One Step Ahead Part II | Sirius Black

Chapter 211

She opens her eyes to find him looking at her far too smug, his grey eyes glinting with mirth and something distinctly Sirius. Gwen licks her lower lip again, mumbling, "Ouch."

"Don't pretend you don't like it,"

His voice sends a thrill up her spine, low and gravely. Maybe this meeting will go quickly. She decides rather dreamily while staring at his lips that she'd very much like to return the favor.

"No intercourse at my dinner table."

Sirius' jaw drops in shock, eyes immediately flying to behind Gwen. She tips her head backwards, smiling at the upside down vision of James Potter.

"No intercourse," Gwen muses curiously, "Does that include—"

"Inferi!" Sirius whisper yells, flushing bright red under the shrewd gaze of Minerva McGonagall sitting just a few chairs away, "For the love of Merlin, please do not finish that sentence!"

Gwen crinkles her nose and James grins down at her, waggling his brows. She presses her lips together, truly fighting to not finish her question. James tilts his head as if he knows and then it comes flying out, "Does that include hand stuff?"

She hears a loud thump from next to her, guessing correctly that Sirius had slumped his forehead down onto the table. James looks as if he's just won the quidditch cup, a laugh bubbling out of him that warms Gwen's chest. He hunches down, wrapping his arms around the back of her chair and across her ribs,

"I love you, Ninnie," He chuckles, earning a demure smile and a gentle hand pat from the Veela. Gwen doesn't move when he ruffles her hair and takes the open seat next to her, instead turning to face Sirius.

He has a red line across his forehead from the force of banging it against the table and a very weary look on his face. He sighs, glancing up when Dorcas takes a seat across the table, "Couldn't you have joined us a minute ago? You could have prevented your friend from saying something crass, Meadowes."

Dorcas raises a brow in confusion, her eyes growing round when Gwen begins to explain, "I was just asking if hand stuff counted as—"

"Best we discuss that later, Gwenyth," Dorcas interrupts quickly, voice slightly squeaky with shock as more order members begin to file into the room.

Gwen sighs, clamping her lips shut once more despite Sirius mumbling to her friend, "Explain to me again why she listens to you."

"She doesn't," Dorcas replies cheekily, "I think she just gets tired of listening to me freak out over it."

"She," Gwen says pointedly, "Is right here. She can hear you."

Sirius smirks, whipping his head around before asking mockingly, "Did you hear something, Meadowes?"

Dorcas grins and shrugs, "Haven't a clue what you're talking about. I only hear you and Peter's chewing."

Gwen blinks before peering down the table where Peter has frozen with a biscuit midway to his mouth. He meets the Veela's gaze and takes her blank stare as encouragement to continue eating.

She crosses her legs and folds her hands in her lap, her eyes once again tracing the torn up grass she can just see through the window. She knows Sirius is struggling to keep up his charade, his eyes keep sliding to her. James just sits silently by her side, watching the scene unfold with uninhibited amusement.

Gwen doesn't have to wait long though, not for Sirius to give in. She doesn't have to wait because something else has captivated everyone's attention.

Albus Dumbledore walks through the wooden doorway, and for the first time since Gwen had really seen him, she would characterize him as small.

His shoulders are hunched inward, his mouth drawn into a tight line, his beard whiter now than she'd seen it before. Small. Old. Tired. He looked very tired.

Her spine straightens and almost instantly, his eyes find hers. Wordless information passes between the two oceans of blue and then he is walking over to the table, just behind where Minerva sits.

Gwen can feel Sirius looking at her again, but she's focused on the headmaster. She spies the question in his eyes and finds herself nodding. The truth. He needed to tell the truth, or at least as much as he could.

"Voldemort's followers have infiltrated the ministry to a new extreme."

The room grows quiet at the news and Dumbledore shakes his head, smiling faintly, "No attacks have been made, but I fear that one is coming."

Gwen tilts her head slightly, pondering for a brief moment before it settles in her mind. His spy. It was all too easy to guess who it was, not that Dumbledore had even mentioned that one of Voldemort's death eater's was spying for the order. A miracle really, that no one had guessed it yet. Only one person would love and die for their unrequited love. It was a pity really, but Gwen didn't dare speak it, bring it to words that she knew who it was. Because then it was real, and it was a lot harder to lie about things one new for a fact to be true.

She glances sideways and finds that James has a stoic look on his face, listening but still waiting to be told more. She feels a surge of pride. She was beginning to see glimpses of Mia and Monty in him that she hadn't before. James Potter was powerful, not just in magic. But in spirit.

"James and I will go with one."

Sirius is stiff beside her, and everyone is suddenly looking at her with confused eyes. She smiles faintly, "I'm assuming that you're planning on us being there before said attack can take place, at least I hope you are. So, James and I will go."

Dumbledore looks taken aback, and Minerva looks pale. Gwen doesn't even look at Sirius, because she knows exactly what she will find. Instead she turns and peers down the long table, spotting two heads of auburn hair that remind her of fall leaves.

"What do you say, Prewetts?"

Gideon and Fabian smirk at the Veela. They were one of the most prolific of the duelers in the Order. Strong. Entirely capable. She trusted them implicitly to lead her group.

"There's more than one attack that is to take place,"

Gwen glances back over her shoulder and finds that Dumbledore now looks frustrated. Angry even. She realizes far too quickly that he is peering at the long, pinkish line across her throat. Her eyes narrow and her reply is tart, "That's why I specified that we would go with one. One group. Listen to what I say while I'm saying it instead of coming up with a reason for me not to go."

She frowns when fingers grasp her knee, pressing firmly but not too hard. A warning. She finally appraises Sirius, lifting her eyes from his hand warming her leg, and finds that it's far too difficult to pinpoint just one emotion in his eyes. He finally clears his throat, hesitating for just a brief moment before saying cooly, "I'll join the other group."

Dumbledore sighs, and Gwen nearly asks him what the problem is. He got what he wanted. People are fighting the injustice in this world. People are fighting against the wizard that could kill them all. So why does he look so small, so tired? Why isn't he pleased that they want to fight, that she wants to fight?

She meets his gaze evenly, watching the thoughts pass behind his spectacles. She knows that they'll speak about this, her volunteering for this. He looks none too happy. She can see it in the way his eyes have pinched at the corners and the way his hands have balled together into a fist behind his back.

Gwen doesn't mind him looking at her like that.

She'd just close her eyes again.

{{thank you all for being so patient!!! This chapter is a little bit longer, but you've all earned it!}}