✓ | 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒, sirius black

✧˚ · . 𝟎𝟎𝟒.

WHILE JAMES AND THE OTHERS placed their bets, Lily, Marlene and Mary watched their best friend with great interest. And just like Remus, James and Peter watched Sirius carefully, their expressions full of anticipation as they waited to see what would happen.

"All alone, Pads?" Faye asked as she approached Sirius on the dock. He flinched almost imperceptibly at her sudden presence, although he turned directly to look at her. His feet dangled in the cool water as he continued looked at the horizon and the setting sun.

"You must have been dreaming about me," Sirius teased playfully, causing Faye to roll her eyes in response. A slight smile tugged at his lips. "You slept so peacefully."

"I dreamed about our summer vacation and no exams," Faye replied, sitting next to him and dipping her feet in the cold water. "In case you were actually wondering what I was dreaming about."

"Don't remind me," Sirius replied, sighing heavily and looking away from her in shame.

"It's just this one left," Faye shrugged reluctantly, seemingly trying to encourage Sirius in some way. "Then it'll only be a few more days and we can all go home and dream about you, Sirius." She teased with a smile.

This had never happened before. Normally Sirius was the one who would always respond with a teasing comment or sarcastic retort, but this time he just remained completely silent. His expression was rather glum as he looked towards the horizon, completely ignoring her previous comment.

And of course she noticed.

"What's wrong, Sirius?" Faye asked, her tone full of concern. She could tell something was bothering him. He had been acting differently than he normally would for weeks. And although she didn't want to push him, she could can't help but worry.

"It's not just the exams, is it?" she added with a worried expression, looking at him carefully. She knew him well enough to understand that there was more than just the exams bothering him.

Sirius finally glanced at her, albeit a little hesitantly. And when he answered her question, he sounded quite reserved. "No, it's not," he simply replied, as if he wanted to avoid the topic of conversation.

When Faye noticed the look on his face and realized what he was most likely talking about, she felt her heart connect with him in that moment. She knew how much pain it caused him. "You should just stay with James," she said, trying to sound a little reassuring. "They're not even worth it..."

Sirius finally looked at her. "I don't want to burden them any more," he said quietly. "I've already spent Christmas with James."

When Sirius spoke of feeling like a burden to the Potters, Faye felt her heart break a little. She was sure he was thinking about it too much, which he tended to do sometimes.

James loved Sirius like a brother and Euphemia and Fleamont treated him like a son. But Sirius couldn't see that at the moment. All he could think about was the fact that his own parents had rejected him and he felt alone and abandoned.

Faye was well aware of the Potters' love for Sirius, but she also understood where his thoughts came from, even if he couldn't.

The Potter's were kind-hearted people and Faye had always loved spending summers with them and visiting James. Together with Remus, Sirius and Peter they spent many fun days with pranks and games.

Effy always whipped up the best pancakes and tarts with her age-old secret recipes, while Monty was always joking and entertaining everyone with his quirky sense of humor. Faye loved visiting the Potter's, not only to see James, but also because it felt like a second home to her. She always enjoyed helping Euphemia cook and appreciated Fleamont's crazy but helpful inventions.

"Sirius, you're not a burden! Not for James, not for me... not for anyone," she said, placing a hand on his. "I'm sure you can spend the holidays with me too," she added quietly, not wanting to that he felt alone at that moment.

Sirius raised an eyebrow in surprise when she said he could spend the holidays with her. "Really?" he asked, not quite believing that she wanted to spend time with him.

"Sure, of course! I just need to convince my parents they won't become grandparents," she replied jokingly. And when Faye noticed Sirius laughing at her comment and noticed that he seemed much more relaxed, she had been relieved too.

"Just to be clear," Sirius said with a grin, "we would make the most beautiful babies," he teased with a confident tone.

Faye punched him in the shoulder and laughed playfully at the thought. "So that's what you dream about, huh?"

Then suddenly Faye felt Sirius' hands grab her sides and shift her weight. Before she could react, she found herself in the cool water, but she pulled Sirius down with her quickly enough.

"Sirius Orion Black!" she shouted as they both reached the surface again. Her voice sounded a little frustrated, but also full of laughter. "Azkaban for pushing me into the water!"

"You dragged me with you!" he protested, laughing.

"Well, someone had to pull you out of that dream!" she teased with a grin.

Before she knew it, their conversation had turned into something completely different. They threw water at each other and a fun water fight ensued. It was something little kids would do, but they couldn't help but enjoy it anyway.

As the two continued to splash each other with water, Faye felt a sense of satisfaction. It was a nice distraction for her too, away from all the worries and fears that were always in the back of her mind. At that moment, they didn't have to act like adults. Instead, they could just be themselves, with all the lightheartedness and fun that came with that.

Then the two tried to see who could stand under water the longest. Sirius prevailed, but Faye quickly felt the bottom of the lake beneath her feet deepen until she could no longer stand. Now she had to swim to stay above the surface.

Sirius grinned as he recognized his victory. But then he shifted his weight and slid through the water until he reached her. Of course, he could still stand due to his height difference. "I can't let you drown, can I?" he asked in a whisper as his arms suddenly hugged her waist, pulling her closer to him.

With each gentle touch, Faye's heart skipped a beat. She felt the number of butterflies in her stomach increase and she couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same way.

In the setting sun, his skin was a golden hue and his beautiful eyes shone like honey. It felt like a dream...

She hadn't thought about her actions and just let her body react on its own. Her hands slid around his neck and her legs hugged his waist. Sirius leaned forward a little, closing the gap between them until his lips finally touched hers.

It was the kind of moment Faye had always imagined in romance novels or movies, and yet here she was, living it for herself. That was the perfect moment.

No matter how hard his heart beat in his chest, she never pushed him away. She cupped his face in her hands, pulled him even closer to her, and parted her lips to deepen the kiss.

They were so engrossed in their moment together that they didn't even hear the shouts and whistles of their friends cheering them on, let alone the fact that James Potter had become six galleons richer.