following me?”
“No, I was assigned to Allie,” Lenore said with a bored tone. “You would’ve been much more entertaining to have played with from the beginning.”
“Who’s assigned to me?” Sirius demanded.
“Oh, come now, Sirius, I can’t tell you that,” Lenore smirked, “That would ruin the fun.”
Lenore dove for her wand and Sirius drew his. They held each other at wand point, walking in slow circles around each other. Sirius’s hand shook as he kept his wand on her; part of him wanted to hex her out the window, but the other part of him wanted answers.
“If you’re not assigned to me, then what’s your motive here?” Sirius asked carefully.
“I thought Allie would be interesting when I volunteered to track her—’good girl gone bad’ with her whole petty theft situation. Turns out I was wrong, she’s so boring,”
Lenore laughed sardonically.
“All she does is go to school, go to work, and then disappear to where I assume is your place under all sorts of protection spells,”
A wry smirk crossed Lenore’s face.
“If I had to follow her any longer, then I figured I might as well have a little fun with my assignment.”
“A little fun? Who else have you toyed with? Hmm?” Sirius snapped, “Jack? Is that how you got him to follow you around like a puppy? Did you imperius him too?”
“Jack was so easy,” Lenore said smugly. “Miserable with grief over Allie. I didn’t need the imperius curse at first, but if I wanted him to ignore my little tattoo here, I needed him a little more subdued.”
“You’re horrible…” Sirius said under his breath. “No… you’re insane.”
“Oh, come now— I’m not insane, I’m actually interesting. Women like Allie are boring. Sure, They’ll keep the house tidy, have dinner ready, and even rub your shoulders at the end of the day. But women like me? Well,” Lenore snickered mischievously, “I’m the one you moan for in your sleep.”
Lenore flicked her wand, sending a jet of red light shooting directly at Sirius’s chest. He deflected just in time, and they broke out into a full-fledged duel, shooting spells and hexes at each other at a remarkable speed.
A stunning spell hit Sirius square in the chest, sending him flying backward and into the wall behind him. He groaned, unable to move to get back up and fight. He watched as Lenore slipped back into her dress, using her wand to zip herself back in. He stirred, attempting to fight off the effects of her stun. His entire body tingled with a pins and needles sensation, which was painful If he tried to move.
Lenore walked over to him, bending down and placing her wand tip directly over his heart.
This is it, Sirius thought, she’s going to kill me here and now.
If she killed him, Allie would never know the truth. He would die a cheating man in her eyes, allowing her to feel disgusted at the mere memory of him. Lenore smirked as she poked her wand into his chest harder.
“It would be so easy to do it, you know,” Lenore said smugly. “But we only kill if the Dark Lord requests it. You, Sirius Black, aren’t important enough to kill. A blood traitor, yes, but you’ll meet your fate when the time is right.”
She stood up, then shot another stunning spell right at his chest. He convulsed for a moment as if an electrical impulse shot through him.
“I need to tie up a few loose ends here before you expose me,” Lenore said with a sigh. “That should buy me some time.”
Sirius watched helplessly as Lenore made a swift exit, leaving him stunned and frozen on the floor, unable to move. His mind raced as he willed the stun to wear off. Had anyone downstairs heard their scuffle? He deduced they hadn't— the Weird Sisters’ speaker system reverberated the entire building. No one would’ve known a duel had taken place one story above.
His stomach dropped when he remembered the look on Allie’s face as she stood in the doorway. How did she know to come up here?
The moment his stun wore off, Sirius apparated on the spot to 12 Grimmauld Place.
The house was dark, quiet. Had she come home? Or, in her grief, gone elsewhere? Sirius ran up the stairs, calling her name as loud as he could without waking his mother’s portrait, but no response. He found his bedroom door to be locked— a sure sign Allie was inside.
“Allie? Allie, Open this door, please—”
Sirius jiggled the door handle roughly. Normally he’d respect a locked door, but not tonight. He needed to explain what she saw. He drew his wand and pointed it at the knob,
“Alohomora.”
The door swung open to reveal Allie lying on her side on the bed. She was already out of her dress and hugging a pillow, crying softly and trembling. A half-packed suitcase was haphazardly thrown on top of her vanity desk— had she been planning to leave tonight?
“Go away…” she whimpered.
“Allie, please let me explain…”
Sirius knelt by the side of the bed in front of her. He placed a hand on her arm, but she swatted it away angrily.
“Don’t touch me,” she whispered venomously “Don’t touch me with the hands you’ve been touching her with.”
“It's not what you think…”
“Oh, it's not?” she scoffed. “Then what was it then?”
Sirius exhaled slowly. He knew how it looked; she had every right to react this way.
“I was under the imperius curse,” he said simply.
Allie’s face turned tomato red as she gritted her teeth in anger. “You think I’m daft? The Imperius curse?”
“I swear to you,” Sirius breathed, his voice wavering. “None of that was of my own accord. You walking in on us, for some reason, allowed me to resist and break out.”
“And what purpose would Lenore have to put you under the imperius curse? So she could have her way with you?”
Sirius nodded, “Yes.” he affirmed softly.
Allie blinked at him, looking at him as if he had three heads. He knew she didn’t believe him. She thought him a liar. He sighed heavily— it was time he told her everything.
“This isn’t the first time she’s used magical force on me.”
“Magical force?” Allie asked incredulously. “What's that supposed to mean?”
Like a volcanic river of magma, everything came spewing out, thick and heavy. He told her everything, about the potion, about the dreams, about the moment they had earlier in the broom closet. By the end of his explanation, Allie was now focusing her attention on a loose thread on the pillowcase. A better feat than her sobbing into the pillow.
“She’s a Death Eater,” he continued “She was assigned to trail you, but decided to ‘have a little fun’ per her words. Jack apparently has been under the imperius curse this whole time.”
“Explains why he became kind to you...” Allie said softly. She took a moment to process all this information before her chin started quivering, and tears flowed down her face once more. “I— I want you to take veritaserum and repeat all that to me.”
Sirius felt his stomach drop. “Y—you don’t trust me...?”
A great tremor overtook Allie as she clutched her pillow tightly. Her body wracked with the onslaught of sobs and tears as she shook her head quickly. Sirius felt his heart snap in two— she didn’t believe him.
If he asked Allie 5 hours ago if she trusted him, he knew she’d say yes. He couldn’t blame her for her uncertainty now after what she had just seen— he knew what it looked like, and knew how hard it was to prove if behaviors were caused by the imperius curse.
He’d do anything to get her to trust him. He’d let her dose him with veritaserum for the rest of his life if that's what it took.
“Do you have any here?” he asked gently, “I’ll take it right now.”
Allie nodded sniffling. “In my potion’s store, in the top dresser drawer— ah!”
Allie gripped the side of her stomach, cringing as she winced.
“What’s wrong?!” Sirius noticed the flush in her complexion and reached up to feel her face. “Allie, you’re burning up.”
“It's nothing, I'm fine,” she said dismissively. “It's Braxton-Hicks contractions, that's all. The serum is in the left compartment of the case. Clear vial, clear potion.”
Sirius frowned, but nodded and then retrieved the serum from Allie’s potions kit. He popped the cork and took the entire vial in one gulp, then sighed.
“How long until this kicks in?” he asked.
“It's instant,” she said, a look of disbelief on her face, “you didn’t need to take the whole vial.”
Sirius shrugged. “I wanted you to know I’m sincere.”
Allie let out a mixture of a sob and a laugh, “go on.”
Sirius repeated everything back to her, precisely as it happened. His story before and now was the same, as he had told her the whole truth.
“You don’t want her?” Allie whimpered.
“Not in the slightest.”
Allie’s chin quivered. “You don’t think she’s beautiful?”
“I’m not blind, kitten, she is beautiful,” Sirius said slowly. “But after tonight, I have no desire ever to have her in my bed.”
More tears poured down Allie’s cheeks as she nodded, accepting Sirius's statement. She blubbered for a few minutes in silence, choking, sniffling, and gasping for breath.
“Will you hold me?”
Sirius let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He wasted no time jumping up and crawling into bed with her, spooning himself around her. He placed small kisses on her shoulder as his arm wrapped around her. He was just now aware of the aching starting in his hand he’d broken earlier that day but didn’t dare to leave Allie’s side to take a pain potion.
“Where is she now?” Allie asked.
“I don't know,” Sirius muttered. “but I don't think we’ll be seeing her for a while,” after a moment, “How did you know to find me upstairs?”
“You were taking a bit to come back, and I’d asked Alma if she’d seen you in the kitchen. I assumed you got stuck talking to Rod Thorson, but Alma told me I should check upstairs for you.”
Sirius sighed. Alma must’ve seen Lenore leading Sirius upstairs. He knew the rumor mill would fly around the Leaky Cauldron at the hands of Alma, but as long as Allie believed him, Sirius could care less what others thought of him.
“Well, I’m glad you got there when you did, kitten.” He said softly.
“I’m sorry,” Allie sniffled “I didn’t even ask you if you were alright…”
“Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry,” Sirius said, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “Nothing happened.”
They laid together in silence for nearly an hour, Sirius stroking her upper arm gently before they both drifted off to sleep. It seemed like only a minute later, he was woken by Allie’s urgent voice.
“Sirius, Sirius, wake up,”
Sirius opened his eyes to find Allie was sitting up, clutching her belly. She was sweating profusely, face twisted in agony.
“I think my water broke—AH!”
She leaned forward, moaning in pain as she breathed through a cramp. Sirius shot out of bed abruptly— it was too soon, he reckoned. She wasn’t due for another two months.
He pulled the covers back, and his heart stopped. His mouth went dry, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. All the air in his lungs expired, and he was rendered frozen.
“What? What?” Allie asked frantically.
“...Blood” was the only thing he could manage to whisper. He felt like a deer in the headlights, frozen in sheer panic, and unable to reason.
Allie strained to see over her stomach to between her legs.
“I can’t see,” she said shrilly, panicked, “I can’t see!”
She shifted, then all the color drained from her face as she saw the pool of blood she was sitting in. Her breathing became shallow and rapid as her eyes grew wide.
“Oh no, oh my god, oh my god—”
please don't hate me

see the beginning of the next chapter for TW info if you feel that you might need it. This is a sensitive subject for many, including myself, and I will not forget that.
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