One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 19

Gwen sits in front of the mirror, staring blankly at herself.

She had makeup on. Just enough to make her lips shiny and her blonde eyelashes black. Dorcas insisted on it in attempt to make her feel better. Though she wasn't nervous, in fact she didn't really feel one way about it. A date was a date, and she'd blown Jonathan Wood off about as much as she could.

She looks at her hair, feeling rather melancholy. She briefly wonders again if she should dye it, but then Dorcas is back and looking at her kindly in the mirror.

"He's waiting for you," Her friend says gently. Gwen reluctantly smiles and sighs,

"How do I look?"

"Beautiful, Gwen. Really," Dorcas encourages, handing her a coat and gloves. Gwen pulls them on quickly and gives a little wave before hurrying out of the room and down the stairs. She's relieved to see that Jonathan isn't dressed up. He looks nice though, a simple blue sweater that makes him look rather tan. Cute, she admits to herself.

"It's about time, Whitlock. I've only been waiting for three weeks," He teases, holding out his hand. Gwen smiles and takes it, not thinking much of it as she says plainly,

"Yes well, hopefully I'm worth the wait."

He chuckles at her bluntness, guiding her from the common room while he replies, "I don't doubt that you will be."

They chat politely about classes and quidditch as they leave the castle and begin walking towards the snow covered village. It was nearly Halloween, so there were pumpkins and Jack o lanterns decorating Hogsmead. She feels an uncomfortable twisting in her gut. Her mum used to carve pumpkins with her. She insisted that they couldn't use magic, only their hands and spoons and knives that were probably too dangerous for a child to be wielding.

Jonathan stirs her from her thoughts, saying warmly, "I figured we'd go to the tea shop first to get warm. That sound alright?"

She wants to tell him no, that it sounds bloody awful. But she just nods, fighting back her urge to wrinkle her nose at the pink decor and lovesick couples decorating the inside.

He orders them some pastries and Gwen's favorite tea. They sit silently for a few moments before he blurts out,

"You make me nervous."

Gwen quirks a brow, hiding her smile behind her cup of tea. She sets it down gently and says,

"Yes, I've been told I have that effect on people."

He grins bashfully and fiddles with his cup before setting it down and wondering,

"Why'd you say yes to me?"

Gwen grins, liking the honestly. Finally, something other than shallow talk of people and classes she couldn't stand.  

"Why'd you ask me?"

Jonathan shoots her a knowing look before leaning back and teasing, "Ladies first."

She laughs, nodding and saying, "I said yes because I think you're nice."

"Not because you're taking pity?" He asks, grinning when she chides,

"Nuh uh, Wood. It's your turn."

He's silent for a few moments, Gwen noticing his hesitation. She takes another sip of her tea, waiting patiently. He finally sighs and says lowly, "You're going to think I'm a git."

"Well we won't know that until you answer, will we?"

He chuckles quietly at her reply and nods, finally admitting, "I asked you...you're beautiful Gwen. I think any lad in school would do just about anything to sit where I am now."

Gwen smiles wryly and nods, asking, "So I take it you like the new hair then?"

Jonathan groans, swiping his hand over his face, "I'm not making myself look very good, am I?"

She takes pity on the boy and decides to change the subject even though it leaves her feeling unsettled as she says firmly, "Come on, Wood."

He looks up at her in surprise when she stands, extending her hand for him to take. He smiles brilliantly and slides his fingers to interlock with hers, standing and following her out of the tea shop.

"Where are we going?"

She laughs at his question, pulling him along as she teases, "To find more boys that like my new appearance."

"Hey," He warns playfully, gently elbowing her side. She smiles up at him and says simply, "Don't worry, Wood. I think you're quite funny, even though you're just using me for my looks."

"I should've just kept my mouth shut," He laughs, holding the door to Honeydukes open for her and watching an amusement as she ducks under his arm. She can tell he's surprised when she willingly rejoins their hands, but she can't help it. He's relatively easy to get along with, funny enough. He's certainly cute. And he's honest, at least as far as she can tell.

"Come on, we've got to grab my favorite sweets," She says over her shoulder, releasing his hand as he peers at a few of the displayed candies. She smiles to herself, feeling a little more cheerful than she did earlier.

"Do you like—"

She stops short, her hand reaching for a familiar green treat just in time to bump into another hand. She flinches back like she been stung, her eyes instantly meeting ones the color of coal.

Sirius stares at her with wide eyes. They hadn't spoken since he'd kissed her, both of them spectacularly good at avoiding the other. He sucks in a sharp breath, studying her shiny hair and icy eyes.

He instantly realizes how much he's missed her sarcastic smile and bell like laughter. He can't help it, his eyes flicker down to where her lips are pressed in a firm line. And while her charm caused a fog to take over his mind, to make him act irrationally, he could still remember what those lips felt like on his.

"Uh, hi," Sirius mutters, nervously rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. He glances down at the Acid pops in his palm and offers one to her with an uneasy smile.

Gwen stares at him blankly for a few uncomfortable moments, her pale eyes making him shift back and forth on the balls of his feet. Her shoulders tense when Jonathan appears behind her and says warmly,

"Gwen—oh hey, Sirius. How's it going?"

The Ravenclaw quidditch captain looks down at Sirius' hand in surprise, the acid pops in his palm suddenly turned to dust with a loud 'crunch.'