One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 67

Gwen stares out at the ocean, body still thrumming from this morning.

She smiles to herself at the thought, pressing a hand to her mouth to cover it. Sirius would be coming down soon. They'd decided to try to swim again, her mind feeling as clear as it had in weeks.

It was him. He was helping her, whether he knew it or not. Her hand falls from her mouth when she hears footsteps behind her. Her ears prick at the sound. Not two, but four. She peers over her shoulder, her eyebrows raising in surprise at the rather large black dog behind her. Gwen laughs, turning and saying playfully,

"Hello, snuffles. I was beginning to worry you'd gotten lost."

Her smirk doesn't fade when the shaggy dog morphs into a very unimpressed looking Sirius Black. He scowls, grumbling, "Snuffles. You're a right git, Ninnie."

"So you can call me 'Ninnie' but I can't call you Snuffles?" She wonders, her blasé tone frustrating him in more way than one. Especially when she says teasingly, "But Padfoot is okay?"

He sucks in a sharp breath, unwilling to admit how her musical voice calling him that turns him on unbelievably quickly. He swallows roughly and nods, trying not to picture how good she looked underneath him this morning when he replies,

"Yep. Padfoot is okay."

She looks at him knowingly, the way only a woman can. He grunts and mutters, "Quit looking at me with you're scary eyes."

She grins wider, not turning her head. Instead just closing her eyes to him. Sirius can't help but bark out a laugh at her cheekiness, "Merlin, Inferi. Just when I thought you couldn't get anymore annoying."

She peeks one eye open and shrugs. She flinches slightly when she already sees him backing into the water, his trunks wet at the bottoms. Gwen hesitates before quickly discarding her cover up and scurrying over to him, like he may leave without her. Sirius grabs her hand, eyes raking over the tiny blue swimsuit that hides parts of her from him. He zeros in on the trail of bruises across her body, tongue flicking out to wet his lower lip before he can stop himself. Especially when he spots the ones on her thigh.

"You're eyes are going to get stuck if you stare any harder,"

Gwen grins when he merely flips her off with his free hand before tugging her in close. She laughs when he squeezes her hips and wonders sarcastically, "Are you always this witty? Or only after you've had an orgasm."

She gasps, scandalized by his words. Her cheeks turn pink and she slaps his chest, scolding, "Don't...I don't...shut up!!"

Sirius snickers, glad he's finally flustered her, teasing, "Come on, Ninnie. Say it with me. Orgasm."

"You'll never get one from me ever again if you keep that up, Snuffles," Gwen warns, biting back a smile when his eyes narrow playfully and his fingers brush her sides. She blinks, suddenly confused. That is not his hands.

Water.

The ocean is up to her ribs, tickling her sides as the waves push past. She panics slightly, not sure how she hadn't realized they were so deep. Sirius' hands grab hers, guiding her arms around him as he murmurs, "You're doing good, Ninnie. Just a bit further."

The Veela hesitates before nodding, holding onto him as they go deeper. She flinches when the water passes the bottom of her swimming top, her air harder to suck in. Sirius moves his hands to her back, cementing her to his chest as he asks abruptly, "Do you know your patronus, Ninnie?"

She blinks, momentarily distracted by his random question. She pulls back her head enough to see his face, his smile growing at her furrowed brows.

"My patronus?" She wonders, smiling slightly at his eager face. She shakes her head, shrugging and admitting, "I don't think I can produce a corporeal one."

Sirius frowns at that, but his smile returns when she asks curiously, "Did you learn yours before you became an animagi?"

He nods, continuing to talk so she won't worry about the water reaching the middle of her chest, "Yeah, we learned how to cast the patronus charm our fourth year. Remus helped. And then we became animagi fifth year. A bloody awful process."

Her eyebrows raise, intrigued by his words. She'd never really thought to ask him. Sirius watches with mirth as she grows silent, calculating her next question. It's then when he realizes that perhaps she does belong in Ravenclaw. Calculating. Think first, speak second. He was rubbish at that. She smiles slightly and asks, "How'd you keep the mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month?"

Sirius chuckles, reaching up one hand to run through her hair. He hoped she didn't realize that some of it was wet, her mind too focused on the puzzle he'd offered.

"It was awful. Remus tried to charm them so they would stay stuck to our cheek, but it didn't work. So I just had to try to not talk too much. No snogging, food tasted bad. I wouldn't recommend it."

Gwen's eyes light up and he quirks a brow as she laughs, saying eagerly, "Merlin, I know exactly when this happened. The month before Halloween?"

Sirius nods, wondering as he chuckles, "How'd you know that?"

She smirks, her voice full of amusement as she says, "You were miserable. And very quick to anger when your pranks didn't go to plan."

Sirius sighs, shrugging slightly as he admits, "You never failed to piss me off, Ninnie."

"It's a part of my charm," She coos, playfully pinching his side. She tilts her head to the side, wondering, "I wonder if I could do it. Become an animagi that is."

"You're already a being," Sirius teases as she laughs. "What do you want to be a bloody animal for?"

"Well, if I can't cast a patronus then I'll never know what animal I'd be. I'd like to know," She replies, shrugging nonchalantly. She'd always wondered. Her mother's patronus was a swan. Beautiful, elegant. Gwen wishes she knew what hers would be.

She quirks a brow when his Sirius' smile grows soft, something warm glinting in his silver gaze. She feels self conscious suddenly, recoiling slightly and demanding, "What?"

He laughs at her disgruntled tone, leaning forward and capturing her lips in a heart wrenching kiss. Gwen can't help but smile into him, her hands tugging gently on the ends of his hair as he squeezes her shoulder blades. He pulls back, resting his forehead on hers as he whispers,

"Bravery looks good on you, Ninnie. We'll make a Gryffindor out of you in no time."

Her brows crinkle, but then a familiar cool sensation brushes against the nape of her neck, reminding her of where she was. Her eyes grow wide and she peers past him, the waves gently stroking her shoulder.

She was free.