#marauders christmas morning

[lulublack90]

Prompt 25 - Cosy

@wolfstarmicrofic December 25, word count 413

The next morning of yesterday's Prompt - Sleigh

He woke up the next morning feeling all cosy and warm. It took him a moment to understand what was going on as the sleepy fog cleared from his mind. He was curled up in bed with someone. It was not his bed. He shuffled his head, craning his neck to get a better view of the face of the person he was tangled with. He drew in a soft gasp when he realised it was Remus. The entire night before, suddenly came rushing back to him. They’d kissed and then Effie had caught them in the sleigh, not that she realised that was what had happened. Then he’d laid awake unable to sleep, so he’d snuck into Remus’s bed. 

Remus stirred, and his eyes slowly blinked open. “Hi,” He smiled sleepily at Sirius as he stretched around him. 

“Hi,” Sirius was suddenly feeling nervous. What if Remus regretted it? What if he got upset that Sirius was in his bed? All of Sirius’s worries were quickly quelled when Remus opened his arms, dragged Sirius on top of him and kissed him. 

They were very late going down for breakfast, but Effie didn’t mind, simply sending plates that had been kept magically warm of scrambled egg and bacon over to them and went back to reading her newspaper after wishing them a Merry Christmas. 

“How much did you have to drink last night, Sirius darling? Because when I went to check on you, you were in Remus’s bed, sprawled over the poor boy. It’s a wonder he could breathe the way you were clinging to him,” She chuckled. “Oh, and Remus, dear, don’t be afraid to kick him out of your room if he ever does it again,” Remus’s cheeks flamed red as he nodded sheepishly to Effie. Sirius beamed, he loved it when Remus’s cheeks did that. 

“You guys ready for presents?” Monty asked, popping his head around the kitchen door. Sirius’s and Remus’s eyes met. 

“Presents!” They exclaimed excitedly in unison and shot up from the table and rushed into the living room where James waited, surrounded by piles of brightly wrapped gifts. 

Remus timidly held out a small, neatly wrapped parcel for Sirius and moved to the pile James pointed out was his. Sirius put Remus’s present in his pocket, deciding to leave it until last. 

They caught each other's eyes again, and the smile Remus gave him made his stomach swoop. He couldn’t wait until they were alone again.  

[emlovessid]

@jegulus-microfic december 16, eyes closed, 121 words

“Happy Christmas, love,” James whispers.

Regulus smiles, eyes closed as he wakes up, “Happy Christmas.”

Shuffling closer, James pulls Regulus into a soft kiss, hand running through his hair as he holds Regulus close.

“Don’t squish me!” comes a muffled voice from underneath the covers, before a small head of messy black hair pokes out between them.

“Oh, good morning, Haz,” James laughs. “What are you doing in here? Last time I checked, your bedroom was across the hall.”

“Because it’s Christmas, Dad,” Harry says, snuggling in close between them.

“Of course, how silly of me,” James says, ruffling a hand through Harry’s hair before reaching over him to tangle his fingers with Regulus’. “Happy Christmas to both of my boys.”

[everythingsbetterunderthestars]

Help for some reason my brain decided to have tons of fanfiction ideas except I literally DO NOT HAVE THE TIME to write them at this point in my life so for now I’m just playing them out in my head 24/7 waiting for the holidays to come so I can start up on at least ONE project because I quite frankly CANNOT LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE

[fairytaleendingss]

Room For One More?

Chapter 3

Summary: You have an unsuspected guest join you on your walk home from work.

CW: None.

Pairing: Poly!Marauders x fem!reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

__

“So Remus hates me.”

You were leaning against the water cooler in your office, chatting with Mary as she took a longer than necessary break from her desk.

Her head shot upwards.

“What?”

You sighed. “Remus. He doesn’t like me. I don’t know what I did to him but ever since I’ve moved in he’s been super standoffish.”

“I’m sure that’s not true!” The girl attempted to sooth. “Remus doesn’t hate anyone. Sure he can be grumpy and a bit off-putting at times. But deep down he’s a sweetheart.”

You scoffed. “Yeah well I’ll believe it when I see it.”

You looked out the window at the snow-covered trees that surrounded your office building. It had begun to snow for the first time this year over-night, something you’d been very excited to discover this morning when you’d woken up.

You loved winter. The snow covered buildings, Christmas decorations, carols playing in the living room as you drank eggnog by the fire. It was your absolute favourite time of year.

“Oh look at the time! I’d better head off soon,” Mary exclaimed. “I have that date to get ready for!”

You smirked and nudged her shoulder gently. “I still can’t believe you won’t tell me who you’re going out with!”

She shrugged playfully. “It’s early days yet. I don’t want to jinx things.”

“Well, let me know how it goes, anyway.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I’ve got to run but see you tomorrow.”

You bid her goodbye before making your way back to your desk to grab your coat. You weren’t looking forward to the walk home today. Despite your apartment being only a few blocks away from where you worked, the temperature had dropped drastically over the last few days and a 20 minute walk home in the winter air was bound to be unpleasant.

You loved winter time, but only when you didn’t have to be outside, in the heart of it.

You made sure you were huddled up in your coat as you exited the building, however, you still weren’t prepared for the blast of cold air that hit you as you stepped outside onto the street. You shivered, wishing you’d brought a thicker jacket for the journey.

You glanced around the frost bitten streets and an icy gust of wind rustled through you. Then you stopped, eyes narrowing as you observed a figure leaning against the side of the building.

“James?” You managed to call over the noise of the traffic.

He looked up from where he’d been scrolling on his phone, smiling widely as he met your eyes.

“Hey!”

“What are you doing here?” You questioned, making your way over to him.

“I finished early with my trainer,” he explained. “And your building is on my way, so I figured I’d walk you home.”

You couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips as you imagined him getting off the tube a stop early just to walk you home in the cold.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you sighed.

He shook his head, a few stray curls falling in front of his eyes. “I wanted to.”

He held out an arm and you linked your own through his as the two of you began to make your way down the bustling London streets.

“So how was your session today?” You asked, subconsciously pressing yourself closer to him. The man was like a walking radiator.

“It was great!” He exclaimed. “How was work?”

You shrugged. “Same old, same old I guess. Mary has another mystery date tonight though.”

James’ brows raised. “I can’t believe she still hasn’t told anyone who she’s seeing. I wonder if there’s something off with this mysterious suitor or hers. Maybe she’s embarrassed by them.”

You chuckled lightly. “Maybe. That’s definitely one explanation.”

You walked along in silence for a while, taking in the scenery around you. London was beautiful in the winter time. All festive, snow layered streets and colourful wreaths hanging on front doors. It looked like something out a Christmas movie.

Then, after a moment, James stopped suddenly, dragging you to a halt alongside him.

“I just remembered,” he exclaimed. “There’s this amazing little cafe around the corner. It does the world’s best hot chocolate! You have to try it. Fancy stopping in?”

You looked up at him for a moment and couldn’t help but smile at the way his eyes lit up when he was excited. He had a particularly boyish charm about him, one you found awfully hard to say no to.

“Sure, that sounds lovely.”

“Great,” he said enthusiastically. “Let’s go.”

When you stepped into the cafe, you were hit with a burst of warmth, stark in contrast to the biting chill outside. The cafe was a small hole in the wall but immensely cosy. It was decorated in festive Christmas decorations and a deliciously chocolatey aroma hung in the air.

“James! So good to see you darling!” There was an older woman standing behind the counter, dressed in a red dress with a green apron tied around her waist. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back into a low bun and she had motherly energy about her as she rounded the counter to pull James into a warm hug.

“Hey Margo,” he responded fondly. “It’s good to see you.”

“And who’s this lovely thing?” She directed a warm smile at you as she pulled away.

“This here is y/n. My new roommate and friend.” You smiled at the introduction. “We were walking home and I told her that we couldn’t carry on until we stopped for a famous hot chocolate here.”

“Well it’s wonderful to meet you, dear,” she pulled you into a hug as well. “Any friend of James, is a friend of mine. Now, go and take the table by the window. I’ll bring you over the usual in just a moment.”

She hurried back into the kitchens and James gestured for you to follow him. You sat down in a cozy little booth in a bay window, that looked out over the crowded streets.

“This is beautiful,” you exclaimed, watching people passing by, going on with their day to day amidst the snowy London winter.

“It’s good isn’t it.”

“How did you find out about this place?” You pried. It wasn’t really a Main Street attraction.

“Peter actually introduced us to it,” James explained, pushing his glasses further up his nose. “Back in school. His Mum is friends with Margo. The four of us used to come here all the time after class in winter.”

You nodded gently. “That’s really nice.”

James chuckled. “Yeah, Sirius claims this place is why our friendship has lasted so long. A lot of arguments were settled over this table.”

You bit your lip thoughtfully. There was a question playing on your mind. It had been sitting there for a while but you never quite knew how to ask it.

You took a deep breath, eyes settling on the sweet boy across the table. He gave you a lopsided grin and you figured now was as good a time as any.

“James, I was just wondering. Is there something… going on between Remus and Sirius?”

You thought back to the way they looked at each other that night at the bar a few weeks back. Like there was some unspoken language between them that you couldn’t quite understand.

James huffed good-naturedly. “You picked up on that, did you?”

You nodded in return.

“Yeah, they went out for a while in high school but it didn’t really last very long. To be honest I’m not 100% sure why they ended things. I they were good together, truth be told.”

“That’s good to know,” you muttered, smiling softly. But there was a twinge of something else burying itself within your gut at the thought and you didn’t fully understand why.

At that moment, Margo returned, two steaming hot chocolates in hand.

“Here you go, loves. Enjoy.”

She placed the cups on the table, sending you a wink before heading off to deal with some other customers.

“Cheers,” James jested, raising his mug to clink against yours.

You took a sip and your eyes widened.

“James, you were so right. This is incredible!”

—

With bellies full of warm chocolatey goodness, you ventured back out onto the cold streets.

You’d been so comfortable inside Margo’s cafe that you almost forgot how freezing the temperature was. It jumped out and bit you like a venomous snake as you exited the threshold.

A harsh shiver ran down your spine and you wrapped your arms around yourself in hopes to fend off the cold wind. It was then that you realised it had started snowing.

“You look freezing!” James stated as you began the rest of your walk home. “Here take this.”

In a swift movement, the man had shedded his winter coat and wrapped it around you, leaving only his hoodie to stand between him and the brisk air.

“James, no! You’ll freeze,” you protested, attempting to rid yourself of the garment with frozen fingers.

“I’ll be fine,” he responded earnestly, that warm, charming smile of his overtaking him as he rubbed his hands up and down your arms.

“We’re only a few minutes away from home. Besides I run hot anyway. You need it more than I do.”

You felt something flutter inside of you at his sincerity. He looked down at you, a twinkle in his hazel eyes as his hands still sat on your forearms, holding you as if you were made of glass.

There were snowflakes settling in his dark curls, his nose and cheeks slightly flushed from the bitter chill.

“Thank you, really. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“You can make it up to me by getting out of this cold wind before you get sick. Come on.”

Mindlessly, he clasped your hand in his and began to guide you down the street towards your home. A smile tugged at the corner of your lips and for the first time that afternoon, a warmth began to fill you. Only this time, you knew that it had more to do with the boy beside you than anything else.

—

Taglist:

@hisparentsgallerryy

@navs-bhat

@shushbruv

@magicwithaknife

@eeviee4

[inkdrinkerworld]

Hiii could you do marauders x reader who has a stuffed animal from when she was a baby that she hides from them and maybe they find it one night when they’re all going to be :)))

There’s a battered yellow bear on your bed. As best as you’ve tried, your bear is old and has had his fair share of rotations in the washer and dryer.

He’s aged but you love him.

In that love, you can’t bear to put him anywhere else.

That kind of comes to bite you in the ass when your boyfriends are over for the first time.

Remus has made you a cup of nighttime tea, Sirius has just come out of the shower and James lays his head in your lap, curls bouncy on your thigh.

“Your soap is the best thing ever.” Sirius moans as he throws himself into the sofa.

It’s a honey and cream soap, the scent soft and a little clean. It smells like you is what Sirius means to say.

Remus smiles as you grin. “I’m glad you like it.” Sirius has always been vocal about how great you smell; be it your soap, laundry detergent, perfume: Sirius loves it all.

“Can we go to bed?” A yawn breaks apart James’ question, eyes heavy as you pet his head.

“Course Jamie.” You whisper, watching him stretch to standing and reaching an arm back to you.

Remus and Sirius follow, your mugs discarded in the table for tomorrow morning.

“Are we all gonna fit in your bed?” Sirius asks and you roll your eyes. James pushes open your door and your stomach drops.

There in the middle of your bed, on top of your Christmas sheets and duvet, sits your yellow bear with his roughed up ear and his red shirt.

“Oh dove,” Remus coos and you feel your blood rush faster.

“Don’t.” You mumble, but Sirius has already launched himself onto your bed and is cradling your bear.

“What’s his name?” Sirius asks, James following him in bed and sprawling out long before tickling under your bear’s chin.

“How long have you had him?” Remus asks, voice soft in an attempt to keep you from embarrassment.

It doesn’t help. You’re not embarrassed you have a stuffed animal, just that they’ve seen it so casually.

“Since I was a kid.” You mutter, Sirius leans off the bed and presses a kiss to the closest part of you.

“You’re fucking precious.”

You climb in bed and take him from Sirius, pressing a kiss to the back of the bear’s head and then James’.

“I for one think he’s very adorable, angel.”

Remus seconds the claim. “He is. Are you putting him between us or on the nightstand, baby?”

He’s buttering you up, and it works.

“Between us if that’s fine.”

Sirius holds your chin and smacks a kiss to your lips. “Of course it’s fine. You’re adorable.”

You sleep with James on one end, you beside him, your bear, then Sirius and Remus on the other end; cuddling well into the morning.

[moonstruckme]

ok request coming in

poly!marauders play a prank at a holiday party where they spike the eggnog, but reader doesn’t get the memo and ends up drinking it. they find reader totally out of it, guilt and groveling ensue as they take care of them

Finally, the oldest request in my inbox! Thanks for being so, so patient anon, and thanks for your request <3 I varied it slightly but I hope you still enjoy it

cw: spiked/drugged drinks (if it makes it better they were only trying to drug bigots? (I know it doesn't really make it better))

poly!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 852 words

Someone has found James’ eggnog. Well, really it’s all of their eggnog, but it was James’ idea to spike a bottle of the stuff with befuddlement draught, tie it up in a ribbon, and leave it in the Slytherin dorms for Snape and his lot to find on Christmas morning. The marauders had hidden the bottle in the Gryffindor common room until then—they couldn’t very well be found to be keeping prank materials in their dorm again—quite well, Sirius had thought. Still, he perhaps should have known better than to think that a room full of merry, intoxicated students wouldn’t unearth it. 

James is trying to wrangle the students who’ve drunk it, Remus has gone to whip up an antidote, and Sirius, by a combination of luck and willful argumentation, gets to watch over you. 

“Do I have wings?” you ask. You’re sitting on Sirius’ lap, his hands planted on either side of your hips to keep you there. 

He raises his eyebrows. “Have you had wings before?” 

“No,” you say, perplexed. You lift and lower your elbows experimentally. “I think I do now, though.” 

“You don’t, lovely girl.” 

You watch your arms a moment longer, and then the look you give Sirius is near pitying. “I think only I can see them,” you tell him sympathetically, “but I’ll show you. I can fly down from the top of the stairs.” 

You start to get up from his lap, frowning when Sirius plonks you right back down. 

“Sirius,” you say, suddenly stern, “I can prove it. I’m telling you, it’s probably a side effect of that thing Remus said I took.” 

“I have no doubt this is an effect of what Remus said you took,” he agrees, running his thumb over your hip through the material of your jumper. “And our Remus is a very smart boy. Considering that he told you to stay put right here, I think we ought to listen to him, don’t you?”

You’re growing sullen. “You don’t believe me.”

“My darling,” says Sirius, “you would make a very beautiful bird, but I like you even better without wings.” 

Your lips purse into a concerned pout. “Then what are you going to think of me now that I have them?”

Sirius isn’t entirely sure what to say to that.

Luckily, he sees James and Remus moving about the room in his peripheral vision. Sirius waves Remus over, spotting the vial he holds in his hand. 

“What, only one left? Did you really leave our girl until last?”

“We had second years trying to sled down the staircases.” Remus comes to sit beside the both of you. “We had to prioritize. Sorry, dovey.” He kisses you on the cheek. Your mood seems to lift slightly. “You seem to be fairly placid over here by comparison.” 

“Hardly. She keeps wanting to jump from high places.” 

“Well, yes, that’s what befuddlement draught does,” Remus says drily, unstoppering the vial of antidote. “It makes people reckless. Things you ought to know if you plan to distribute it, I reckon.” 

Sirius ignores the jab, taking the vial from Remus and lifting it to his nose. “Oh, fuck.” He recoils. “Merlin, Rem, you couldn’t dilute it with something nicer? That’s got to taste like ass.” 

“You’d know,” you chirp. “You eat plenty of it.” 

Remus snorts, and Sirius makes an appalled scoffing noise. “Reckless indeed!” He pinches your chin, not enough to hurt. “Alright, my loveliest nuisance, bottoms up.” 

Despite Sirius’ warnings you drink it without hesitation (perhaps the recklessness at play), gagging only once the vial is empty. James comes up behind you then, rubbing between your shoulders while you cough. 

“I’m sorry, lovie,” he says ruefully. “This should never have happened. We’ll have to start hiding our impending pranks more safely.” 

“Or,” Remus suggests, “you could stop trying to drug other students and then being surprised when it backfires.” 

Sirius pats your boyfriend’s thigh. “Be realistic, love.” 

“Ugh.” You smack your tongue against the roof of your mouth. “I feel…weird.” 

“It’ll probably take a few minutes for the effects to wear off fully,” Remus tells you, his expression going soft as he focuses on you. “Do you feel alright, sweetheart? Sick?” 

You shake your head, though you’re still grimacing, rolling your tongue around in your mouth as though it doesn’t fit. “No, I’m okay. Not sick.” 

“Are you upset?” James frets. 

Remus shoots him an exasperated look, but you only tilt your head at him consideringly. “I don’t think so,” you say. “Ask me tomorrow.” 

James looks a bit unsettled, but Remus rubs your leg, smiling slightly. “Smart girl,” he murmurs. 

“Can I let you go now?” Sirius squeezes your hips teasingly. “Or do you still think that you have wings?” 

James’ eyebrows lift. “That she what?” 

“I’m not going to try to fly anymore,” you say placidly, laying your head down on Sirius’ shoulder, “but you don’t have to let me go either, if you don’t want to.” 

“I can tell the effects are wearing off already.” Sirius stamps a happy kiss to the side of your head. “That’s my girl.”

[marauder-misprint]

Hello, I started reading Harry Potter again and while I was reading The Goblet Of The Fire, something like this came to my mind; Can we read the Christmas ball in the three wizard tournaments during the marauders period? who will invite who as a partner? I would be extra happy if something happens between fem!slytherin reader and Sirius. Maybe she's platonic or she's sure no one from Gryfindor will invite him because they have a secret relationship

.Thank you so much in advance, I love your stories.I hope you will write more, love

Hi! Thank you for the request ❤︎❤︎❤︎ we love a secret relationship, especially between Sirius and Slythering!reader - 10/10, will likely write again

Hope you enjoy!

Going public

Sirius Black x Slytherin!reader

7.1k words

cw: angst, fluff

The announcements for the Yule Ball were posted overnight. Every bulletin board was plastered with them; it was like there was nothing else of importance happening at Hogwarts. It was the talk of the school by the time you reached breakfast. It seemed like the students agreed with the bulletin boards: there was nothing more important. 

Passing the other tables on your way to your usual spot at the Slytherin table, you heard speculation about who the more popular people would be going with. The Prewett twins were a hot topic, as were the Marauders, Gilderoy Lockhart, Anthony Avery, Emmeline Vance, Stubby Boardman and Amelia Bones. 

You were able to tune most of it out. While gossip could be amusing, it wasn’t something you really sought out. 

“I’ll bet you a galleon Potter goes with Evans. He’s obsessed with her,” you heard a Hufflepuff say as you passed by.

Her friend laughed, “Oh, double it! He’ll ask, for sure, but there’s no way in hell that she’s saying yes!”

You stifled a laugh, knowing the second girl was correct. You were more than certain that James would indeed ask Lily to the dance, multiple times most likely, and Lily, having turned down James over and over again, would continue her ‘no’ streak. From what you were aware of, she was nowhere near breaking her resolve. 

“Morning,” Dorcas said as you sat down next to her. “Would you like to talk about the dance, the dance or, real strange this one, the dance?”

You rolled your eyes, reaching for your usual breakfast. Your silence is typical, especially in the morning before you’ve been given proper time to wake up. The girls made conversation around you. 

“Do you think it has to be guys ask girls? Or could I ask someone?” Pandora asked dreamily. She shot a glance over her shoulder toward a certain Ravenclaw. 

“I don’t think there’re rules for a dance. Although if Xeno doesn’t ask you, he’ll have bigger problems coming for him,” Emma Vanity assured her. 

You all knew about Pandora and Xenophilius’ flirtationship. You thought it was ridiculous for her to even consider that Xeno wouldn’t ask her, given the way he searches for her in between classes. 

“But if he doesn’t ask me? How weird would it be if I asked him?”

“Have you ever cared about looking weird?” Dorcas replied.

“Normally, no. But this is the kind of thing that would get back to Mum and Dad. It’s one thing to be concerned about the nargle population, it’s another to break societal norms.” 

“Ah, the nargle population! A real concern for wizard-kind!” Emma laughed.

You shook your head with a smirk. While the three of you often teased some of Pandora’s beliefs, you really loved her and her ways. You also knew it was part of why Xeno liked her. He shared quite a few of her beliefs and he entertained her tendencies to experiment with spells. 

“Anyways, I’m more concerned about what I’m going to wear rather than who’s going to ask me,” Dorcas said. “There’s Gladrags in Hogsmeade, but it’s going to be packed with every girl here. It honestly might be better to order from somewhere else.”

“But then you risk not liking it in person. And there’s not really enough time to return and reorder,” Emma pointed out.

“Ah, that’s why you order more than one dress from the jump. You’re bound to like one of the dresses you order.”

“Or you could just wear one of the dresses you already own?” you offered. 

Pandora and Emma fell into fits of laughter while Dorcas gave you a pitying smile.

“Love, we aren’t going to turn down an opportunity to get a new dress,” Dorcas said. 

You turned back to your breakfast. Part of you wanted to retort that it would be a waste of money to get a dress that you’d wear once, especially knowing they each had several extravagant dresses in their wardrobes. Then you remembered that they each came from far more prominent families than yours. They had money, status and endless ball invites outside of the castle walls. It was something you didn’t relate to. 

So you fell back into your silence. The girls continued with their discussion about the ball. They talked about who Dorcas and Emma hoped would ask them and their dream dresses. The boys on your other side weren’t discussing the dance as far as you could tell. 

“An erumpent would kill you faster than a skrewt,” Avery insisted. 

“You wish that were the case,” Wilkes said. 

“No, no, technically Avery’s right,” Barty said, waving his fork around. “Erumpent, once it decides to attack, will kill you fast, but blast-ended skrewts are vicious and it’ll be a painful death.” 

“What’re you saying, Junior?” Wilkes asked, turning to face the younger boy.

“That it’d be about the same time total, if the clock starts when you encounter the beast.” 

Death by various beasts was certainly… something to talk about over breakfast. You stared down at your plate. Neither conversation intrigued you. 

Then the hair on your neck stood up.

“Who do you think’ll ask Y/N YL/N? Surely another Slytherin, right?” a voice from behind you asked. 

Your eyes widened as you continued to stare at the food on your plate. Of all the people to be discussed, you didn’t think your name would come up. You assume it’s just out of your association with the other Slytherin girls. As likeable as you tried to be, your friends were higher on the popularity ladder. You tried to listen for the voice that said your name or perhaps whoever she was talking to, but you can’t single out that conversation. 

You had an inkling about who might ask you. Sirius Black. You didn’t share this with anyone around you though. They didn’t know you were anything more than polite to him, as you were to just about anyone. They didn’t know about the secret moments you had with him in empty classrooms, hidden corridors, the Astronomy Tower and the Room of Requirement. They didn’t know you and him were dating. Neither did his friends. 

When you and the rest of the girls got up to head to class, you looked towards the Gryffindor table and waved when you made eye contact with Sirius. He waved back. There were enough people still sitting at the four tables and enough leaving that the two of you would risk it. 

“Who’re you waving to?” Pandora asked, looking in the direction you waved. She couldn’t spot anyone you were particularly friendly towards. 

You rolled your eyes with a smile tugging at your lips.

“Can’t a girl have friends outside Slytherin?” 

“Well, yes, but-” Pandora started to say.

“Not nameless friends,” Emma finished for her.

“Nameless friends?” Wilkes asked, pushing his way in between Dorcas and Emma. “Shame their parents never named ‘em.”

“But you have to call them something. How else would they be enrolled here? They’d have to call you something at sorting,” Mulciber said.

“Maybe ‘Hey you’ sufficed?” Evan suggested. He slung his arm over your shoulder. 

“Right,” you drawled sarcastically. “‘Hey you’ is written on their birth certificate.” 

“There are worse things to be called,” Pandora said. 

---

As predicted, James did ask Lily a few days after the ball was announced. She shut him down very quickly. From the gossip you picked up, it sounded like some other guys were planning on shooting their shot with her. You weren’t surprised. She was beautiful and brilliant. 

With nothing more interesting to hold your attention, you ended up listening to more gossip, the who’s going with who. It had only been a few days but girls were getting asked left and right. Muliber was going Emma. Xeno was working you and Dorcas on his plan to ask Pandora. Remus asked Emmeline, which shocked some people. Peter asked Mary. 

You kept your ears open for mentions of Sirius. It didn’t sound like there were any rumors of him asking anyone, although some girls were debating what Pandora had suggested earlier, asking him themselves. Their reasoning was solid, in your opinion. It was Sirius Black! There was no way that he’d go to a dance alone when he could have pretty much any girl he wanted on his arm. 

And that’s what bugged you. So many girls liked him and none of them knew that he was off the market. When you made it official, he stopped flirting, but that didn’t stop him from being his charming self. Some things you can’t change. And some girls don’t know the difference between flirting and simply being kind and charming. 

You knew that there were reasons why you were keeping it a secret. Your friends and housemates would never let you hear the end of it if they knew, plus you risked being shut out by everyone in your house. While dating a Gryffindor in general wasn’t smiled upon, Sirius would be a sin. He was labeled as Blood Traitor #1. 

His friends didn’t know you. They wouldn’t approve and wouldn’t take the time to get to know you. Sirius knew that they would see you as a Slytherin who was no good, just like the rest of his family. They wouldn’t believe that you stood up for younger students against older ones, that you helped people find their way when the stairs changed on them, that you had a certain spark in you that set you apart. 

You both risked ostracization so you kept your relationship quiet. You told each other it was for the time being. You told each other that when it felt right, you’d break the news to your respective friend groups. You knew that as soon as he could tell his friends, you could tell yours. If his accepted you, it didn’t matter if yours resented you; whereas if yours accepted him, it would still matter to him what his friends thought. It was just the reality of it. 

You considered talking to Sirius about the ball the next time you met up. Maybe this would be the time. You could spend the evening with his friends, convince them that you weren’t so bad. 

You let the thought linger in your mind as you waited for Professor McGonagall to dismiss the class. She finished her lecture a few minutes ago and told the class to practice turning cutlery into different apparatuses. Few students actually listened to her. Most were idly chatting. 

“I think Sirius is going to ask McKinnon to the dance,” a voice nearby said. 

Your breath hitched. What? There was no way he would ask her. You trained your eyes on your notes, hoping the girl would continue her thoughts.

“Oh, they would be so cute together! Shame though, I know Shannon was hoping that he’d ask her.”

“Has he ever talked to Shan?” 

“No but a girl can dream, can’t she?”

“I s’pose. But be real! Marlene and Sirius are always with each other. They got chemistry on another level.”

You swallowed thickly at the girls’ comments. It was the first time that you heard anything substantial about Sirius. They had a name and reason to think so. You have never thought about Marlene being interested in Sirius. From what you knew, you had no reason to be worried about her. At least, you didn’t. 

Their comment settled in your stomach and festered. You felt small for the rest of your lessons. You drummed your fingers against your thigh in every class, trying to pay attention but ultimately failing. Your eyes drifted to Sirius or Marlene in each lesson. You hated how much it bugged you, how much you were letting it get to you. 

You couldn’t bring yourself to look toward the Gryffindor table during dinner. If Marlene was sitting within two people of Sirius, you’re positive that you would’ve thrown up. You tried to keep reminding yourself that Sirius liked you. That he was going out with you. That if he was going to take anyone to the dance, he’d be taking you. 

But Marlene was better. She would be someone that Sirius wouldn’t have to hide from his friends. He wouldn’t have to worry if they would approve, she was already one of them. She had nothing to prove. You? You have everything to prove. 

You kept your head down throughout the whole meal. The ball had made its way into the boys’ conversation so even their usual demented topics couldn’t save you. They were teasing each other, those who had dates for being saps and those who didn’t for being cowards. 

“There’s no one I’d want to go with,” Severus said monotonously, keeping his head low.

“Because that mudblood isn’t talking to you anymore,” Avery responded. 

Lily had stopped talking to Severus at the end of last year. It didn’t go unnoticed that he had tried to apologize and win her back, ultimately failing. The boys didn’t let him forget his softness for the girl, especially given her blood status. 

The girls had moved more deeply into their considerations for what to wear. They talked silhouettes, necklines, sleeves, colors, jewelry, shoes and every other accessory. It was every single detail of outfits they had yet to purchase. You assumed that you could just figure it all out when you inevitably went to Gladrags one weekend. 

You didn’t last long at the table. Your mind was set on your meeting with Sirius. You exited the Great Hall by yourself and took a deep breath as soon as you were outside the stifling warmth. You barely made it to the first flight of stairs when you heard your name being called. 

You turned around. “Rosier?” 

He jogged to catch up to you. 

“You’ve been pretty quiet lately,” he said once standing next to you.

You cocked an eyebrow at him and crossed your arms.

“Define lately.” 

He smiled at you. “Well, always. But especially when the dance comes up.”

“Nothing to add, I guess.”

“Why’s that? Seems like every girl has an opinion.”

You shrugged. “Not even sure if I’m going.”

“Again, why’s that?” 

“Not expecting anyone to ask me,” you said slowly, almost regretting it so you kept talking. “And, I mean, it’s no secret that Emma, Dorcas and your families are more… well off than mine. Balls aren’t… something I’m used to.”

Evan opened his mouth to respond but he was cut off.

“There you are, Mr. Rosier!” Professor Slughorn’s voice boomed. “Come on, boy. We need to discuss your career potential!” 

“Shit,” he grumbled. “I’ll find you later, yeah?” 

You gave him a soft, almost-pitying smile as he turned toward Slughorn. You watched him walk away with the short professor before continuing on your way to the seventh floor. You were grateful for Slughorn in that moment. You assumed that Evan was building up to asking you. Thankfully, he never got the question out and now you would be able to talk to Sirius first. You needed to figure out what was going on with you two and the ball. 

You climbed staircase after staircase. Thoughts of Evan’s unasked question and the rumors of Sirius possibly asking Marlene bounced around in your mind. You yearned for the privacy of the Room of Requirement. You couldn’t wait for Sirius to meet you there. You leaned against the wall and let yourself sink to the ground. You knew it would be a while before he showed up; you had left dinner a bit early and he couldn’t just leave his friends with no reason and avoid being questioned in depth later. The coldness of the stone floor was more than welcomed as you waited. 

You perked up the moment you heard his distinctive footsteps approaching. You jumped up, waiting for the door to appear. You slipped inside, Sirius following only moments after. 

He pulled you into a tight hug before pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“Merlin, I missed you,” he mumbled against your hair.

“I see you in class all day,” you replied with faux-snark.

“Yeah, where the most I can do is wink at you,” he said as his hands rubbed your back.

You melted into his arms. His cologne filled your brain with every inhale. It was enough to make your thoughts go fuzzy. Momentarily, you forgot about Evan, Marlene, the ball and all the gossip that accompanied it. But as soon as he lets you go and takes a step toward the couch and fireplace, they come flooding back. You blame their return on how prominent the ball was in everyone’s conversation. And if you thought on it, you knew that if Sirius was truly asking Marlene, it would be okay for you to go with Evan. 

“Darling, you joining me?” Sirius asked from the couch with his arms held out, ready to hold you close again. 

You nodded and wordlessly moved to join him. He held you close and nestled his face into the crook of your neck. It was comfortable. It was nice. It was everything you needed after days of listening to gossip. He could’ve been seeking out any other girl, but he was here, hiding in the Room of Requirement because he missed you. 

“Long day?” he whispered.

He could feel how tense you were. With every passing second, you relaxed deeper into his arms, but he knew something was eating at your mind. You sighed. 

“Long week.”

He hummed. “Want to talk about it?” 

“Just the ball, Sirius. ‘S all.” 

“That’s all, huh?” 

“Mhmm. The girls refuse to talk about anything else.”

“Any of them got dates?”

“You know Lovegood, from Ravenclaw?” 

He hummed again. 

“Well, he’s asking Dora tomorrow. He’s got a whole thing planned. Vanity and Mulciber are going together. I’m sure Dorcas will get asked any day now.”

“And you?” he asked with a playful tone.

You lightly elbowed his side. 

“I did want to talk to you about that,” Sirius said, sounding more sincere. 

You couldn’t bring yourself to move. You knew you should adjust how you were sitting in his arms so that you could see his face. But you couldn’t. All your muscles felt too tight and air wasn’t properly filling your lungs. You didn’t expect to feel this way. You knew he wasn’t ready to show you off to his friends, and ultimately the whole school, but it still hurt to imagine him dancing with someone else. 

“I… I know you’re planning on asking Marlene,” you manage to say, earning a shocked cough from Sirius. “It… It’s okay. I think that Evan Rosier wants to ask me. I mean, it won’t be the same as going with you, but he’s a friend. It’ll be a… tolerable evening.” 

“Love, what?” Sirius asked, confusing lacing his words as he sat up and turned your body so he could see your face. “Who? What? Marlene? No.” 

Your voice got stuck in your throat. Your mouth moved with no sound. It was the perfect visual of confusion. 

“Rosier? You’re going to go with Rosier?” he asked, his voice quiet with disbelief.

“He… he hasn’t asked yet. And if you’re going with McKinnon…” Talking felt so difficult. 

“No. I’m not asking McKinnon. Where did you hear that?” He immediately held up his hand as you opened your mouth to speak. “Actually, that doesn’t matter. It’s not true. James. James is the one who’s going to ask her.”

“James?” 

Sirius laughed. It was a warm sound that made your heart do flips. 

“James is going to ask Marlene since they both can’t go with who they really want to go with.”

You took a moment to compose yourself. Obviously, James wanted to go with Lily. 

“Who does Marlene want to go with?” 

“It’s not my place to tell, love. It is my place to tell you that I’d like to go with you.”

You pressed your lips together before pulling one between your teeth.

“But your friends…?” 

He leaned forward to press a kiss to your forehead.

“My friends have figured out that I’m seeing someone. Apparently, I disappear too often-” with the Marauders’ Map “-with consistently horrible excuses,” he told you. 

Even when you met up in the Room of Requirement which doesn’t show up on the map, Sirius made sure to take it with him. He hadn’t been ready to tell them about you. Part of him still didn’t want to. That part liked having you solely to himself. It liked sneaking around and the thrill of having a secret. But the rest of him knew it wasn’t sustainable. 

Sirius watched your face for a hint of how you were feeling, and your face said you were unconvinced. 

“They know when I’m lying… and…” Sirius’ face flushed. “They said I’ve had a lovesick look on my face far too often for there not to be a girl.” 

He knew that that would convince you. A grin took over your face.

“A lovesick look?” you repeated teasingly. “You’ve had a lovesick look on your face?”

“When I come back from being with you. And whenever I think about you. Especially when I think about kissing you-” He pressed a kiss to your nose. “-and how beautiful you are-” A kiss to your forehead. “-and how funny-” A kiss to your cheek. “-and how brilliant-” A kiss to your jaw. “-and kind-” A kiss to your neck. “-and perfect.” He continued peppering kisses down your neck and onto your collarbone. 

You threw your head back with giggles spilling out of your mouth. The jealousy you felt about the idea of Sirius with Marlene dissolved into nothingness. You placed your hands on the sides of Sirius’ face to hold him away from you for a moment. 

“If Rosier gets around to asking me, I’ll tell him I already have a date,” you said before connecting your lips to Sirius’. 

“Good,” he mumbled through the kiss. 

---

“Padfoot!” James yelled as soon as Sirius returned to the Gryffindor Common Room later that evening. “Where the hell have you been?” 

Sirius couldn’t wipe the pleased smirk off of his face. He strode over to the couches by the fire and collapsed unceremoniously next to James. 

“Asking my girl to the ball.”

Both Lily and Remus sat up from their respective chairs nearby at that. Remus leaned toward the couches as much as he could without getting up.

“So you’ll tell us who it is then?”

“He has a girl? Like a committed relationship?” Lily gasped. 

“Oh, Evans, you’re here. Erm, yeah. I do. And you’ll figure out who it is when I walk into the dance with the hottest date.” 

Remus slouched back into his chair at that. Ever since they got him to confess that he had been going to see a girl, singular, the same one each time, the three boys had been dogging him about it. They searched for any hint, any clue, an inkling of an idea as to who you were. They had… nothing. Well, nothing besides that you weren’t a Gryffindor. They were fairly certain that Sirius wouldn’t be so secretive about you if you were a Gryffindor. 

“Seriously making us wait until Christmas to know who you’ve been sneaking around with?” James groaned. 

Sirius nodded. “I am Sirius, after all. Got to live up to the name.” 

Peter threw a crumpled piece of parchment at Sirius.

“Black, how is this the first I’m hearing of this?” Lily asked as she turned her full body to be facing the couches. “How long have you been in a committed relationship?”

“Oh, don’t feel bad, Lily,” Peter said from the armchair. “We only found out like a week or so ago.”

“Black?” she repeated.

He ran a hand through his hair before looking at Lily. 

“Made it official at the start of term.”

Lily gasped, grabbed her own bit of parchment to crumple and toss at Sirius.

“Oi! I am not a rubbish bin!”

“You are too when you’ve been seeing someone since September!”

“It gets worse the longer you think about it,” Remus pointed out. “They made it official in September. Meaning they were flirting and whatever for some time before.”

“Merlin… And you lot have no clue who it is?” 

“Nope,” Sirius answered for them, looking satisfied with himself. 

“Why not?” Lily pressed. She looked like she was about to move her chair closer to the couch so she could properly interrogate Sirius about his girlfriend. 

“Yeah, why not? You’ve never given a good answer,” James said, sitting up a bit. 

The four of them had their eyes glued to Sirius, watching his every move as he tried to think of something that wouldn’t give too much away. 

“It… would… ruffle some feathers. It will ruffle some feathers. But, we figured the ball is a good time to go public. So you’ll wait until then.” 

Lily narrowed her eyes at Sirius. The gears in her head were spinning. She put away the homework she had been working on. There was no way she could focus now, not with this mystery brought to her attention. There was a girl in the school with Sirius all to herself. This girl got Sirius to mature enough to commit. Lily needed to know who it was. 

---

You listened with more intent the next time that Emma, Dorcas and Pandora brought up the dance. Xeno asked Pandora and she obviously said yes. Dorcas was asked by Bertram Aubrey, not her first choice but a respectable one as Pandora and Emma assured her. You hadn’t gotten around to mentioning that you had a date to the girls. It wasn’t like they asked you either. 

You started asking their opinions on what color would look best, which silhouette fits your body shape, how to accessorize. It was a slight sprinkling of questions. Their excited answers told you that they were happy you were finally taking an interest in the ball.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if you were even going to go,” Emma told you. “You seemed pretty against it for a while.”

“I mean, I was debating not going. Wasn’t sure if it was my type of event.”

“What changed your mind?” 

“Oh, did Evan finally ask you?” Pandora asked, joining the conversation. 

You looked at her with wide eyes and shook your head. “Erm, no. Guess he never got ‘round to it…” You pause to take a steadying breath. “Would you mind telling him that I already have a date?” 

“I’m not lying to him. If you’re not interested, you have to tell him!” Pandora said defensively. 

“No, I really already have a date,” you said, hoping that you sounded genuine. 

Which you were. You just needed the girls to know what you were without saying that Sirius was your date. He had told you that he wouldn’t tell his friends until the ball and if you told your friends, word would spread fast. 

“Who? You’ve never mentioned…” Emma asked, twisting her features in confusion. 

“It’s… a surprise. I promise I have a real date. He’s very real. Just… not a Slytherin.”

“No. Come on, out with it,” Pandora said, placing her hands on her hips. “Ev is a perfectly fine bloke. You can handle an evening with him.”

“I totally agree with you, Dora. But I already have a date and I plan on attending the ball with him.” 

You looked between the two girls. You weren’t lying, so why did they seem so insistent on believing that you were? You didn’t have anything against him. You knew that they knew that. You just didn’t want to have the awkward conversation of telling him you were already going with someone if Pandora, or Emma really, could’ve passed on the message for you. 

Then Dorcas appeared at your side and you instantly gave her a pleading look.

“Dorcas! Would you tell Evan not to ask me to the ball?” you asked.

“Why would I do that? Don’t you want a date? We all have dates.” 

You threw your head back with a groan.

“I already have a date. These two don’t believe me and I really, really don’t want to be the one who has to tell Evan.”

“Tell me what?” a male voice said from behind you.

“Ev!” Pandora exclaimed. “Man of the hour! She has something to tell you.”

“Let’s go, give ‘em some privacy,” Emma said, grabbing Pandora and Dorcas’ arms. 

“No!” you practically cried as they disappeared around the corner of the corridor, leaving you alone with Evan. You groaned. 

“Damn, am I that horrible to be around?” he asked nervously.

“No, you’re not,” you said, feeling horrible already. “That’s the problem. You’re really a fine bloke.”

“Oh,” he said, his voice dropping. “I think I know where this is going… It’s not you, it’s me.” He laughed dryly. “I didn’t even have to ask.”

“Evan… It’s just that I’ve already been asked.”

“But, just the other day… When Slughorn pulled me away… You said…”

“I didn’t think he would ask.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “Didn’t you know that I was going to ask you? Why’d you say yes to someone else if you knew I was about to ask you if fucking Slughorn-?”

You hated the feeling in your chest. It was horrible. You had to explain to him that it was more than just someone else asking. 

“I’ve been seeing someone. In private. I wasn’t sure if we were going to go and… well, we’ve decided to go.” 

“Oh,” he said, suddenly more curious than feeling bad for himself. “So private that even Dora doesn’t know?”

“No one knows. And, I’d like to keep it that way.” 

Evan studied your face. He sighed and let his expression drop to a blank canvas. Then he walked away. You weren’t sure how to feel about it. You wished he had said something before walking away, instead of just leaving your request sit in the air. You stood there for a moment before deciding to go to the library. You figured no one would bug you there and you could just think about how you were going to navigate everything once you showed up to the ball on Sirius’ arm. 

---

Despite the near incessant pestering from your respective friend groups, neither you nor Sirius broke down. The main difference between your friend groups was that the Gryffindors fully believed that you existed. They were certain that there was a girl that Sirius kept sneaking off to spend time with. Your friends didn’t believe Sirius existed. Surely, they would’ve noticed not only sneaking off but the emotional changes from you. To avoid making them see that they might be bad friends, you repeatedly told them that you’re just that good of an actress. What’s the point of a secret relationship if everyone knows about it? 

The girls had helped you pick out a lovely black dress that made you look divine. They offered you some of their accessories when you put your foot down at spending a fortune on a matching set of diamond earrings and necklace. It was safe to say that you looked goddamn amazing as you twirled in front of the mirror in your dorm.

Emma, Dorcas and Pandora showered you in compliments and slight jabs at keeping your date a mystery.

“We’re going to see who it is in just a few minutes. Why can’t you tell us?” Pandora asked as she slid another hairpin in place. 

“It’s the principle of it,” you reminded her. “Are we ready?” 

You led the girls out of your dorm and into the common room, where Emma and Dorcas’ dates were waiting for them. You smiled at Evan and his date, a younger Slytherin who beamed up at him. Looking around the dimly lit room, it appeared that many Slytherins chose dates from their own house. You hooked arms with Pandora and continued walking to the door. If Emma and Dorcas wanted to linger in the common room with their dates, that was their choice. You had a date from a different house.

Sirius was the first one ready, which surprised the rest of the Marauders. They had figured that Remus would’ve been the first, followed by Peter and James with Sirius coming in last. He paced the dorm as he waited for someone else to be ready.

“Padfoot, calm down. Your jitters are contagious,” Peter said, struggling to figure out his cufflinks. “Actually, come here. You clearly know how these work.”

Sirius was more than happy to oblige. It was something to do. He was nervous to finally go public with his relationship with you. He knew that one evening was all his friends needed with you before they realized how amazing you are and would accept you into the group. He just needed this evening to go well. He didn’t want to think about what could all go wrong, which is where his mind kept drifting to every time the dorm fell quiet as the boys dressed and made their final adjustments. 

“Why are you so nervous, Pads? You’ve been dating this girl for months,” James asked as they left their dorm.

Sirius didn’t answer right away. He didn’t want to admit out loud that he was nervous they wouldn’t like you.

“Just a big night.”

“Make note of it, boys,” Remus said with a smirk. “Padfoot won’t be this nervous again until his wedding day.” 

James and Peter laughed while Sirius rolled his eyes. In the common room, couples were meeting up. The girls saw the boys come down the stairs and joined them quickly. 

“Who’d you end up saying yes to?” Remus asked Lily.

She shot a nervous look toward James, but he was already in a new fit of laughter with Marlene as they awkwardly exchanged flowers. 

“Thomas Boot.”

“Oh, maybe he’ll come down with Emmeline! Shall we?” he said, offering his arm to Lily.

She agreed and Sirius followed the two of them out of the room. 

You had agreed to meet up with Sirius outside the Great Hall. Just about every other inter-house couple had the same idea as people gathered outside the large doors. From a distance, you could see the silvery glow emitted from the Great Hall. Snow appeared to be falling out of the doors but never reaching the head of the tallest student. As you got closer, you could see the enchanted icicles and hear the light music that was already playing. 

Pandora started bouncing on the balls of her feet as she scanned the crowd for Xenophilius. As soon as she saw him, she bid you a quick bye before darting in his direction. You bit your lip as you tried to spot Sirius. Your heart was already pounding in your chest. 

This was it. There was no going back to the safety of your private relationship after this moment. You would have to deal with the fallout with your friends and all the harsh words they’d have to say about Sirius. And you’d have to deal with whatever Sirius’ friends had to say about you. You hoped they were kind and compassionate people that Sirius described them as being. 

“Darling, you look… wow. Just wow,” Sirius said, having found you while you were lost in thought.

Worries? You didn’t have any worries.

Sirius’ words brought a blush to your cheeks and a smile to your lips. He had a hand held out for you to grab. You took it and he pulled you close. 

“I have never seen someone look so spectacular,” he murmured against your ear. “How did I get so lucky?” 

“An insane amount of luck,” you teased.

You pulled out of his space for a moment to give him a once over. 

“Rumors are true. You do know how to clean up,” you said before moving back to his side and letting him steer you inside the Great Hall.

“Maybe one good thing did come out of all those balls I was forced to attend in my youth,” he sighed.

You giggled. “You’re still in your youth, you idiot.”

“Oh,” he mock-gasped. “Then maybe we can make another good thing come out of the balls of my youth.”

“What would you like out of this ball, Mr. Black?” 

“The whole castle to know that you’re mine.” 

“Well, we do seem to be headed in the right way for that.” “Fantastic!”

Sirius didn’t leave your side for most of the night. He was glued to your side before the dancing and partying really started, as you milled around the drink and snack tables. His friends found you first. 

“You’re the girl who’s got Padfoot smitten?” Peter gasped. 

You nodded, too nervous to trust your voice. Sirius tightened his grip on your waist to ground you. He knew how much you both had been worrying about this moment. 

“Whose idea was it to keep you a secret?” James asked, looking from Sirius’ face to his hand holding your waist to your shaky smile.

“Yeah, really. Heard from Lily that you’ve been dating all term?” Marlene added.

“I-I think I brought it and he agreed,” you said. Your voice wobbled a little, but you told yourself it would steady as you talked more with the group.

“Where’s Moony and Vance?” James asked, craning his head to look around the hall. “He’s not going to believe this.”

“What’s not to believe?” Sirius asked, sounding affronted. 

“That you got a pretty little Slytherin under your arm, Pads.”

You tensed. There it was. Throwing your house out there like it was a definition of who you were.

“And what about it?” Sirius snapped.

James looked back at Sirius and you with his eyebrows raised. 

“Nothing. Nothing!” James chuckled uncomfortably. “We just… might have… maybe… placed bets on who it was.”

“And we all lost,” Peter added. 

“So who gets the money then? Us?” you asked. 

“I think we should, darling. Mates, how much do we get for being unpredictable?” 

James and Peter groaned in unison. Meeting Remus and Lily resulted in similar amounts of shock that you were a Slytherin but then moved on quickly to jokes. Lily seemed most interested in how you and Sirius came to be, which you told her was probably a conversation saved for another time. You gestured to the ball and she nodded. 

“That wasn’t so bad,” Sirius said as you two made the your way to the dance floor. 

“Think they like me? Or at least tolerate me?” 

“Love, you didn’t bat an eye at the boys betting on who you were. They love you already.” He spun you around before pulling you into him, your back pressed to his chest so he could whisper into your ear, “But they’ll never love you as much as I love you.”

You stumbled as Sirius began to spin you again. Then you were chest to chest.

“Say it again,” you said breathlessly. You couldn’t believe what you heard. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Before Sirius could spin you or dip you or do anything to move you away from his face, you kissed him. It was a moment filled with pure bliss. You were dancing with your boyfriend, kissing him, in public, both looking beautiful, and he just told you that he loved you for the first time. It was perfect.

“It’s fucking Black?” Emma’s voice screeched. 

You pulled back. Both you and Sirius turned to see your roommate looking at you with utter bewilderment in her eyes. Mulciber, who was holding onto her waist, had a look of disgust etched into his face as he took in the scene before him. 

“No wonder you didn’t tell anyone,” she snarled before dragging Mulciber in the opposite direction.

You assumed that she was off to tell everyone else who hadn’t seen you yet. You really hoped that Dorcas and Pandora would take the revelation better. If not, your dorm was about to become the most uncomfortable room in the entire castle, save maybe the common room. 

“If they kick you out of Slytherin, we’ll smuggle you into our tower,” Sirius told you, trying to comfort you.

Your distress was evident on your face. As much as Sirius’ offer lessened it slightly, it was only slightly. You still had another year and a half in this dorm and even if you and Sirius broke up at some point, Emma wouldn’t forget it. 

Then Pandora and Xenophilius appeared next to you.

“Treat her well, Black,” Pandora warned. Then her voice softened as she acknowledged you. “We’ll deal with Vanity later. Enjoy your night.” 

When they disappeared, you relaxed. If Pandora, the one who had been trying to set you up with her brother, could accept Sirius that easily, then Dorcas would follow. Or at least it would be two against two in the dorm. Having one girl in your corner was enough to ease your mind and allow you to enjoy the rest of your night with Sirius.

Dorcas did find you later in the night. She was mumbling about how Aubrey was an utter buffoon and she never should’ve agreed to go with him in the first place. 

She gave Sirius one look before saying, “At least you got a hot one…”

You and Sirius broke out in laughter once Dorcas bolted again with a quick mention of seeing Aubrey coming. Sirius left you with his friends as he went to get drinks. As he had predicted, his friends warmed up to you quickly. You were welcomed into their circle as they bantered with each other, their contagious laughter filling the air. 

After he turned with the drinks, Sirius was with you until he walked you back to the Slytherin Dungeon. Echoes of laughter and faint music filled the corridors as you descended down flights of stairs. 

“Overall, I’d say it was a rather successful night,” Sirius said.

“Successfully a second good thing to come from your youthful balls?” 

Sirius snickered. “Youthful balls.”

You shoved his shoulder while joining in his laughter. 

“You’re a child.”

“A youth, a child. Same thing, right?”

“Apparently so,” you said, unable to prevent yourself from smiling. 

“Well, good night my love,” he said before kissing your cheek. “If it becomes too much down here, password’s feriae munera.” 

Your chest warmed at his offering of the Gryffindor Tower. A ‘just in case’ for the sake of Emma and the rest of the Slytherins who thought Sirius was barely a step above muggle borns. Sirius was the best thing you could’ve asked for.

“Good night, love.”

[maraudersilver]

despise you (Sirius Black x Potter!Reader)

Wc: 2,2K

Series masterlist

Warnings: I wrote this blurb in less than an hour, English is not my first language so if you see anything that needs improvement, let me know!

Sirius Black x Fem!Potter!Reader - Chapter 1

Summary: After winning a quidditch match against Gryffindor, you scape the party celebrated at the Slytherin common room only to encounter the Marauders lurking around the dungeons.

The Slytherin common room was boasting with music that reverberated throughout the dungeons’ walls. You were sure Slughorn would be awake soon enough, if not the giant squid lurking on the waters of the Black Lake who could be lured by the intense lighting. 

At the moment, you were outside the party halls, leaned on the hard, stone wall in an attempt to calm your breathing. It was too much. Too loud. Too many people in such a small space. Why were there Hufflepuffs celebrating Slytherin’s victory anyway? Didn’t they have a common room to loaf in? 

It had been a long day that went in a haze. One moment you were trying to choke on your morning coffee, and the next your whole house had you and the rest of the Quidditch team strutting on their shoulders for everyone to see. The match had been a hard one, Gryffindor being a great team. Not that you would admit it outloud. However, McKinnon’s growing frustration at every stop of the quaffle added to the intense beating of the bad Black brother in an attempt to throw you off your broom had only fueled your skills.

That and your brother’s priceless, devastated expression when Regulus had been the one to catch the snitch. You had almost felt some flicker of sympathy when Lily Evans refused his consolation hug petition, but it didn’t last long. 

“Are you planning on murdering someone?” Regulus’ voice took you out of your thoughts, and your bemused expression only caused him to snort. “You have a wicked grin on. That can’t be good.”

“Just recalling James’ face,” you sighed happily, to which Regulus chuckled silently. “Ah, this Christmas is going to be magical!”

“And they say I’m the evil one.” It was your time to snort, nudging Regulus lightly with your shoulder when he positioned himself next to you. “I do have to admit, seeing him so riled up the second I had the snitch in my hand was… Gratifying.”

“Gratifying?” You choked, looking up at your friend with raised brows. “What kind of word is that?”

“Some of us have proper education, you know?”

“Are you calling me illiterate?”

“That’s on you, Potter.”

You huffed, a small smirk still on your face. The two of you stayed in silence, listening to the new single of Bartilous and The Jumping Poffle that blasted through the entrance. 

“Got tired?”

“Yeah,” Regulus yawned, placing his head lazily in the stone. “What the fuck are the Hufflepuffs doing in there?”

“Right! Who let them in?”

“I’m betting on Rosier.”

“Evan?” you asked incredulously.

“Pandora. She has been sitting next to Abb… Abbie… Whatever. On transfiguration all year.”

You hummed in acknowledgement. There was a pending conversation with your group of friends about who were and weren’t welcomed during Slytherin parties. And the whole badger house was definitely not on the list. 

“Could be worse.” You peeked at the good Black brother out of the corner of your eye. “It could have been the Gryffindors.”

“As if!” Both Regulus and you chuckled. You shook your head and sighed again, rolling your shoulders uncomfortably. “James would cut both his hands before stepping a foot on our common room.”

“I was going to say that Sirius would become bald before doing so but,” Regulus grimaced, and you felt your lips stretching in amusement. “I’m positive he'd rather snog Avery than living without his hair.”

You gagged. “Not Avery.”

“What? Umbridge then?” 

“You’re the worst.”

Regulus chuckled lightly. “She’s not that bad.”

“Please, Black, tell me you don’t have a crush on Miss Pinky Winky,” you groaned.

“What? No!”

“Doesn’t sound convincing.”

“I do not-.” Regulus interrupted his defense when footsteps came down the hallway. 

“Slughorn?” you mouthed silently.

“I dunno,” replied the boy in the same way.

The both of you stood quiet and immobile, hiding in the shadows provided by the many iron armors scattered around the corridors along with the lack of torches. Sometimes you thought Dumbledore hated you all. How could a headmaster leave a part of the students’ housing inside a fucking castle without light? Simply evil. The other houses definitely didn’t have that treatment.

“You remember where it was, right?” a hushed, definitely not Slughorn voice whispered at the end of the corridor.

“We literally have a map, Prongs.”

“Excuse me, hound mutt, for not trusting your awful sense of orientation.”

“What did you call me?”

“You all tire me.”

“Sorry, Moony.”

Regulus and you shared an unimpressed look.

“I start to understand the weekly detention,” you hummed.

Suddenly, all voices and steps came to a stop. Their silhouettes were still invisible to the eye, too surrounded in darkness to be able to discern them. 

“Did you hear that?” Peter asked, resonating throughout the whole corridor.

“Yes and now they heard you too, twat,” grumbled Sirius.

You wanted to laugh. How they managed to sneak around so much was becoming a really prominent question at the front of your mind with how clumsy and noisy they were. Even if they had James’ -and yours- invisibility cloak, only a fool wouldn’t hear the elephant racket those four emanated. 

Regulus gave a tired sigh, leaning away from where he stood in the wall and elegantly moved towards the common room entrance, waving his hand lazily. “Not doing this tonight. Bye, Potter.”

“Back to the party?”

“To my dorm.”

And with that, Regulus disappeared from view and left you alone in the dungeons. With the Marauders prowling around, that is.

You considered pulling the same move as your friend. It really had been a tiring day, you didn’t need to end up colliding against the four most annoying people of the whole castle. Damn, you would rather go back to the Hufflepuffs invading your common room. 

But after a few minutes of silence, except for the ballad playing at that moment, you wondered, even hoped, if the boys had left after hearing Regulus and you. You really didn’t want to go back in. Not a very party person, to be honest. 

All hope was lost, however, when under the single torch to ever be placed in the dungeons appeared the isolated head of Peter Pettigrew. 

“Coast’s clear!”

And then, his whole body was visible, along with the other three boys who were smiling like maniacs. Well, Remus was wearing more of a sly smirk, but he didn’t fool you. He was as bad as all of them.

“Check the map. Sluggy could be lurking,” Sirius said, snatching a piece of parchment from Remus’ hands and ogling it with focus. “You fucking idiot! Wormtail, coast clear? Really? Look at this shit, then!”

The smaller boy paddled towards Sirius, who very angrily waved the object in front of Peter’s face. Even under the light of a single torch, the process of blood draining from his face was very much visible.

“But she- There’s no one there!” He animatedly pointed towards you, who just smirked when you realized you were truly hidden by the shadows.

“What?” It was James now who took the parchment, scanning it as if he was committing its contents to memory. “You have to be kidding me.”

“Is that…?”

“Yep, Moony. It’s her,” snarled Sirius, pacing the very small distance between one wall and the other. 

James called your name. “C’mon, we know you’re there.”

With a protruding groan, you made your way to a more visible corner of the corridor and smiled sarcastically at them. “What a non pleasure to see you.”

Sirius huffed. “What were you doing there?”

The four boys gave you looks that went from exasperated to resignation. Sirius being the most work up out of them. Something in you fluttered at the thought of making him so angry with just your presence. 

“Last time I checked, this was my common room.” You looked around with fake, wide eyes.

“You’re outside your common room,” said your brother with narrowed eyes.

“Salazar forgive a girl from hanging outside her common room. What a crime!”

“Stop with your theatrics,” snarked Sirius. “What do you want?”

You raised an eyebrow, a pang of rage beating in your chest. “You’re the ones prowling the dungeons. Gryffindor Tower is a long way from here, isn’t it?”

James, Sirius and Peter scoffed, while Remus just stood there, chewing on his lower lip. You looked at him with furrowed brows, he was the most decent of them all at the end of the day.

“Lupin?”

“They were accompanying me in my patrol,” the Prefect answered without looking at you.

Tilting your head, you bit your lower lip. “How funny! I thought Digory was on patrol at this hour. At least that’s what he said when I saw him inside.” You pointed to the wall behind you. “I think you got… mixed up.”

“Must have been it.”

You hummed. “And, if I remember correctly, patrols must be done with other Prefects and…” Your gaze turned from James to Peter and ended up in Sirius. “None of them are Prefects. Thank Merlin for it, though.”

“So righteous, aren’t you Potter?” spat Sirius, losing his temper sooner than you expected. “Oh, the goody-two-shoes is going to snitch on us?”

“You mean the snitch that Regulus caught?” you joked, and his blush deepened. 

“That was a lame one,” James admitted quietly, and Peter silently agreed.

Endorsed by his friends, Sirius barked a hollow laugh. “Careful, we’re four against one.”

“Not fighting my sister, dude. Don’t count me in,” James raised his hands in surrender. 

A high pitched sound escaped your throat, and it took Sirius a whole second to comprehend you were giggling. Fucking giggling. 

“So brave the Gryffindors are, huh?” you cackled, shaking your head mirthlessly. “Fighting a wandless girl all on her own just because, what? For seeing you in a corridor?”

“Don’t play victim now, it doesn’t suit you.”

Sirius was baring his teeth like a dog, which almost made you howl in laughter. He really thought he was scary. 

“Aww, how cute!” you cooed mockingly. “The pretty boy of Hogwarts could not scare a fly even if he tried.” You pouted.

Something in his expression shifted. Long lost was the snare falling from his lips, as now a sly smirk welcomed your confused state. He waggled his eyebrows and leaned towards you, his long, black hair tickling your cheek. 

“You think I’m pretty?”

The warmth abandoned your body to concentrate in your face. You were sure if anyone wanted to cook an egg on your forehead, it would be boiled by now. Opening your mouth, you tried to come up with something, anything, but you could only gape like a fish with his grey eyes looking amusedly straight at yours, so close you could see your reflection in them. 

“Cat got your tongue, love?” he mocked, licking his lips and having you copy the motion unconsciously. “Well, isn’t this interesting.”

He was almost purring. Bloody hell. As much as you couldn’t stand him and ended up arguing with him whenever you two ended up in the same room, you had to admit that you could understand the frenzy he caused in most of Hogwarts’ population. 

Suddenly, Sirius was aggressively pulled away from you. Your brain sighed in relief, while your chest ached for the proximity that had seemed so promising. 

Out of the haze, you looked up to see James dragging Sirius away by the shoulders. If it wasn’t so dark, you would have seen the maroon colour painting the bad Black brother’s features. 

“I let you fight her. But whatever the hell that was? Not a chance. Keep your hands to yourself, Padfoot.”

Peter howled, while Remus patted Sirius’ back consolingly, although his silent chuckle gave him away.

“I wasn’t doing anything! We were arguing, weren’t we, Potter?”

Still too stunned to speak, you just nodded. Your heart was beating like a drum, and you tried to associate it to the long time hatred your brother’s best friend and you had for each other.

“See? Now let me go!”

James laughed at Sirius’ lame attempts to set himself free from his grip, wriggling and snapping hands at whoever tried to touch him. And in a moment of clarity, you took your chance while they were distracted teasing him.

“Don’t prank any Slytherin, the common room or its surroundings!” you warned while running towards the entrance. “If you do, I’ll know it was you and I have proof!”

“What proof?” Peter asked.

And that was the last thing you heard before the loud, blasting music and voices from your housemates and Hufflepuffs surrounded you. Incredibly, you were thankful to be back at the party and away from the Marauders, which you knew would end up pranking the dungeons and, in fact, you had no proof of it. 

Waving at Barty and Dorcas, you made your way upstairs to your dorm. If you had craved your bed since after the match, you were now desperate to succumb into Morpheus’ arms to forget your encounter with Sirius Black, whose face was the last you saw before the entrance’s door closed. Naughty curls falling on his face, wild eyes focused on you as you had made your way back to the haven of your house.

Surely, you were only recalling it because you despised him, right?

[crescenthistory]

💌 = fluff I 📭 = angst I 📬 = hurt/comfort I 📜 = smut I 🪧 = humour

𖤐 remus john lupin

(14.4k) It's Nice To Have A Friend (💌📬: childhood best friends to lovers, you are the only person remus is comfortable being physically affectionate with publically)

a blurb about their happily ever after

(4.8k) A Little Push (📬💌: sirius finally tells you about your best friend remus' feelings for you after you almost kiss him at a party)

a blurb about everyone's reaction

(3.7k) i'll hold your hand through all of christmas day (📬💌: remus supports you through your grief during the holidays)

drabbles:

(0.6k) morning touches (💌: waking up with bf!remus)

(1.5k) odd socks (💌: domestic january morning in the lupin cottage, with knitting and cuddles)

(1.6k) family photos (💌📬: visiting the lupin cottage for the first time, looking at family photos)

(0.9k) going home to his wife (💌: remus is lovely when he's wine drunk)

headcanons:

☆ farmer!remus

☆ remus and reader with scars

☆ magical!dealer!remus

☆ remus with ballerina!reader

features in:

poly!moonwater

(1.9k) What Now? (💌: your concerned boyfriends find you feeling poorly in the infirmary and dote on you)

(0.7k) hospital au (💌📬: muggle au, you accompany remus to a&e where your boyfriend works)

find more remus in poly!marauders in the marauders masterlist

[starofthesea37]

POV: you taught yourself how to bind your favourite fanfics completely from scratch, and now you have a fancy collection!

Fics are:

“straight on ‘til morning” by merils (DC, Conner Kent centric, Mature)

“hot rod heart” by merils (DC, TimKon, Explicit)

“the courage of stars” by merils (DC, Conner Kent centric, Mature)

“androecia” by merils (DC, TimKon, Explicit)

“notes on divinity”by merils (DC, TimKon, Explicit)

“racing on the thunder” by merils (DC, Conner Kent & Lois Lane, Teen)

“Leap of Faith (Catch Me, If You Can) by erinwantstowrite (DC & Marvel, Spider-Man in Gotham, Teen)

“The Mystery of the Pears” by sonwar (Marauders, jegulus, Explicit)

“And so, Happy Christmas” by her_smile_forges_galaxies (Marauders, jegulus, Gen)

“Christmas Preceding the End of The World” by otrtbs (Marauders, jegulus, Teen)

“skeletons you hide (show me yours, i’ll show you mine)” by mraudersmoon (Marauders, jegulus, Teen)

“As If Through Water” by third_crow (Marauders, jegulus, Teen)

“Apocalypse” by jiangchxngs (Marauders, jegulily, Gen)

“Choices” by messermoon (Marauders, jegulus, Mature)

All on ao3! I highly recommend all of these, they’re all amazing!

Authors whose tumblr I know (let me know if there’s more I should add!): @mamawasatesttube @erinwantstowrite @otrtbs @sophsicle

All of these were done entirely by hand, for personal use only, and I make no profit from them. I made most of the typesets myself, and no I will not be sharing them unless I know you or you’re the author.

I learnt from a tutorial by hana_bob on TikTok if you’re interested :)

[ikkyfics]

Snowball Fight

James Potter x fem!reader

Summary: “You’re impossible,” you whispered, unable to hide the fondness in your tone. “And you’re stuck with me,” James replied, his voice filled with a mixture of pride and adoration that made your chest feel impossibly light.

Warnings: just fluffy - a snow fight with the Marauders, James finding any excuse for a kiss, Peter being a traitor (with good reasons, of course), Sirius and Remus because they're adorable

N/A: yeaaaaaaah did you think there wouldn't be a christmas fic? well, I thought so too - but here we are. I've never seen snow, so it's a little ironic lmao

Masterlist

It was a perfect Christmas morning at Hogwarts. Freshly fallen snow blanketed the castle and grounds like a white mantle, reflecting the pale sunlight and transforming everything into an even more enchanting magical world. James Potter, however, seemed to have boundless energy—perhaps more than usual, given the enthusiasm he showed while holding your hand and pulling you toward the castle’s main doors.

“James, it’s freezing out there!” you protested, laughing as you tried to keep your balance on the slippery floor.

“Exactly! It’s a golden opportunity, my dear. Snow and Christmas go together like... well, like you and me.” He winked dramatically, though the playful expression couldn’t quite hide the faint blush on his cheeks—and it wasn’t just because of the cold.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile that threatened to escape. “And what do you have in mind, then? A mischievous Marauder plan or something truly innocent for the first time ever?”

“I’d say you’ll just have to trust my charm,” he said with a grin so daring it was almost impossible not to go along with him.

A few minutes later, the two of you were outside, the cold morning air wrapping around you both. The world seemed incredibly quiet, save for the muffled sound of your boots crunching through the snow.

“So,” James began, his voice loaded with a false casualness as he bent down to scoop up a handful of snow. “Do you think you can get away from me so easily?”

You raised an eyebrow, noticing the mischievous glint in his eyes. “What—”

Before you could finish your sentence, a snowball hit your arm.

“Potter!” you shouted, already leaning down to retaliate, and within seconds, the two of you were laughing and running like children. James moved quickly, almost always dodging your attempts to hit him, but you weren’t exactly easy to catch, either.

That was when unexpected reinforcements arrived. Sirius appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a thick overcoat and sporting a grin that promised trouble. “Need some help, Prongs?”

“Knew you couldn’t resist!” James shouted back, already moving to Sirius’s side as you stared at both of them with a mix of desperation and determination.

“This is unfair! Two against one?” you exclaimed, though you were smiling.

“Two against one?” A calm voice chimed in behind you. Remus. “Doesn’t sound very fair to me.” He smiled slightly, tilting his head in your direction. “Perhaps I’ll root for you.”

“Don’t just root, help!” you said, laughing as Remus discreetly launched a snowball that hit Sirius squarely in the back of the neck.

At that moment, Peter came running in from the side, carrying what looked like the beginnings of a stockpile of snowballs in his arms. “What’s going on here? Need a referee?”

“More like a traitor in the making,” Sirius grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Peter.

“Traitor? I prefer opportunist,” Peter replied with a mischievous grin, tossing a snowball at Remus. “For now, I’m on their side!” He gestured to James and Sirius, but before they could celebrate, Peter had already switched sides. “Or maybe hers. Watching you covered in snow, Sirius, is pretty entertaining.”

The battle raged on with laughter and teasing—James and Sirius forming a chaotic duo while you, Remus, and eventually Peter balanced the scales with clever strategies (and a few playful betrayals). At one point, an explosion of snow flew in all directions, leaving everyone breathless and laughing uncontrollably.

It was then that James, with an unexpectedly clever move, managed to gently “knock” you into the snow. Laughing triumphantly, he leaned over you, his knees sinking slightly into the fluffy blanket of white. The wide grin on his face softened almost instantly as his vibrant blue eyes locked onto yours. For a moment, the world around you seemed to fall silent—not because of the snow’s muffling embrace, but because of the intensity between you.

The messy black hair that always seemed to defy gravity fell into his forehead, framing his flushed cheeks. His glasses had slipped down slightly, fogged up at the edges, making him squint just a bit. That small imperfection made your heart skip in ways that felt both ridiculous and undeniable.

“Caught you,” he said softly, the teasing edge in his voice giving way to something warmer. His breath came out in soft, visible puffs, brushing against your skin in the cold air.

You didn’t respond immediately, your gaze flitting over his features. The unruly hair, the slight tilt of his lips as if he were about to say something funny, the way his eyes seemed impossibly bright against the pale winter landscape—it was all so James.

“Well done, Potter,” you finally managed, a playful lilt in your tone. “You’ve bested me. What are you going to do now? Gloat?”

James chuckled, his weight shifting slightly as he propped himself up with one arm. “Tempting, but I think I’ve earned something better.” His eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was a shyness underneath that made your heart flutter.

“Oh?” you replied, lifting an eyebrow even as your cheeks grew warm. “And what exactly do you think you’ve earned?”

He hesitated, his confidence faltering just enough for you to notice. That hesitation, paired with the way his fingers absently brushed the snow near your shoulder, was unbearably endearing.

You smirked, closing the small gap between you as your voice dropped to a whisper. “James,” you said his name with just enough tenderness to make him stop fidgeting and focus entirely on you. “You’re staring.”

“Can you blame me?” he shot back, his grin returning, though his voice was quieter now. “It’s not every day I get to see you like this. All…” He trailed off, gesturing vaguely before rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re just… you know, perfect.”

The words hung in the air between you, his earnestness making your chest tighten.

“You’re terrible at this,” you teased, though your voice cracked slightly from the rush of emotions threatening to bubble over.

“Maybe,” he admitted with a shrug, his own cheeks reddening even more. “But I’m not giving up.”

You laughed softly, the sound breaking the tension for a moment, though neither of you moved away. James leaned closer, his breath warm against your skin despite the chill of the air.

“Is this the moment I get a kiss?” he murmured, his voice low but firm, his blue eyes flickering between your eyes and your mouth.

His smile softened, and you nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”

That was all the permission he needed. James lowered his head, his lips brushing yours in a kiss that was as sweet as it was right. The world seemed still around you, the snow falling silently as his warmth filled every part of you.

When he pulled away, your cheeks were an even deeper shade of red, and you could feel the heat rising to your own face.

“Oi, Prongs!” Sirius’s voice shattered the moment, his tone exaggeratedly scandalized. “Are you two snogging or strategizing? Because from here, it looks like we’re down a teammate!”

“Merlin, James, we’re trying to win here!” Peter chimed in, his breathless voice somewhere between a laugh and a groan.

“Get on with it already, mate!” Remus added, though his tone was more amused than annoyed.

James groaned, clearly reluctant to move, but the way he looked at you—his nose almost brushing yours again—made your stomach flip. “Don’t mind them,” he muttered.

You laughed softly, reaching up to adjust his glasses, which were still slightly askew. “They might actually freeze solid if we keep this up.”

“Let them,” James murmured, stealing another quick kiss that made your cheeks burn just as much as his.

Sirius groaned even louder. “Unbelievable! Right, lads, let’s pelt them with snow until they remember they’re on a team!”

Before you could react, a handful of snow hit the side of James’s head, courtesy of Remus. Peter followed up with his own poorly aimed snowball, which hit Sirius instead.

James laughed as he pulled you to your feet, his hand lingering in yours, his thumb brushing over your knuckles as you both struggled to stifle your laughter.

“You’re impossible,” you whispered, unable to hide the fondness in your tone.

“And you’re stuck with me,” James replied, his voice filled with a mixture of pride and adoration that made your chest feel impossibly light.

The teasing voices of the Marauders grew louder as they approached, Sirius leading the charge with an armful of snowballs. But as James wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close, the chaos around you seemed to melt away.

“I hope you know this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” he said softly, his lips brushing against your temple.

You smiled, leaning into him as the snow began to fall again. “It’s definitely up there.”

“And next year,” he added, his voice low and full of promise, “I’ll make it even better.”

The snowball that hit the back of his head moments later didn’t do much to ruin the moment. If anything, it only made the laughter that followed even sweeter.

[enviedear]

･*:｡☃︎⁺₊❅. enviedear's winter wonderland

welcome to the winter wonderland! a time for candor and comfort—and fics that i hope you'll all enjoy! i just want to celebrate all of you that make this blog an absolute joy—by hyperfixating on something new every few months i’ve amassed so many lovelies from so many fandoms. i thought it was high time i did a little celebration with most of the characters i write for. think of it as my little gift to you—especially to the long term followers (crying w a smile)

without further ado...let's take a stroll through the winter wonderland ❆₊⋆𐂂 𖠰･⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

starts on december 4th until december 25th

week one — jason todd

baby—it's cold outside

after a mission goes horribly wrong, you get snowed in at a safehouse (rickety old cabin) with jason. you're both blaming each other for the failed mission, but the discovery that there's no firewood or heating has the two of you begrudgingly sharing body heat and blankets. OUT NOW !

christmas dreaming

when jason todd overhears your complaint about the town’s lackluster christmas trees, he takes it as a challenge. every day, he stops by your store with an update—always casual, always shrugging off your insistence that it’s unnecessary. but beneath the easy smiles and weather-worn jacket, jason is on a quiet mission.

for weeks, he’s combed through forests and farms, chasing the impossible—your perfect tree. and while he won’t admit it, this isn’t just about holiday spirit. it’s purely about you—and the way your smile might make the coldest december day feel warm. OUT NOW !

week two — dick grayson

love to keep me warm

dick grayson is your best friend, and has been since he moved to blüdhaven. you're more than familiar with taking trips to gotham with him, especially during the holidays! you've yet to miss one of bruce wayne's christmas galas—but this year is different. this year, you're hopelessly trying to hide the recent crush you've developed on your best friend. OUT NOW !

santa baby

to you, dick grayson might as well be santa claus. by day, he’s blüdhaven’s resident holiday hero, delivering toys to kids, lending a hand at soup kitchens, and visiting anyone spending the season alone. by night? well, nightwing doesn’t exactly take time off. you don’t mind him spreading christmas cheer—it’s one of the million reasons you fell for him—but when the twinkling lights and warm cocoa leave you longing for his touch, your thoughts start drifting toward a wish list of your own. all you want this year is him.

week three — jacaerys velaryon

walking in a winter wonderland

recently married and entrusted with the titles of lord and lady of dragonstone, jacaerys and you are adamant upon making the gloomy castle a respite for the winter. your plans falter, however, when the chill becomes too much for you. luckily, your husband is the blood of the dragon—and your own personal fireplace.

all i want for christmas—is you

the office is buzzing with holiday chaos, but you’ve got your own chaos. twelve days before christmas, a mysterious gift appears on your desk, and each morning brings another. thoughtful, perfect little things that make your heart race more than they should. it doesn’t take long for you to piece it together—jacaerys velaryon—isn’t as coy as he assumes. by christmas, you decide it’s time to return the favor. not with gifts, just with the words he’s been waiting to hear.

week four — the marauders

since we've no place to go—let it snow

at alice fortescue’s holiday party, you find james potter, your ex, sitting quietly by the fire. it’s been three years since you last saw him, but one heartfelt conversation—or atrocious snowstorm—just might be enough to glue the two of you back together.

a wonderful christmas time

single and surrounded by happy couples at your holiday trip is enough to send you spiraling. you feel like you're falling behind, and you're desperate enough to fall into an obvious tourist trap. it's said (the receptionist told you) that tying a red ribbon around a branch of the old oak during a snowfall will assure you a christmas miracle. only you don't find a miracle—just sirius black.

🗣️— + mystery bonus fics for the new year !!

can you guess for who?? hehe

🖇️ tags — if you want to be added to the taglist for this celebration, just comment below

[justaparsec94]

Firsts

Author's Note: For @spaceyjessa. Written for the prompts: Snowed In and First Christmas (I couldn't decide so I combined them lol). I'm a little rusty after not writing for so long so I hope this is ok! Happy Holidays!

Pairing: Crosshair x fem!reader

Word Count: 4,407

If Crosshair had to pick one thing out of his long list of dislikes as the thing he liked least, it would probably be snow. He let out an annoyed huff, crossing his arms over his chest and shifting from one foot to the other in an effort to maintain some warmth as he stood outside The Havoc Marauder. Even with his HUD on his view was almost completely obstructed by the falling snow. Perhaps, that was part of why he disliked it so much, snipers and poor visibility didn’t mix well. But the bigger reason was because he just downright hated the cold. No planet had any right to be this cold. It was icier than a Kaminoan’s heart. 

In theory, it had been a simple mission: retrieve Separatist intel from a supposedly abandoned outpost on some outer rim planet that no one had ever heard the name of before. It was easy—so easy that he and his brothers had actually been offended when the mission had come through to them. But in typical Bad Batch fashion, nothing ever turned out quite as easy as they expected.

The first problem had been that the abandoned outpost wasn’t actually abandoned, but that had made this boring mission much less boring. There was nothing The Batch liked more than scrapping a bunch of clankers. They’d made sure the place was well and truly abandoned once they were through with it and grabbed the data chip that they’d been sent to retrieve. It was at that point as they’d been on the way back to their ship that they’d encountered problem number two, the weather. It had been cold and snowing when they’d arrived but what had started out as a light dusting had turned into a downright blizzard. They’d barely been able to see a foot in front of them as they’d made their way back, the wind so strong it felt as if it was blowing right through their supposedly insulated armour. 

They’d made it though, mostly because Tech had a homing beacon on The Marauder that he could trace on his data pad but then they had encountered problem number three, likely due to the snow, their ship wouldn’t start. Instead of powering up like usual, all they were greeted with were warning alarms. 

All of which had led to his current position, standing guard outside, miserable, in the freezing cold while Tech was in the bowels of the ship, trying to figure out what was wrong with it. He cursed softly under his breath as he shifted from foot to foot again, trying to bring back some feeling into his frozen feet. A quick look at his HUD showed that the temperature was just continuing to drop. 

A curse from beneath The Marauder snapped him out of his own brooding, he turned and took a few short steps to where he could just make out Tech’s boots sticking out from underneath the ship. He ducked down, joints protesting from the cold as he did so. 

“What is it?” He called out to Tech.  

Tech didn’t answer for a long moment, so long that Crosshair was about to call out to him, or better yet, kick him in the leg when he started to move. Crosshair stood back up as his brother crawled out from underneath the ship.

“I have discovered the issue,” Tech stated matter-of-factly as he pulled out his datapad, his helmeted gaze shifting down to it as he began to type something. 

Crosshair waited for a long moment, crossing his arms over his chest once more, irritation growing by the moment, “Are you going to elaborate or…”

“Oh,” Tech made a surprised sound, as though he’d forgotten that Crosshair was there, “Well, the good news is that I will be able to make the necessary repairs. Unfortunately, based on the research I have done on this planet and the way the temperature is rapidly falling, I will not be able to complete the repairs until tomorrow morning. If I attempted to do so now I would likely freeze to death before the repairs are completed.” 

Crosshair was quiet for a moment as he took in that bit of information, “It would be a noble sacrifice,” He said before he snickered, ducking out of the way as Tech swiped at him. 

With the mystery of the broken ship now solved, Crosshair wasted no time in getting back inside and out of the snow. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of staying the night on this planet but at least The Marauder still had heat. And most important of all, you were on the ship.

Crosshair shook the snow that had accumulated on him off as the ramp hissed closed behind the two of them. The snow was gone but the chill in his bones remained as he reached up to pull his helmet off his head. He only managed to take a step further into the ship before he was accosted by a small body. 

“Here,” You said quickly, throwing one of the heated blankets you kept stored on board as part of your med kit over his shoulders. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself, shivering slightly as you moved away to do the same for Tech. 

Before he could even frown at the loss of contact you’d returned to his side, concern etched on your features as you looked up at him. His heart rattled in his chest as your gazes met, a feeling that wasn’t new to him but still caught him off guard every time. You were so beautiful, sometimes it was like staring directly at a muzzle flash. 

His eyebrows shot up in surprise as you reached out to place a gentle hand on the exposed skin on his neck. Your brow furrowed as his skin tingled beneath the touch, the warmth of your hand against his cold skin sent a shiver down his spine. He cast a quick look over at Tech but his brother wasn’t paying any attention, instead, he was typing away on his datapad, the blanket you’d given him thrown over his shoulders. 

He lifted a gloved hand to cover your own, expression questioning as you looked at him. The relationship between the two of you was still relatively new, having come to a head after you’d been injured on a mission a few months previously, so he still wasn’t quite used to public displays of affection. Generally, you were entirely professional whenever his brothers were around and he was well, himself, so this gentle touch was somewhat surprising. Usually, it was reserved for the quiet moments between the two of you. 

“You’re freezing,” you replied softly, seemingly catching on to his line of thinking, “You need to get out of this armour. It’s just trapping in the cold air.” 

Crosshair smirked, his voice only loud enough for you to hear, “Trying to get me undressed?” 

“Cross,” you rolled your eyes but a smile bloomed on your face, “Behave.” 

He had another snarky response on the tip of his tongue but he was interrupted by Hunter coming out of the cockpit, Wrecker hot on his heels. 

“What’s the situation Tech?” Hunter asked, dark brow furrowed with concern as he looked at their brother. 

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Crosshair drawled before Tech could answer earning him a glare from both Hunter and Tech. He snorted in amusement before his attention was pulled away by your warm and nimble fingers making easy work of removing his armour. Normally, he wouldn’t accept help with his gear, even from you, but in that moment he wasn’t about to turn away from any source of heat. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to curl up in a ball beneath the warm blanket hanging over his shoulders. Preferably with you. 

Hunter sighed, rubbing his hand against his face in frustration before looking back at Tech, “I guess the bad news.”  

“Delivering the information in that way would be illogical,” Tech stated, “I have discovered the source of the problem and I will be able to repair it, however due to the storm and the rapidly falling temperature I will not be able to do so until the storm breaks. According to the weather reports and information I have gathered on this planet, that should be sometime tomorrow morning.” 

Hunter groaned while you paused your work momentarily. A considering look overtook your face as you looked between Hunter and Tech. 

“Aw man,” Wrecker groaned loudly, “you mean we’re stranded???”

“Snowed in would be a more accurate term,” Tech replied simply before turning his attention back to his datapad. 

Wrecker groaned even louder before muttering about bad luck and being hungry and a multitude of other things. Tech simply shrugged, unbothered by this turn of events, and made his way into the cockpit. 

“Well, better get comfy then,” Hunter replied, frustration evident in his voice as he looked at the remaining members of the squad. 

Crosshair looked over at you with a frown as you suddenly stepped away from him. You’d managed to remove the top half of his armour, leaving it in a neat pile at his feet, and he was feeling much warmer than before but he’d been enjoying the feeling of your hands on him, perhaps a bit too much.  

His brow furrowed as he watched you grab your coat from where you had placed it on one of the jump seats earlier. There was a gleam in your eyes suddenly that he wasn’t quite sure he liked the look of. 

“What are you doing?” He asked gruffly as you pulled your coat back on. Both Hunter and Wrecker looked over at you questioningly as well as you zipped up your coat and wrapped your scarf around your neck. 

You smiled brightly at him before you pulled the scarf up over your nose, his heart flipped traitorously at the sight, just as it always did, “I’m just going to go grab something quick. I’ll be right back!”

“Did you miss the part where Tech said he’d freeze to death?” Crosshair hissed, narrowing his eyes at you. 

You rolled your eyes, much to his annoyance, “No, I heard. But that’s why I’m going to go right now, not later.”

“It’s freezing out and you can barely see anything!” Crosshair snapped as he stooped to pick up the armour you had removed. There was no way he was letting you go out there alone, “You’re going to get lost!”

“I am not and put that armour back down. I know exactly where I’m going. I’ll be less than five minutes!” You protested, pulling his chest plate back out of his hands and adding it back to the pile. 

Crosshair’s ire was rising by the moment, “You could freeze out there!” 

You quirked an eyebrow at him, before pulling up the hood of your jacket, leaving nothing but your eyes showing, “That would happen regardless if you’re there or not.”

Crosshair spluttered, anger coursing through him but before he could say anything else you patted him on the shoulder, “I’ll be fine Cross, unlike you I’m used to the cold, I grew up on a planet with a weather condition other than just rain. And if I’m not back in five minutes you can send out the search party for me.”

“If you’re not back in five minutes I’m just going to let you freeze,” Crosshair replied grumpily, even though it was a complete lie. If you weren’t back in 4 minutes and 30 seconds he was going to be out that door faster than a jump into hyperspace. 

“So rude,” You said with a laugh, you gripped both of his arms with your gloved hands, giving him a gentle squeeze, “It was nice knowing you then.” 

His scowl deepened as you pulled away, normally you were very logical and level-headed, which he admired that about you, so whatever idea that had come into your head that was making you think this was a good idea was completely out of the normal. 

“Wait,” He hissed softly before you could make more than a few steps toward the door. 

You paused looking up at him as he lifted his hands, pulling the scarf around your face just a little tighter and tugging it up to cover more of your face. It had slipped while you’d be talking and that was completely unacceptable. He wasn't about to let you freeze to death on his watch.

Your eyes were warm as you looked up at him for a quick moment before you hit the button to release the ramp of The Marauder.

“Five minutes!” You called back at him over your shoulder happily as you made your way down the ramp. 

He continued to scowl after you for a long moment, arms crossed over his chest unhappily as the door rose once more, sealing off the outside world. With an annoyed huff, he turned back towards his armour that needed to be stowed in his kit only to pause as he caught sight of his brothers. 

Wrecker was clearly pretending to be busy by moving an old equipment crate around while Hunter was just outright looking at Crosshair with an amused expression. 

“Shut up!” He hissed, picking up one of his vambraces and throwing it at his eldest brother who ducked away from it easily. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Hunter replied, his tone as amused as his expression before he disappeared into the cockpit to join Tech. Wrecker simply whistled casually in a very poor attempt to pretend he didn’t know what was going on. Crosshair frowned, cursing softly under his breath at your insistence to do something stupid and his own inability to keep his feelings in check as he bent down to retrieve the rest of his armour. At least you’d been right about one thing, he was much warmer without it on. 

Thankfully, you were true to your word and by the time he’d stored the rest of his gear away (4 minutes and 23 seconds to be exact) you’d returned to the ship, something bundled beneath a blanket under your arm, looking like you’d just single-handedly won the war. 

Curious about what you were up to, the rest of the squad re-appeared as the door to The Marauder hissed closed behind you. Your smile was so radiant as you pulled off your scarf that it made Crosshair’s stomach clench. Despite still being somewhat annoyed at your little side quest, he was unable to resist following after you as you headed towards where Gonky was currently plugged in placing whatever was in your arms on top of the sleeping droid. 

“Ta-da!” You announced happily, clapping your hands together in excitement as you revealed a small…tree. 

The Batch was quiet for a long moment while you simply bounced happily on your feet, looking between them all expectantly. 

“Why did you bring a tree on the ship?” Tech asked finally, breaking the silence. 

“It’s Life Day tomorrow!” You replied excitedly, “So, I figured if we’re going to be stuck here then we should celebrate. Make it a little more festive in here!” 

“Life day?” Hunter asked though it came out more of a statement than a question. 

You frowned suddenly and Crosshair instantly wanted to kick Hunter for ruining your enthusiasm, “You.. do know what life day is, right?” You asked, concern suddenly evident on your face.

Of course, they did, but only because they had once had to listen to Tech prattle on about it during a mission when they’d been stuck in hyperspace. Not because they actually celebrated it. There wasn’t much room in a clone's life for celebrations or holidays. 

“You mean the traditional Wookie holiday that has been perpetuated by large businesses to drive consumerism?” Tech asked without even looking up from his datapad, his tone completely matter-of-fact. 

Crosshair wasn’t able to stop the snort of amusement that left him at the look on your face at Tech’s comment. It was somewhere between outrage and resignation.

“Well, yes,” You replied with a grumble, though your grumpy tone was more endearing than threatening, “But it’s about more than that! It’s about spending time with your friends and family, the people you love and care about!” 

“And.. you require a holiday to do this?” Tech asked skeptically as he finally looked up from his datapad, his eyebrows were raised towards his hairline questioningly.  

Your frown deepened to an even more amusing level, “Well, no, we shouldn’t,” Your eyes narrowed slightly at Tech, “But that’s it, no more questions from Tech.” 

Crosshair snorted again as you clapped your hands together once more, brightening considerably, “Who wants to help me decorate?”

“Oh, me! Me!” Wrecker answered excitedly, rocketing up from where he’d been sitting in one of the jump seats and bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of you. Crosshair couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his over-the-top excitement. You, on the other hand, looked thrilled by his enthusiasm. 

“We don’t have any decorations.” Tech pointed out, “What will…”

“No more questions!” You cut him off in a sing-song voice before you grabbed Wrecker's large hands in your own and dragged him towards the back of the ship. Powerless, as he always was when it came to you, Crosshair followed along behind. Admittedly he was curious about what you’d be able to find that would count as a “decoration”. 

Within the hour they were all once again gathered around the Life Day tree, which now sported an assortment of random spare parts and a few extra headlamps as decorations while Hunter handed out their rations. 

Clearly taking their lack of Life Day experience as an opportunity to educate them, you’d started regaling them with some of your favourite Life Day stories. They all listened with wrapt attention, much more interested in your stories than Tech’s technical information about the holiday. Crosshair was unable to take his eyes off you, you were so beautiful, face lit up with excitement and laughter as you talked. There were a lot of moments, especially ones like these when you shone so brightly, that he still couldn’t quite believe that you’d chosen him, of all people. 

The hours melted away as you talked, his brothers joining in with their own stories, not specific to Life Day but the ones that had been passed on from clone to clone over the years, it was all they had to share but you listened and laughed right along with them. Crosshair remained quiet, simply basking in the warmth of the ship and enjoying the sight of the people he cared about most simply enjoying each other’s company. It was the most peaceful he’d felt in a very long time and he knew that was mostly because of you. You’d added so much to all of their lives, fitting into the squad as though you’d always belonged there.

Eventually, the stories slowed, and voices lowered before stopping altogether. Crosshair smirked as he watched your eyes begin to droop, your body slumping back in your chair as you curled further into the blanket that had once been wrapped around his shoulders. He’d been just about to jab you with his foot and order you off to bed when suddenly the sounds of Wrecker snoring rocked the ship, startling you awake once more. 

Hunter stood at the sound, casting an amused look at their brother who was fast asleep in his chair, “I’ll take first watch, get some rest.” He made his way back over to the cockpit before anyone could even think about objecting. Silently, Tech rose, giving them both a nod before he headed over towards one of the bunks and climbed up to the top. There were only three since one of them was usually on watch and there hadn’t been a need for more before you’d joined the squad.  Despite your protests, you’d been given the middle one permanently which had left the other two for them to rotate through. 

Crosshair’s eyes followed you as you rose, pulling the blanket closer around you as you made your way over to him. He reached out to gently grasp your hip through the blanket, closing the distance between the two of you with a soft tug.

You smiled softly before you bent over, pressing a kiss to his cheek, making his skin burn, “Goodnight, Cross,” You said quietly, squeezing his shoulder gently before making your way over to your bunk. Unfortunately, you only slept together when you weren’t aboard The Marauder and surrounded by his brothers. 

With a sigh, Crosshair stood and kicked the chair Wrecker had been sleeping in, jolting him awake. He, fortunately, had the ability to fall asleep anywhere and not suffer any consequences. Wrecker on the other hand would be sore if he slept all night in a chair and then they would never hear the end of it the next day. 

“Go to bed,” Crosshair ordered sternly.

Wrecker grumbled something incoherent as he stood, still half asleep but somehow he managed to stumble his way over to the bunks. Crosshair watched with amusement as he collapsed in a heap, snoring once more the moment his head hit his thin regulation pillow. 

Crosshair was about to return to his chair to get some sleep of his own when he paused, his eyes straying over to where you were now curled up in your bunk. As usual, his heart picked up a notch as he looked at you. At that moment there was absolutely nowhere he wanted to be more than in that bed with you. He suddenly wasn’t sure why he bothered pretending like he wasn’t as crazy about you as he was. 

You let out a surprised squeak, eyes popping open and he climbed into the bunk, shouldering you over and tugging at the blanket until he was between you and the wall. He pulled you in close, the lines of your body matching up perfectly with his own before he pulled the blanket back up over the both of you. 

“What is this? You asked, tone amused but you snuggled closer into him nonetheless. You moved your hands to rest over top of his own where they were wrapped around your stomach, holding you close.  

“For warmth,” Crosshair replied dryly. 

“Ah yes, of course,” You let out a soft laugh, “Practical as always.” 

He snorted, tucking his chin against your shoulder and closing his eyes for a moment. He hadn’t been all that tired but the warmth you were giving off was very quickly changing that. 

“Does your Life Day celebration usually involve rations?” Crosshair asked quietly, despite how ridiculous he’d found the whole thing at first he found himself growing curious about the holiday. Mostly because he wanted to know more about your life and the things you felt were important. 

You let out a soft snort of laughter, “Well no, but it’s the people that matter most, Cross.” 

“Hmm..” he replied, skeptical. 

“It is!” you cried, indignantly, turning your head slightly so you could look at him out of your peripheral vision, pinching his hand lightly in response. 

“If you say so,” He drawled. 

You laughed softly again, shaking your head before you turned around to face him. In this position, your faces were only inches apart and he had to try very hard not to kiss you. 

“I will say that the rations were a first. My mum always goes a little crazy, she loves life day. There’s always so much food. It’s hard to even move after because you're always so full. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go next year.” 

Crosshair’s entire body seized at your casual comment. Thinking of the future wasn’t something he ever allowed himself to do. He didn’t see the point of getting his hopes up. A future, a family, that wasn’t something he had ever thought he could have. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out with future talk,” You said softly, trying your best to meet his averted gaze. You’d caught onto his avoidance of the future much quicker than he would have liked. Though he shouldn’t have been surprised, you’d always had the ability to see him in a way no one else ever could. 

“You didn’t…” He started gruffly, but he wasn’t sure what else to say. You’d read him so easily and that still unnerved him at times.

More than just avoiding getting his hopes up by not thinking about the future, there was a part of him, an admittedly large part that was constantly worried that one day you would realize that you could do so much better than him. He was just a clone, a defective one at that, and he had nothing to offer you. Not even time was on his side. 

“Cross,” You started softly, one hand reaching up to cup his jaw, gentle touch forcing his chin down so that your eyes could meet. Your gaze was so warm that it made his heart clench, “You know I love you, right?” You continued, as though you could hear his very thoughts.

It wasn’t the first time you’d said it but the overwhelming feelings that filled him each time you did never changed. He’d never been a man of many words so he showed you just how much you meant to him in one of the few ways he knew how. 

You let out another soft sound of surprise as he pressed his lips to your own, pulling you so close that it became difficult to tell where one of you ended and the other began. When the two of you were like this, the future didn’t seem that intimidating and it was easier to forget about all the doubts that seemed to constantly haunt him. There was just the two of you, as you were meant to be. 

He nipped gently at your lower lip once before pulling back slightly, resting his forehead against your own before closing his eyes. You let out a soft sigh as your hand slid down from his jaw to rest over his heart, bunching gently in the fabric of his blacks. 

“Next Life Day we’re getting a bigger tree,” Crosshair said after a long, quiet moment. 

You laughed softly, body shaking slightly in his arms, “Of course, Cross. Anything for you.” 

He grunted happily in response, eyes growing heavier as sleep began to take over. 

“Happy first Life Day, Crosshair,” You whispered, just before he drifted off to sleep. Warm, content, and most of all, happy. 

[occasionally-poetic]

marauders characters’ ethnicities/religions/languages

just my own HCs so don’t get offended!

jayaram fleamont potter

(tells people to call him j or jamie bc its easier, so everyone assumes his real name is james, and he doesn’t correct them)

indian hindu on his mum’s side (tamil nadu specifically)

effie comes from a rich tamil pureblood family (many pureblood families name their children something greek/latin, thus ‘euphemia’), and teaches jamie hindi, tamil and some greek

his tamil is great and he’s fluent in writing/reading as well as speaking, writing letters to effie from hogwarts in tamil

his hindi is okay, mostly with reading and talking, his writing is pretty limited

his greek is godawful and he’s barely conversational, much to effie’s dismay

(non-practicing) catholic chilean on his dad’s side

monty is (obviously) a potter, and most of his relatives live in chile or south america, but his parents moved to england for hogwarts (didn’t want him going to school on another continent to them)

he’s a practicing hindu with his mum (monty doesn’t really get it because he doesn’t speak a word of hindi so he just smiles and nods)

he speaks english and (chilean) spanish, which he teaches jamie, who speaks/reads/writes it as fluently as his english and tamil

sirius orion black

he is heir of the noble and most ancient house of black so he’s the french-est pureblooded-est guy you’ll ever meet

especially pureblooded because he’s the product of incest (his parents are second cousins) (canon)

the black family are french, owning many estates there, etc., but have lived in england for generations (his great-grandparents migrated and now they only visit france in the summer sometimes)

catholic (receiving NOO criticism here bc this is canon (no its not)) with intense religious trauma and internalised homophobia (not projecting at all whaaaaat)

sort of converts to judaism (ish?) he makes remus explain it all and siri thinks its sooo fascinating so he gets a menorah for the dorm for hanukah and buys a torah to study and remus is so happy

speaks french as his first language, and latin and greek fluently from tutoring, but only started to learn english for hogwarts (is so bad at it in first year omg)

remus yohanan lupin

(I KNOW HIS CANON MIDDLE NAME IS JOHN BUT HE IS SO JEWISH CODED TO ME SO HERE’S THE HEBREW FORM OF JOHN INSTEAD X)

polish-jewish on his dad’s side (lyall was evacuated to wales in ww2, when he was about 10, and hope’s parents looked after him until he graduated hogwarts and started dating hope (they literally adored him and helped raise remus I DONT CARE))

protestant welsh on his mum’s side (didn’t really practice her faith though - just brought them all to church on christmas eve and easter sunday)

interfaith household + being a patrilineal jew (more not fitting in angst for remus guys!)

spoke english and welsh at home, equally fluent (lyall picked up welsh while living with hope’s parents), and hebrew too from his hebrew sunday school

lyall tried (and failed) to teach him polish, as that was his first language, so remus can speak a very basic amount of polish, mostly swearing and children’s lullabies (marlene teaches him more at hogwarts so they can gossip!)

not very orthodox jews, but celebrate jewish holidays and go to the synagogue on sabbath (and he wears a necklace of the star of david that belonged to lyall’s late mother)

pieter daan pettigrew

(anglicised his name for hogwarts because everyone called him p-eye-ter (like actual pie + ‘ter’))

protestant dutch on his mum’s side (but she went to hogwarts!)

protestant english on his dad’s side

parents were ‘born again’ christians so they were very devout (grace before every meal, helping out at church every sunday, bible study every morning, etc)

peter never really believed in any of it, and would often go to jamie’s to avoid having to go

he spoke english with his dad and half-brother, but solely dutch with his mum and his other siblings. he was also taught latin before hogwarts (pureblood things) and absolutely HATED it (he was probably dyslexic and often found himself changing language in the middle of his talking exams)

picked up a fair bit of tamil from jamie and effie (aka his second mum) and absolutely LOVED the potters’ diwali party (literally the highlight of his year)

let me know any other characters i should do!! and if you disagree feel free to leave your HCs in the comments, but please respect that people have different opinions xx

[fairytaleendingss]

Room for One More?

Chapter 6

Summary: You aren't sure what gift to get for your Secret Santa.

CW: Swearing.

Pairing: Poly!Marauders x fem!reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

Here's a bit of a long one for you guys! Enjoy!

--

"Fuck!"

You were laying in bed, nestled under your softest duvet, looking in horror at your laptop screen.

It was just after 7am and you weren't sure how many of the boys would be up at this time, especially on a weekend. You knew Sirius had a gig the previous night and he liked a sleep in, but this was kind of an emergency.

Since living with the boys and becoming friends with Mary, you were slowly being integrated into their friend group. You didn't mind of course. In fact, you liked having people to hang out with since moving to the city. Everyone was so lovely and inclusive and you really liked being part of a group. However, that meant that not only were the four of you hosting their annual Christmas party, but you were roped into participating in their Secret Santa as well.

Upon waking up that morning, you'd received a message from Mary, letting you know that the Secret Santa assignments had been sent out the night prior. You'd checked your emails, only to realize you were severely fucked.

The name of your draw was none other than Dorcas.

Now, it wasn't her in particular you had a problem with. In fact, quite the contrary. You liked Dorcas. She was cool and funny and had amazing style.

Your problem resided in the fact that you'd only met her maybe four times over the month you'd been living with the boys and she wasn't a particularly open person. You had no clue what kind of gift she would like.

"No. You know what? This is fine," you told yourself, throwing your blanket off and marching out of your room.

You weren't surprised to see that the living room was empty. You did notice that James' running shoes were not in the stand by the door, which meant he was probably out for a morning jog (in the freezing cold like a crazy person).

With a huff you wandered down the hall. You bypassed Remus' room, during which you were sure you could hear the clicking of a keyboard. You came to a halt in front of Sirius' door, preparing yourself for an onslaught as you hesitantly reached out to knock.

"What?" a sleep-garbled voice muttered lowly from beyond the door.

Gently you pushed it open, a sheepish smile painting your lips as you peered into the room.

Sirius was laying on his stomach in bed, blanket splayed lazily over his hip bone and an arm squashed beneath his pillow. He was shirtless and you couldn't help but let your eyes trace the contours of his bare back. His face was pressed against the pillow, eyes closed, lashes fluttering against his cheeks and long, dark hair splayed across his face.

Even in the early hours of the morning, still riddled with the remnants of sleep, he looked like a work of art.

"Hey!" you muttered softly, feeling slightly guilty now for disturbing him.

He sighed thickly, rolling over to squint at your through half lidded eyes. "Is everything okay?"

His voice was deep and croaky like it always was after he woke up but it never failed to send a shiver down your spine.

"I need your help with something."

He frowned slightly, blinking as if still trying to regain awareness. "Sure. Come in."

He patted the bed beside him and your eyes widened. You approached cautiously and sat down tentatively on the edge. You looked around the room. It was encased in darkness with the blinds half drawn shut. You hadn't been in her all that often. Come to think of it, you'd never really made it past the doorway before.

The bedsheets were dark grey to match with the black furniture that was placed around. There was a guitar on a stand in the corner and the walls were adorned with band posters and what were clearly centerfolds torn from various bikini magazines.

You cleared your throat as you perched yourself awkwardly, not wanting to encroach on his space.

He chuckled softly. "Come on, doll. I don't bite."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," you teased softly as you moved to position yourself back against the pillow beside him.

He let out a throaty laugh and rolled over to face you, leaning up on an elbow.

"So, what was so important that you had to wake me up at the crack of dawn for?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," you chuckled nervously. Sirius always seemed to have that effect on you. "I, um, don't suppose you've had a chance to look at your Secret Santa draw yet?"

He raised a brow. "No I can't say that I have."

"Well, I looked at mine this morning and I need your help picking out a present. I got-"

"Hey! No!" he cut you off. "You're not supposed to tell me! That's the rules."

You gave him a pleading look. "I know but I really don't know this person that well and I thought you could help me pick a gift for them."

"No! Nope!" He shook his head firmly. "If I know who you got, and I know who I got, it won't be hard to figure out the rest and I definitely don't want to know who got me!"

"Come on Sirius! Please??" You pleaded with him.

"No. Sorry, I can't help you."

"Please! it was just-"

"Lalalalalalala."

You raised a brow as he put his fingers in his ears, interrupting you the way a child would.

"Wow, Sirius. Very mature," you deadpanned.

"Sorry! Can't hear you," he shrugged.

You rolled your eyes, getting up of the bed.

"Ugh, you're no help," you groaned. You exited his room and wandered back out towards the kitchen, plopping yourself down at a bar stool.

If by some magical miracle of timing, it was right then that the door swung open and James entered the apartment. He was sweaty and wearing a long-sleeved, skin tight, running shirt that clung to his skin, giving you a very direct view of his abs. You couldn't help but admire him for a moment as he took off his joggers.

"Hey love! You're up early for a Saturday."

"Well, at least I'm not a maniac that goes for a morning jog when it's snowing outside!" you rebutted.

He chuckled deeply. "Gotta keep myself in shape somehow."

You just smiled as he grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"So what are you doing up so early?" He questioned, leaning back against the counter and taking a long sip.

"Well, I've found myself in a bit of a... situation."

He quirked a brow. "Do tell."

"I checked my Secret Santa assignment this morning and I kind of got someone I have no idea what to buy for."

"That does seem like a bit of an issue," he noted playfully.

"Do you think you'd be able to help me? Sirius said no," you asked bashfully.

He smirked. "Of course, love. Although I am a bit offended, you didn't come to me first!"

You rolled your eyes affectionately. " I would've if you were actually here and not out trying to give yourself hypothermia."

He chuckled once more. "Touché."

--

The mall was crowded with it only being a few days out from Christmas. You had hoped that Mary would've left a little more than a day for you to purchase your gift before the party tomorrow, but in true Mary fashion, she'd gotten distracted with a final project at work and had forgotten to do the draw earlier.

You looked up at James who stood beside you. "So what kind of stuff do you think Dorcas would like?"

He furrowed his brows thinking for a moment. "She likes painting. And I know she works out a lot."

You sighed. "Okay, I can work with that. Come on."

You grabbed him by the arm and dragged him through the masses of people.

--

You were walking around an expensive homewares shop and hour later, still yet to find the perfect gift for Dorcas. You picked up a ceramic elephant and examined it. You swiftly placed it back down when you noticed the price.

"Hey? Do you think Mary would like this?" James called from across the store.

He was holding up a pretty crystal vase.

You turned away from what you were looking at. "Didn't you already buy her a coffee mug and an eyeshadow palette?"

"Yeah but this is so pretty! I think she'd really like it."

You shook your head. "James, you are aware that there's a £30 spending limit, right?"

He sighed dramatically. "I know but I there's just so much good stuff here!"

You chuckled. You knew he was already way over the limit anyway, money clearly not being an issue for James. You felt the need to intervene before he bought her the whole store.

"I love the enthusiasm but sometimes smaller is better, okay? You don't want to upstage everyone else."

He huffed and placed the vase back on the shelf. "Okay, fine."

"Good. Now, you're supposed to be helping me find my gift," you reminded him.

"Yeah, right. Okay."

He was pouting like a little kid and you reached a hand up to ruffle his hair affectionately. "I'm sure you'll be fine with what you have, James. Mary is going to love it. Now come on, lets try somewhere else."

You left that store and continued wandering through the mall. You looked up at the Christmas decorations that lined the rows of shops, and the people running too and frow, trying to finish their last minute Christmas shopping. You always loved the atmosphere at this time of year, when the festive spirit was running high, and you knew for a fact that James felt the same. Your gaze drifted over to the man walking beside you as his eyes scanned the rows of shops, He had number of bags in hand, all containing gifts for his loved ones. The thought made you feel giddy and a soft smile graced your face. You didn't think you'd ever met someone as generous and thoughtful as James was.

"What about over there?" He pulled you from your thoughts as he pointed to an art shop that was a few metres away.

"It's worth a try," you replied.

The shop was rather large, you realised upon entry, filled with various paintings, canvases and art supplies, ranging from reasonably priced to vastly expensive.

You felt a little overwhelmed, looking around at all the items.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" a voice emerged from behind you. You turned to see a young woman, probably a few years older than the two of you. She was smiling kindly, her long blonde hair pulled into a neat ponytail.

"Yes actually," you stated. "I'm looking for a Christmas present for a friend. I know she likes to paint but you have so many things in here, I'm not sure where to start."

"Not to worry," she said kindly. "Lets see if it can point you in the right direction."

You followed the lady through the shop, assessing various items and trying to find something that both jumped out at you, but was also within your assigned budget.

"What about this?" She asked eventually. "It's very popular with people who come in. In fact, I think this might be our last one."

It was a set of paintbrushes in a wooden case, each with a different coloured handle and varied in size.

"I'm sure your friend already has her own set of brushes but these ones come with portable case. Great for someone who likes to paint in different locations."

"it's perfect," you told her. You looked at the price. It was £30 exactly.

You snatched up the item and headed towards the counter to pay. It was then that you realised James was missing.

You paid for the item and once you had it secured in your possession, you looked around the shop in search of him.

"Sorry, have you seen my friend?" You asked the lady that was serving you.

"No, I haven't. Sorry," she shook her head.

"That's alright. He seems to have wandered off."

You took your bag and walked back through the aisles, searching. You wondered how such a tall, burly man was able to disappear so easily.

It was the Christmas section of the shop that you found him in. You couldn't help the laugh that escaped you when you saw him.

"James! What on earth?"

He smiled at you sheepishly. He was wrapped up in tinsel like a Christmas tree.

"I'm sorry. It's just so pretty. I didn't have enough hands! I slung it over my arm to carry it to the counter but then it got all tangled. I think I might be stuck."

"Can't take you anywhere!" you told him, playfully. "Here let me help."

Slowly you managed to uncoil the ribbon from around his biceps and place it back on the shelf it came from.

"I think we should probably stay away from tinsel for now."

"You're probably right," he chuckled. "So did you find something for Dorcas in the end?"

You looked up at him, staring into his big hazel eyes.

"Yeah, I did."

He smiled that ridiculously charming smile of his.

"Good. Now lets get out of here before I accidentally destroy the place."

You giggled as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, guiding you out of the shop.

--

You were on your way out of the mall when you stopped dead in your tracks.

"Oh my god," you sighed whistfully.

In a shop window, on display as part of a Christmas themed clothing line, was probably the most beautiful dress you'd ever seen. It was thigh-length with a square neckline and adorned with gold glitter that twinkled in the light. It was breathtaking.

"That's beautiful," James stated, coming to stand beside you.

"It really is," you responded.

"You should try it on!"

"Oh no. I don't think they'd have it in my size."

"I'm sure they do!" James encouraged. "Come on, lets go in."

Before you had time to respond, James had taken you by the hand and was pulling you through the doorway into the shop.

"Excuse me," he called to the assistant that stood behind the counter. "My friend would like to try on the gold dress in the window. Do you think you'd have it in her size?"

"Certainly," the lady replied with a smile. "Right this way."

--

You stood in the change-room, staring at yourself in the mirror. You had to admit, the dress looked amazing on you. It hugged all your curves perfectly.

"Can I see it?" you heard James call from outside the closed curtain.

"Okay," you responded.

You took a deep breath. Why were you suddenly so nervous?

With a shaky hand you drew back the curtain and James' jaw all but dropped to the floor.

"Oh my god," he muttered, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Do you like it?" you asked shyly.

"You look incredible, y/n! Give me a spin."

You couldn't help but chuckle as you spun around awkwardly. You weren't used to this kind of attention. Especially not from a man as utterly gorgeous as James.

"You should get it!"

You smiled but shook your head. "It's beautiful but it's unfortunately wayyy out of my budget."

"Okay, no problem. I'll get it for you!"

Your head snapped up to look at him. "What? No. I can't ask you to do that, James."

He just smiled. "You're not asking. I'm offering. And it would be a tragedy not to buy it! Not when you look like that."

"Are you sure?" you muttered. You could feel your cheeks growing hot.

"Absolutely."

He stood up abruptly, walking over and placing a kiss on your cheek. You felt your breath leave your body at the gesture.

"Now go get changed while I pay," he instructed.

You looked up at him, feeling electricity buzz against your skin where his hand sat on your waist. You nodded, sure that if you tried to speak in that moment, nothing would come out. He had literally left you speechless.

Then he pulled away, venturing across the shop to pay for your new dress. You let out a heavy sigh as you watched him. It's official, you realised.

You were doomed.

--

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[imthebadguyyy]

Arms

pairing : sirius black x reader

fandom : marauders/hp

synopsis : sirius realizes there's no place that feels more like home than your arms.

warnings : self depreciating thoughts, insecurity

a/n : felt like wandering into the realm of the marauders! do let me know if you want more :) inspired mildly by francesca by Hozier

sirius sat with james, while remus and peter sat across from them, both pouring liberal amounts of gravy onto their plates. james was also digging into an obnoxiously large amount of roast potatoes and chicken, barely pausing for a breath as he scarfed down the food.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

the great hall was not buzzing with the sound of students chattering as it usually did, and the sound remained at the decibel of a small hive of bees, while the professors murmured softly at the grand table, the munch of the many treats laid on the table for the christmas eve dinner.

sirius himself didn't feel that hungry, fork half heartedly poking at the beans on his plate. his eyes roamed around the hall, taking in the tiny mass of people at the other tables, and at dumbledore pulling mice out of his purple witches hat - his christmas special.

that very morning, his owl had dropped off a rather nasty howler from his darling mother, once again choosing to call him a colourful variety of insults and ending with her usual "disgrace and traitor to the black boodline" bullshit, followed by a chorus of "mixing with mudbloods and muggles" that had him clenching his fists in frustration.

then, his father orion had also decided to grace him with a scathing letter he burned the moment he received, but not before catching the words "shame to my bloodline", which once again had him sighing and rubbing the sore spot on his temples.

he had ignored it initially, focusing instead on the beautiful hand knitted scarf, golden watch and basket of sweets and treats he had received from euphemia and fleamont, with a small engraved gryffindor lion at the back of the watch.

he had also received a leather jacket from you, and homemade strawberry pies that you had made with help from the elves in the kitchen, and a set of silver rings to go with his pre existing ones.

remus had gifted him a muggle record called rumors from a band called Fleetwood Mac, that you had freaked out over and told him you'd listen to together because they were your favourite band ever and you'd be damned if he discovered your favourites on the album without you.

james himself had bought him bundles full off tricks and games from hogsmeade, and a framed picture of the marauders, along with a small replica of his own quidditch jersey because, "everyone has to know you're my number one fan pads!"

even marlene had gifted him a bunch of chocolate frogs, and mary had got him a postcard from venezuela and chocolate because her parents were visiting. lily had sent him muggle posters of his favorite bands as well.

but despite the merriment, the niggling insecurity of not being enough played on his mind the whole time, creeping like a shadow, insecurity slithering through the corridors of his mind, casting doubts where there once was light.

his mind was spiralling, as he looked at his plate, gulping as a sudden lump appeared in his throat. james was reading a letter from his mum to remus and peter, telling him about their travels in egypt, and peters mum had sent sweets for them to share at dinner.

oh how he longed for a mom who would write him sweet letters and send him sugary treats instead of venom coated words and flame bursting letters, a father who would teach him how to tie his tie properly for class, or tell him tales of his childhood.

sirius longed for a family to love and hold him always. and the closest he had to that was you and james.

as his thoughts turned to you, he was distracted by a sudden crash as the doors were flung open, as you rushed in, followed by the two friends with whom you sang as part of the hogwarts band, your red robes flaring as you rushed to find your spot beside him at the table.

with a pant, you flung yourself down, taking heaving breaths to calm your racing heart.

"well hello little miss" james said through a mouthful of peas, making you scrunch your nose in disapproval. "where were ya?" remus asked, piling on food onto your plate before it changed course.

"i was at band practice! we just lost track of time and then had to rush because we were so hungry!" you exclaimed, while your hands reached for sirius' under the table, taking his cold palm in yours, squeezing it tenderly to get the blood flow back in them, bringing it up for a quick peck to the knuckles before interlacing his fingers with yours.

sirius felt his heart physically slow down as he watched you, laughing a joke remus made, poking fun at james and messing around with peter. he watched as you cut the roasted potatoes into smaller chunks, dipping them in extra butter as you popped them into your mouth, and the way your eyes sparkled when you smiled.

he watched the way your hair fell, little strands framing your face as you brushed them off impatiently, all while leaning forward for a slice of a chocolate tart and icecream that had just appeared.

he watched as you put a slice of apple pie on his plate, topping it with a healthy dollop of cream, and passing it to him with a saccharine sweet smile and a murmur of "your favourite siri!" and he felt his heart flutter again.

what he didn't note was the crease in your eyebrow as you looked at your friend, the darl circles under his eyes, the slight stoop to his posture, the way his smile came out forced, lips pressed tight together with none of his gorgeous smile lines appearing around his eyes and lips.

he failed to note the way you drew a sharp breath when you felt the rough skin of his palms, coarse from all the times he dug his nails into the delicate skin to control the rage and hurt he felt at his family. the way your eyes softened as you looked at him, the way his lack of obnoxiously lewd jokes and quick wit made him look so vulnerable that it shattered your heart into a million pieces.

after the crackers were pulled and you had packed up a "grow your own warts" kit and many a butterbeer flavoured candy and a few white mice, he squeezed your hand again, gesturing towards the gryffindor common room, leaving the boys chatting with a few members of the ravenclaw quidditch team who had stayed back for christmas as well.

murmuring the password to the fat lady, you stumbled into the common room with sirius, who had his arm wrapped tightly around your waist. you sunk into your favourite armchair, and giggled when sirius fell into you with a muffled "thump"

even though you were 'just friends', you knew him better than anyone else and he knew it as well as you did.

the cozy red armchair with its plush cushioning looked as inviting as ever as he settled into it, legs haphazardly tossed over yours. affection was a major part of your relationship with sirius, having become fast friends since the first year at hogwarts.

ever since you were joint at the hip, bonding over a shared love of music, shared comfort in silence, shared trauma and a love for leather. you were as much a part of the marauders as any of the other boys, and sirius couldn't quite point to the time when you had become such fast friends.

he buried his head into the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply, absorbing the lilting notes of vanilla and shea, and fiddling with the loose strands of hair at the base of your neck. you hummed softly, some melody that had been playing on your mind, hands gently running through his dark locks, nails scratching softly at his scalp.

"you okay?" you asked, noting the tenseness of his shoulder muscles, and the still present frown between his eyebrows.

a non commital shrug was the only response.

worry began to seep into your mind, surprised at how your usually bubbly bestfriend was decidedly unbubbly.

"you don't seem okay babe" you stated, lifting his chin so he was looking at you.

his stormy gray eyes reflected doubt and insecurity dancing like lightning, casting shadows of uncertainty that loomed deep in his mind.

to your surprise, tears welled up in his eyes, mirroring raindrops, poignant with a tempest of emotions swirling within, creating a tumultuous scene of vulnerability and insecurity.

"oh sweetheart.." you cooed softly, shuffling so he was engulfed in your arms. you felt him bury his face deeper into your neck, clinging to you desperately as if he was worried you'd disappear into thin air.

"talk to me honey" you whispered, trying to coax him out of his hiding place.

just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door to the common room swung open and remus james and peter trooped in, followed by a few other gryffindors.

they stopped short, taking in the scene before them, their best mate in tears in the arms of the girl he loved who happened to be his best friend.

"mate are you-" james began, only to be cut off by a glare from remus.

"who don't you go up to our dorm y/n? I'll make sure no one goes up" remus said, staring at your pointedly, offering a soft smile to you when you nodded.

"i think we'll take you up on the offer, is that okay with you siri?" you asked, still softly stroking his hair.

he nodded against you, and followed you silently as you took his hand in yours and draped an arm around his torso, pressing a kiss to his temple as you led him up the winding staircase to the boys dormitory.

as soon as you were inside, you led him over to his bed, gently pushing him down so he was sitting, eyes looking unseeingly at the posters and polaroids that graced his headboard.

with worried eyes, you watched his gaze flicker back and forth, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over.

"talk to me siri, im right here" you cooed, kneeling down in front of him, hands resting on his knees, drawing tiny circles with your pinky over the material of his robes.

"are you here with me love?" you asked, watching the black in his pupils darken as he spaced out. you watched as he jolted a little, looking at you almost alarmed, before the tears began to drip down his cheeks.

the first drop had you sprinting into his arms, wrapping your own tightly around him, kicking your shoes off as you squeezed him tight, knees resting in between his own, as he sobbed into your chest.

you'd seen him cry before, but never like this. broken sobs spilled from his salty lips, dampening the material of your robes, and small choked sounds escaped his lips, along with deep strangled breaths as he gripped your waist to keep himself grounded.

he cried for what seemed like hours while you whispered sweet reassurances to him, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his forehead and his hands, placing his hand on your chest to feel the steady beating of your heart.

"m' right here darling, let it all go, I've got you, i promise, I'll be right here to hold you honey" you whispered to him, rocking him back and forth like a child.

sirius gripped you even tighter, clinging to you as if you were his lifeline.

eventually, his sobs slowed,and he pulled back, eyes red and swollen and face glistening with tears. even when his hair was messy and he looked like a wreck, he looked ethereal.

"oh my beautiful boy" you said, kissing the top of his head. "tell me what you need" you said, interlacing your hands.

"you, just need you" he said, and the way his broke on the word 'you' shattered your heart into a million pieces.

"just give me one second darling, okay?" you said, walking into their bathroom and taking out a clean handkerchief from your pocket. you soaked it in some water, bringing it back to him, gently wiping his eyes and then his face with it, leaving kisses on every spot you cleaned for him, before taking a comb from his nightstand and slowly untangling the mess that his hair was.

sirius watched as you combed his hair, eyebrows furrowed in attention, and he swore his heart fell even more for you.

"d'ya think you can tell me what's wrong sugar?" you asked, biting you lip when he flashed you a smile at the nickname.

"yeah" he nodded, tugging you down so you were cuddled into his side. "oh wait!" you exclaimed, fishing some chocolate out your pocket and offering a piece.

he took it with a smile, letting it melt on his tongue as he looked at you.

you were now snuggled into his shoulder, your ankle intertwined with his as you lay across from him, hand gently holding his, as his other hand traced patterns on your hip.

"darling mother of mine sent me a howler this morning for a christmas present" he said with a dry chuckle.

"did she now?" you said, anger simmering deep in your bones. "yeah, and then sperm donator sent me a lovely letter as well" he said, chuckling a little at his own nickname for his father.

"mmhmm" you said, tracing his thumb.

"yeah, jus' caught me off guard" he mumbled

"you do know that whatever they say is not true, right?" you asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"yeah but- fuck, darling, it gets hard sometimes. sometimes I feel like I am a traitor and failure. sometimes i feel like I'm not worthy of being a human, I'm not worthy of being a friend, I'm not worthy of being loved i-" he broke off, looking at the ceiling.

"you are more than just a name, sirius. you are worthy of being loved. you are worthy of being human, and you are worthy enough to have friends who care about you" you said firmly, forcing him to look back at you.

"it just hurts me sometimes" he admitted

"i know sweetheart" you cooed again. you felt like no words you said were enough when it came to this topic.

"am i really worthy of being loved?" he asked suddenly, turning his face to look at you.

"of course" you said. the silence got louder for a moment. "siri?" you asked, voice lighter than honeycomb.

"theres something Ive been wanting to tell you" he got out in a rush. "ever since we met on the train on our way here, from the tender age of eleven, my heart silently declared its allegiance to you. each passing day has been a testament to a love that started as a whisper and has grown into a resounding echo in my soul. darling, with every sunrise and every moonlit night, my affection for you deepens, as if there's an infinite well within me, filling with the boundless affection i hold for you. you are the constant melody in the symphony of my existence, and i fall harder for you with each beat of my heart" he said, turning to look at you.

you felt tears welling in your own eyes, and it only felt right when you leaned forward, pressing your soft lips to his slightly chapped ones.

to him, you tasted of strawberries and cocoa, warm and sweet and oh so extravagant, a taste so luxurious he couldn't get enough of it.

to you, he tasted of cigarette smoke, mint and cocoa, an intoxicating taste you couldn't get enough of

his lips pressed deeper against yours, hand grasping your waist tightly, pulling you flush against him, as he poured all his love and passion out for you.

time stopped, the world slowed and your heartbeat dropped to the lowest of lows. relaxed. calm. loved.

finally, when your lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, you drew away, chests heaving as you looked at each other.

a slight flush lay on his cheeks, tinges of red littering his cheekbones. you could feel a heat thrumming in your own cheeks, and your heart felt like it was racing a million miles an hour.

"i don't know how long I've waited to say that to you" he breathed out, nuzzling his nose to yours.

"since our shared days at eleven, my heart has been a clandestine haven for the enchantment you brought into my life. you don't know how happy you made me with this. in the quiet dance of our days, my affection for you has blossomed into a resplendent garden, and with every sunrise, I find myself immersed deeper in the captivating allure of our love. you are the symphony that resonates in my heart, and i cherish you always" you told him, pressing a kiss to the swell of his cheekbone.

sirius felt his cheeks burn a deep red, and he tilted your lips up to press a searing kiss to them again.

"i love you" he gasped against your lips, drawing you closer to him.

"i love you too" you murmured against his lips moulding your body to him.

and as sirius lay there in your arms, pressing kisses as sweer and delicate as spun sugar against every part of your body but especially your lips, he realised there was no other place that felt more like home than your arms.

you.

you were his home.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

a/n : I've missed writing so much!! i really hope you enjoy this, and as always likes reblogs comments opinions etc are appreciated!! sending u all love and happiness and remember, my inbox is always open and i love making new friends!! marauders is a new field for me but if u have any reqs/ideas please do send in asks! happy reading ☺️♥️

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