From Eden - Regulus Black (Complete)

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Seven -

JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW, YOU ALL WERE RIGHT.

BATTLE, PART I

Emmeline had her back tensed up for hours now, her neck screaming in pain as she turned to look around her once more. Sirius, standing beside her, sighed and rolled his eyes at her lack of discretion.

"If there was someone ready to attacks us, they would've done so already," Sirius said to her. "And they would know that you knew that they are around her by the number of times you're looking around. Emmeline, try to look a little bit more inconspicuous."

"You're not the main target tonight, are you, Sirius?" she said, bitterly.

"Not tonight, but every other night," he answered, raising his eyebrows at her as if daring her to answer. "And I still go out drinking with my friends every now and again without looking her a crazy bastard, looking everywhere, even if it's just a bloody bunny hopping around the village."

She blushed.

The way that she had jumped when a bunny hopped out of a bush when they were walking further into the village had been embarrassing and she doubted that Sirius would one day forget about the scene that had made him laugh enough to hold onto one of the store's walls and lean down, complaining that his ribs were hurting.

"Come on," she said, frowning as she looked at the watch on her wrist. "It's almost seven, we need to go to the centre of the village."

"The meeting point, I know," Sirius said. "I might have quit this job, but that doesn't mean I forgot everything that was taught to me, I still know what a Meeting Point is."

She rolled her eyes at him.

Though they had never been close and it was the first time that they were alone together, Emmeline knew Sirius could be annoying when he wanted, she just hadn't expected he could be so care-free even when her life was in danger.

As they walked in silence, kicking the snow away from their way, however, there was something else making her so scared and annoyed at everything. There was an idea haunting her mind, a fear that didn't seem to want to die, no matter how much she tried to squash it to the back of her mind.

"Do you think my parents will be here?" she asked in a voice so low that Sirius didn't hear. "Sirius," she called out. He looked at her, hands on his pocket. "Do you think my parents are going to try to kill me?"

He frowned before biting the inside of his cheek.

"Do you want honesty?" he asked. There was hesitation on his voice, but his eyes were firm.

"Yes. I need to prepare myself," she admitted.

"Yes, I do," he said. "But if it comes to it, leave them to me. Though, I doubt I'll have a chance, Moody already said they are to suffer by his hands."

They weren't friends, but she had never been that grateful to someone. Sirius, even in his honesty, tried to be somewhat kind to her, whom he did not like. She noticed, at once, that it was because of how familiar the story was to him.

With a few more moments of silence, they were in the very middle of the village, standing near a light-post. Sirius leaned against it, not caring that his coat got dirtied with snow. Emmeline sighed and looked around again, this time to look for the next group that would 'take over' their shift.

Through the window of Three Broomsticks, Sirius managed to recognise the red hair of Arthur Weasley gently peeking at them through the glass and going back to conversation with his brothers-in-law. He turned to make a comment about it to Emmeline, but held his tongue when he saw two figures slowly moving across the space that they were standing in with their arms intertwined and whispering amongst each other.