One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 189

Sirius stares out at the ocean, his feet warm against the driftwood path.

Fall was cooling the sand, turning the beach to beige and sepia tones that reflected warmth despite the dark blue waters crashing on the shore. The waves were turbulent, too cold and chaotic to swim in. Though despite the danger he felt a strong urge to sling Gwen over his shoulder and race to greet the water as an old friend.

Instead he reaches down and lifts the sack at his feet into his arms, simply stepping over the short white gate of the garden. He ducks under curling vines, disappointed that the jasmine was no longer in bloom. It was okay though, because today they were going to plant whatever Sirius wanted.

They'd spent nearly two days this week wandering the nearby muggle village, at the brink of dawn, bartering for bulbs and seeds. He let Gwen do most of the talking this time, content to watch over her shoulder as she haggled the prices and laughed with the farmers. And then it had been his turn, she's simply guided him to the stands and told him to pick whatever his heart desired.

He'd never done that before.

He smiles when he finally happens upon the crouching Veela, her hair whipping around in the autumn breeze. He can't resist quietly setting the sack down and slowly shuffling forward. His hands are outstretched, poised to grab her waist.

"There you are."

Sirius sighs disappointedly, rolling his eyes at the back of her head as he wonders, "Did you foresee that in your bloody tea leaves this morning, almighty seer?"

"Foresee that you would scare me?" Gwen asks, voice bored and carried on the wind to his ears. "No. I reckon the tea leaves don't have much to say that I don't already know about you."

Sirius bites his lip to hold in his laughter at her matter of fact tone, shaking his head before kneeling by her side. She insisted on digging the holes without magic, her hand covered in dirt and wrapped tightly around her small shovel. Sirius gently grabs it from her, finishing up the job for her so she can lean back on her heels.

He watches her out of the corner of his eye, her face tilted up to the sky and serene. He'd been surprised when she'd asked if they could stay for longer, their trip extending from a few days to a week. And then another week. She was still in contact with everyone, they both wrote letters nonstop. But he knew she needed a break. A holiday. He was just content to watch her enjoy it.

Gwen let's out a hum of contentment, her hands reaching over him to dip into the sack of bulbs waiting to be planted. She looks up when his free hand wraps around her wrist, moving her hand up to rest on the back of his neck instead. She smiles wryly, pressing her thumb into his muscles before sliding her fingers higher to play with his hair. Sirius grins, slightly embarrassed by his need for her to touch him. She soothed away every negative emotion, every ache and pain.

"What's first?"

He glances at the bulbs, taking in the different sizes and textures. He couldn't remember which was which, not that it mattered. What mattered was that he even had a choice, even if it was just flowers.

Sirius shrugs slightly before grabbing one and carefully placing it in one of the small trenches they'd shoveled, his hands slowly covering it with dirt until Gwen tells him gently, "That's good, snuffles."

He chuckles at the nickname, shooting her an exasperated look before dropping another bulb into the ground. Gwen smiles, reaching over to push dirt over it as she muses, "They'll bloom come spring. Perhaps we can have people come to the beach?"

"What for?" Sirius asks, slightly disgruntled at the thought of sharing the beach. Sharing Gwen. He liked it here, just the two of them. They could dance here, he could listen to her sing when she thought he wasn't listening. He could make love to her on the kitchen table and tickle her after until she laughed so hard that she cried. They were safe here. Happy.

Gwen laughs at his attitude, pulling harder on his hair as she muses vaguely, "I think there will be lots of cause for celebration soon, Padfoot."

Sirius quirks a brow at her unnerving intuition, asking slowly, "And are you going to tell me what these celebrations will be for?"

"I'll let you know when I do," She quips simply, earning an exasperated sigh from the boy. Her lips quirk up and Sirius opens his mouth to ask another question, but he's interrupted by something odd. Something out of place for the serenity of her beach.

Gwen and Sirius both pause, their dirt covered hands instantly reaching for their wands at the sound of sudden yelling. When they turn, they're not confronted by the chaos that they expect based on what they hear, just a blue mist in the shape of a bird.

"Is that a—"

"Phoenix."

Sirius' eyes snap to the Veela at the sound of her wavering voice, his heart freezing at the paleness of her face. She's frozen, her blue eyes glassy as she stares at the patronus before her. He wants to ask her what it means, but then a new voice sounds from the mist. A familiar voice.

Albus Dumbledore is speaking through the patronus, just as Gwen had done so long ago through her own. But this time it isn't encouragement that everything was okay. This patronus is a warning.

"Help," the voice says faintly, and then it begins to fade, taking the yells along with it.

Sirius stares at the spot where the patronus had just been, his brows furrowing in confusion. But Gwen is already scrambling to her feet, racing out of the garden and up the driftwood path to her cottage. Sirius takes off after her, leaving the future flowers behind as he calls, "Ninnie! Ninnie, wait!!"

Sirius finds the door wide open, the Veela already across the room at her writing desk. He stares at her, baffled as she starts tossing papers behind her, her hands moving frantically.

"Ninnie!"

She doesn't turn around, Sirius can hear her mumbling to herself, her shoulders shaking slightly as she just throws more papers from the desk. Sirius storms over and grabs her arm, haltering her movements and demanding, "What's going on?!"

Gwen looks up at him with a torn expression, her eyes wide and afraid as she whispers, "I don't know."

And Sirius feels it too, unbridled and uncontrollable. Fear.

Gwen didn't know what was going on, and that meant that no one did.

"I-I didn't see this coming," She stammers, her hands curling into fists, her cheeks flushing. She shakes her head, rushing out as his gaze flickers to the map she'd finally uncovered on her writing desk. A map with bit circles and X's and symbols that Sirius didn't understand , "We thought he was still hiding and preparing, we thought that he was still recruiting—"

Sirius shushes her gently, saying firmly, "Breathe, Gwenyth. Walk me through it."

Gwen shakes her head, lip wobbling as she whispers, "Alice said she was scared that he hadn't attacked in so long, but the ministry told her there was no sign. They want to avoid panic, avoid the press. But I think they knew—"

"Knew what?" He wonders slowly, breathing in and out with her. He'd never seen her this way, frazzled, surprised. He'd never seen her this shocked.

"There's going to be an attack," Gwen blurts out, her hands shaking as she grabs his wrists and says again, "They're going to attack and we should have been prepared."

Sirius nods once, saying calmly, "Gwen, you never could have—"

"We shouldn't have left," She insists, her voice frantic as she shakes her head, unsteady and desperate. "We should have stayed!"

"You didn't know!" Sirius shouts, grabbing her face in his palms and forcing her eyes to his. He swallows down his own panic. He needed to be strong this time, needed to be as confident and sure as she was. He exhales sharply and says with finality, "You can't always know. You can't."

Gwen swallows, her shoulders aching from the weight of the world. But he's right. She knows he's right. She offers a tiny nod, whispering nervously, "Okay. Okay."

Sirius asks confidently, convincing himself and her that he wasn't scared either, "Where do we need to go?"

"The Potters," Gwen answers quickly.

"I need to see Lily."

{{oh boy.}}