Have a little faith in me

We want

'A cottage, something small but also big enough. I want it to feel like we haven't got enough space, I'm sick of mansions with rooms no one uses.'
'And a cat.'
The golden haired girl looked up to her counterpart, her brows furrowed.
'A cat?' She asked, trying to capture her dwindling train of thought.
'Yeah, we are getting a cat.'
'Just one? What do you want it to be lonely?'
'Two cats then.' The raven haired boy smirked. 'And it will have a small stream where each year newts will come and tadpoles will grow into frogs.'
'And a greenhouse full of tomatoes.'
'Mar are you trying to turn us into grandparents before we reach our thirties?'
The blonde replied with a swift thump of a pillow on his head. She watched as he fixed his hair in the mirror, a smile growing on her face.
In the rare moments the pair spoke about the future it was hard to remember them as the reckless teens they still were, they seemed mature in the brief moments, a living couple thinking about a conjoined life.

But they were as common as a needle in a haystack, and only came about before the sun rose before either could think completely about the world and forsake themselves with the many troubles and horrors in their heads.

- - - - - - - - -

Some nights Marlene would wake up shivering, her breath slow and strong, her eyes dating around the room to check her surroundings.

Others it would be Sirius, if his arm was in the wrong position, or Marlene's hand slipped to his arm. His eyes would spring open, his body silent as his face became a valley for a stream of tears.

Just once he hoped it would be his brother there, just for one more time to comfort his brother, to comfort himself. Leaving home meant leaving Regulus and that was something he would never forgive himself for. Leaving the Noble house of Black was simultaneously his best and worst decision, the guilt sat with him whenever conscious and made its way into his dreams. The fact he would leave his blood for a family he chose lay heavily on him.
He would try to shake it off but the barrage of questions in his head regarding if he done a better job would Regulus be in the situation he is now, would he have the same friends, would they still be close?

- - - - - - - - -

James Potter would claim to be a professional when it came to deciphering Sirius' many moods, he was able to pinprick the exact moment it would change and see the slight flash in his eyes when his brain thought of the Black family.

One thing James had hoped from the moment he began discovering the horrors of Sirius' childhood was that he would save the raven haired boy and create a family with enough love to fix the boy.

However no matter how much one tries, internal fractures will stay forever.

The panic in Sirius' eyes when the silverware was placed wrong or when a tie was done in an improper way for an occasion.

For Sirius Black his eyes were the windows to his; soul, mind, body.

No matter how hard he was smiling or how intoxicated he seemed to be, his downfall always come down to his eyes and those who took the time to learn his tells.

- - - - - - - - -

Everyone had tells, whether it was Lily's expressive eyebrows or the way Dorcas laughed or the amount of chocolate was eaten.

And yet still the group of teens had enough secrets between them to shock the world.

They would find out later that a secret you thought would save someone will likely threaten another.

- - - - - - - - -

The close knit group of friends...family had losses and gains throughout their seventh and final year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.

Hearts were broken and healed, some moved on and others stayed frozen.

'I'm scared Em, about what will happen after Hogwarts, about him about this thing Dumbledore wants us to join..' The girl's voice faltered. 'But- we- well I'm I'm sure about you Em, so I wanted to ask you if you would maybe consider moving in with me after we leave?'
Emmeline looked up at her girlfriend a grin growing on her face.
'Are you serious?'
'Yeah' Mary's response was breathy, full of nerves.
Emmeline's head nodded yes as the pair embraced

- - - - - - - - -