Obsidian & Bronze {Fred Weasley}

21. The old astronomy tower

"You look, um, you uh.." Fred trailed off nervously, his eyes raking over my body, taking in every inch of my frame.

"Yeah, you too" I chuckled coyly, reaching for his hand and directing us back to the rest of the group, who were standing themselves up, ready to head out the door.

"Are we ready?" Ron asked, reaching for Hermione's hand, burning her cheeks a further shade of violent fuschia, the rest of us suppressing giggles as we acknowledged the two of them would be like this all night.

After a chorus of agreement we all headed out the door and towards the great hall, my rapidly beating heart almost audible as it attacked my ribcage, a painful excitement bursting inside me as we ambled through the corridors.

Approaching the doors, the burning severity of my nerves were no further relaxed, if anything only continuing to intensify as we entered the great hall.

Fred pulled me into the centre of the room, many other people lingering around doing just the same, as soft elegant music bled through the hall. Fred captured my waist effortlessly, pulling his body flush with my own, his honey eyes sweet and luminous, melting my insides like pools of deep warm syrup.

It was then I noted just how deep in I truly was, how in fact this was no mild or fleeting infatuation that would soon dissolve through the means of time. No, this would forever run deeper than that, despite its course, it would forever remain the attestation that the ability to accept unquestioning love was not one that proved easy.

As we began to dance amid the broken fragments of life we had chosen to abandoned for one solace evening, I now knew the meaning of the word home in its entirety, the epitome of connection, as he held me so close I feared our bodies could have merged into one.

After a few moments, that felt as though they had seeped through into hours, the music came to a halt, a couple of passing moments before a different song began to flourish throughout the room.

"May I have this dance?" A gravelly calm voice interrupted with a warm and inviting chuckle, as Fred refrained from reattaching his hands to my waist once catching sight of the man beside us.

I glanced over to be met with the mawkish and syrupy grin of Sirius Black, his hair slightly disheveled in a purposeful way and his body dressed in darked fitted dress robes, once again his bowtie undone and hanging loose around his neck.

Fred stepped away good-naturedly and motioned for Sirius to take his place, Sirius patting him on the shoulder thankfully as he did so. Sirius placed my hands on top of his shoulders, before his arms nurturing made their way around my back, his eyes looking down at me adoringly.

Sirius watched me briefly as though he had seen me before, in this moment, as if he was reliving something, watching it unfold as though it was not the first time, like it was not the fresh and pristine memory that it was.

"What shoes are you wearing?" He questioned abruptly, glancing down at my feet with a playful grin.

I kicked out my foot from below the blue mesh ruffles of my skirt and displayed my canvas shoes to him, watching a grateful smile grace his lips. "Why?"

"Because this would have hurt a whole lot more had you been in heels" Sirius laughed, before hoisting me up by the waist, lifting me just centimetres off the ground, forcing me to release a small yelp at the sudden and announced action, before lowering me to stand, each of my feet now on top of his own.

We swayed slightly, Sirius lifting his feet to move us both in time with the soft instrumental vibrations filling the room, dancing together as though I was just a young girl again, as if no time had passed, as though perhaps he had never left at all.