One Step Ahead Part II | Sirius Black

Chapter 227

They land with considerable force, Gwen's knees hitting the ground and skidding slightly. Sirius' hands reach under her arms, hurriedly pulling her to her feet and whispering, "Mon ange--"

"I'm fine," She says briskly despite the raw skin on her knees, grabbing one of his hands and lacing their fingers together. The world seems mockingly bright today, the trees finally changing their colors to match the autumn air. She nods at Sirius' questioning expression, reassuring, "I'm fine."

He squeezes her hand tight, staring down at her with despair creeping up from the corners of his eyes. Gwen wipes it away with her free hand, swiping at the streaks across his face as he mumbles uncertainly, "I-I have to tell you the secret. I have to tell you where we are so that we can get to them."

She nods her head up and down slowly. Time wasn't on their side, and yet the sense that tomorrow hadn't arrived yet kept her from insisting he say this all faster. She steps closer to him, clenches her eyes shut when his head lowers and his lips brush her ears, "Godric's Hollow. We're in--They live in Godric's Hollow."

Air fills her lungs, and then they're moving again, rushing forwards past the houses that line the streets. Any other day, any other time, Gwen would want to stop and admire its beauty. Dorcas would want to stop too, to tell her about the history of the village. Marlene would want to find out if they had a decent pub or any town stories that could rival the Celtic myths she would tell around late night fires. It was beautiful, a perfect place for Lily to step out into the town square and read a good book. A place for James to run wild and meet and befriend new people. Gwen is sickened by the beauty of it, sickened by time.

Sirius pulls her along, shoving past muggles and dodging groups of children playing. It was still early. It was early tomorrow, early Tuesday. Maybe James just hadn't sent his letter yet. Maybe he and Lily had been up all night taking care of Harry and had yet to sit down and write about their days in Godric's Hollow.

A loud curse sounds from Sirius as the Muggles seem to only multiply, his grip on her growing tighter as the venture deeper into the village. Her heart seems to slow when the crowd around them swells just as they round the corner.

There, swarming with Muggles, is the tattered remains of tomorrow.

Gwen and Sirius slow to a stop, their bodies jostled around by Muggles seemingly desperate to get a closer look at the ruins of a family home. Sirius inhales sharply. Gwen blinks as if to clear up the mirage in front of her. No.

No.

A broken cry forms in her chest and dies out on her tongue. No. This was a mistake. Sirius must be wrong. But his shaking shoulders tell the horrible truth that she so desperately wants to ignore. Lily. Her lily. She stares at the smoldering rubble, the cracked wooden beams. She stares like she's waiting to see a flash of fiery hair and a triumphant smile. Lily would be the one to finally get Gwen. She was smart, she was determined, she was tenacious despite how difficult it could be to understand the Veela that had befriended her their first year.

Of all the people Gwen had come to know in her life, the one the she expected to predict her thoughts and challenge her the most, was Lily Evans.

Sirius lets go of her hand, pushing through the crowd to talk to someone just outside of her peripheral vision. She sees a flash of a rather bushy beard, squared shoulders that match a hulking stature. She doesn't care. She doesn't really see. Because she's too busy looking for James.

James.

Gwen slowly lifts a hand, rubbing the back of it against her cheek. It rids her of silent tears. It tells her that she's awake, that this isn't a dream. She blinks again, dizzied by her strained attempts to conjure an image of James walking from the smoke with soot smeared across his forehead. His glasses would be askew, his grin would be slightly crooked, like he was waiting to see if Gwen was pleased with his dramatic appearance. Then James would stop. He would stop and stretch out his arms, his smirk fading to a sweet, dimpled smile. James would look at her, he would see her standing amongst confused muggles and say simply, happily, "Love."