Atheyas

𝟏𝟓: 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖆 𝖔𝖇𝖘𝖈𝖚𝖗𝖆

            As soon as Sirius stepped foot on the grounds of the Great Lake, Emily came running up to him, tackling him in a hug. "Where were you?" "Sorry, one of the Bowtruckles caught ahold of Laav's dress," he apologized, wrapping his arms around her. "I helped her get it off." "That's right." Sirius let go of Emily and turned around. Laav had apparated to the lake. He had left her stranded after sharing an intimate moment. It was a dumb move but he couldn't be around her for another minute. He was only trying to be a good friend but clearly, things were going south which brought him to question; what if it did? He stopped his thought process reminding himself he was with Emily, and she, with Regulus. Judging by the look on Emily's face, one could tell that she definitely wasn't happy with what happened. "I'm sorry for holding him back for a while," sincerity evident in Laav's tone.  

            "Yeah, we counted. It happened..." James yelled from a distance, trying to remember the number. "Seventeen," Laav answered. "Seventeen times." "Absolutely not a problem," Emily masked her feelings with a smile. Emily and Sirius had started off as friends with benefits but eventually, she had developed strong feelings for the charming young wizard. She had professed her feelings to him, once, but he had told her that he needed time to think about it, which she happily granted. Not wanting to delay any longer, "My lover said he had a surprise planned for me," she squealed, hugging his arm. 

            "Yes, well." Sirius cleared his throat and took his wand out from his coat, summoning an elegant white, vintage-looking gazebo. Emily's eyes sparkled as she approached the small building that sat on top of the hill majestically. "Just in case if it rains, and since Emily likes taking pictures, it'll be a great spot," he pursed his lips together. "Plus it's a great view from the top," James complimented as he squinted over the rim of his glasses. "You wear glasses for a reason, you know?" Lily rolled her eyes, pushing his glasses further above his nose. James scrunched it in response. 

            The group had dispersed. While Peter and Remus battled about the importance of safety or excitement at the bottom of the hill, Laav took a stroll. "Cave inimicum," Laav muttered, casting protective spells around the hemisphere. James noticed his best friend muttering to herself, standing away from the others. He crept up to her. "What are you doing?" he whispered in her ear. Startled, she messed up one of the charms. "Now look what you've done! I have to start over," she groaned, walking back to her starting point, James trailing behind her like a lost puppy. "You haven't answered my question," "I am casting protective spells to prevent others from seeing us-" "You mean Filch?" James interrupted. "Especially, Filch." 

            "Prongs! Get over here," Peter yelled, waving his hands to usher them in his direction. "It's time for your barrel dare." "Come on, you can finish this up later," James gushed, excitedly dragging Laav to join the boys. Upon reaching the spot, Remus was the first to speak. "Are we not going to wait for Padfoot?" "Well, we could but as you can see..." Peter pointed towards the gazebo. "He's clearly in the middle of something." The group turned heads simultaneously following Peter's index finger. Sirius was seated in the gazebo, posing as Emily imaged him. "Seems like she's got him wrapped around her finger," Peter chuckled. Remus shot a look at Laav. "She may have him wrapped but he's clearly hooked onto somebody else." 

"What do you mean, cupid?" 

"Have you not notic-" 

"That's enough. Aren't we here for the dare?" Laav cut Lily off, quickly changing the subject. 

            As the group prepared for James and his dare, Sirius only had his eyes on one particular individual. He eyed her as she cheered James on getting into the barrel, being the supportive friend she was. Emily inserted another roll of film before attempting to capture a candid of her beloved. "Come on, Sirius. Give me a smile." "Actually, I'd rather you not-" His words were interrupted by a momentary but blinding flash. She walked in a circle around him taking test shots to find the perfect angle. Content with the position she stopped at, she stood her ground 90 degrees from him and adjusted her camera, preparing it for another photo. His beauty astounded Emily. She glanced towards Sirius. His eyes were fixated on something or rather, someone, below the hill. Emily followed his gaze and at that moment, she realized. He didn't need the time to think about them. His mind was elsewhere. It had always been. And so was his heart. 

            You could see the admiration in his eyes as he adored Laav from afar. Who could blame him? Her beauty held power. The kind of power that even made nature inferior. The rain shielded, the thunder complimented her, even the lightning humbled in her presence, and the universe? It honored her. She was a storm. And a simply beautiful one at that. Emily felt foolish. She chose to be oblivious to her surroundings. To everything that had been happening in front of her, hoping that she was wrong. The sneaky glances, the way he actually listened when it was Laav's turn to speak. The biggest giveaway should've been the time he had danced with her. Not once had he danced with Emily in Scotland. Not once. "I don't really dance. Especially in events." His words etched into her mind. She vividly remembered asking him to a dance only to be turned down with those words complemented with a devilish smile on his face. She wanted to be impervious but it turned out to be the total opposite. 

            In the meantime, James had snuggled into the barrel comfortably. Each friend took a turn to cast Reducio. Whoever managed to get James to crack the barrel would win 10 galleons. "How much longer do I have to feel like I'm dying?" James wheezed. "Until I win James, you're not cracking that damn barrel!" Lily yelled, frustrated she lost her turn. "You're up, Laav," Peter gestured, tension evident in his expression. You could see a bead of sweat trickle near his sideburn. He needed the money to pay Lucius up after having lost a bet. "Are you ready to lose another bet, Wormy?" she smirked. She found it funny how The Marauders took their dares so seriously in the name of 'fun'. 

             "Reducio," she casted, the spell hitting the edge of the barrel, a near miss. "Awww, I mis-" "Reducio!" Peter yelled impatiently. The barrel had cracked. "Oh, hell yes!" he yelled pumping his fist in the air. Lily buried her face in her hands as she squatted. Remus walked up to Laav, hands in his pockets. "You purposely missed, didn't you?" he hinted. She smiled, not saying a word. She knew she would have won but she didn't want to. He needed the money more than she did. Lucius can be a little mean sometimes and she didn't want Peter going down the wrong road. "Hey, I'm still stuck, you know?" James' voice was muffled as he squirmed in the barrel. 

             Sirius watched in amusement as Laav laughed at the silliness of their group. "A beautiful view, isn't it?" Emily had caught him off guard. He turned to face her, his lips slightly parted. She took the cigarette that he had been fiddling with, between his fingers and placed it to her lips, taking a drag. "The greenery, I meant." He gave her a small nod before averting his attention back to his favorite view. He was oblivious to Emily who yearned for him to look at her like that, but she knew he wouldn't. She was tired. She had given him enough time.

            "Smile." Emily raised her camera to her eye, covering the pain behind them as she captured the last photo of her beloved.