"D'you really have to go for Easter break?" Sirius whined, putting his arms just below Honey's hips.
"Babe, you know I want to see Cole grow up," Honey said, adjusting her legs around his waist. "Plus, Euphemia invited us back."
"But that doesn't mean you have to go," He complained.
"Star, baby, you know I love you, but I do want to go see my brother and Mr. and Mrs. Potter, okay? I'm sorry," Honey said, kissing the tip of his nose.
The bench they were sitting on was in the middle of one of the green spaces found in Hogwarts. Honey had her legs wrapped around his waist as he sat with his arms laced underneath her butt. They were staring into each other's eyes with love, but also sadness.
"Just promise me something?" Sirius asked of her.
"That completely depends on what you're about to say next," Honey said, blinking up at him.
"Don't send any letters unless something really amazing happens. Then we can talk for a long time when you get back and nobody'll judge us," Sirius said sincerely, gazing into her eyes.
"They already don't" She pointed out.
"Can we promise that? I'll come to pick you up at Hogsmeade station," Sirius offered.
"I promise," She nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Honey stood in front of the train station with all of her friends. She and James were holding bags for their week's stay in Godrics Hollow. Honey was silently leaning on Sirius's chest, holding his hand.
"See you next week. I'll miss you," Honey murmured.
"I'm going to miss you more, Bee," Sirius replied quietly.
"At least you don't have to stay with James," Honey joked lamely.
"You're adorable," Sirius chuckled.
It sounded like rumbling thunder under Honey's ear. She felt the tension in her chest ease slightly.
"Pup, the rest of us need hugs too!" Remus complained.
She giggled and kissed Sirius's jaw as she walked on to Remus. She only came up to his shoulder as he was doing a lot of growing. She grinned but felt tears spring up in her eyes.
"I'll miss you, Pup," Remus muttered to her as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head in a brotherly fashion.
And that's when the flood gates burst. She broke down in tears, terrifying everyone but Sirius and Lily. The two rushed to her, pulling her into their warm embraces.
"Stop crying, it's only a week," Lily murmured to Honey.
"I know, but... Nothing ever stays the same in a week!" Honey said through her tears. "I don't want to go, but I do want to go. I'm so conflicted!"
Sirius gestured for Lily to step away, holding Honey in his arms protectively. She shook slightly as they stood there together. She sobbed, taking in hitched breaths.
"It's okay," Sirius whispered. "It's all okay."
"No, it's not," She sobbed.
"What're you talking about?" Lily asked, overhearing the short conversation.
"You remember that night I came back at 4 in the morning?" Honey said, her face red and splotchy, tears streaming down her face.
"Yeah?" Marlene said, sitting down on a bench near them.
"It wasn't my fault," Honey said.
"Whose fault was it?" James asked, sitting down next to Marlene.
"Preston Fawley," Honey said in a quiet voice.
"What? What do you mean?" Remus said quickly, sitting on the other side of Marlene.
"He-" Honey paused.
"You don't have to do this, Bee," Sirius said, setting a hand on her shoulder gently.
"I do. I really really do," Honey said, tilting her head onto his hand.
"What are you talking about?" James demanded.
"He- he drugged me. After I humiliated his friend by beating him up. And he-he-he... he, uhm, he, kissed me without my consent, forcing me to betray all of my moral standards. I told him to stop dozens of times, but he didn't listen to me. And I accidentally told Sirius that time I passed out," Honey said, not meeting any of their eyes.
James stood up angrily.
"He did that? He's an ass. I hate him," He said, running his fingers through his already messy hair.
Honey chuckled morosely. "As if anyone could hate him more than me."
"Only his mother," James spat, smacking his palms against his thighs angrily.
"As if," Honey said.
"Get on the train, it's time to go," Professor McGonagall said, coming up to the group, but seeing Honey's face she stopped in her tracks. "Oh dear, what is it now?"
Honey repeated the story, wiping tears from her cheeks as she went. A sort of fire blazed in her eyes, striking fear into even McGonagall. The Professor's anger grew with the story.
"I'll talk to his head of house presently. He is to be expelled immediately," She said, storming off to the castle.
Honey's eyes grew in disbelief. "Really?"
"Of course," McGonagall shouted back.
She broke into a smile, relaxing onto the bench. She held her bag straps in her hands in both relief and anxiety. Her heart was racing, but so was her mind.
"That's great, Pup!" Remus said.
"Sort of," Honey said hesitatingly.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well, I'm going to be ridiculed by all of his friends and everyone else who hears," Honey twiddled her thumbs.
"Why?" Peter asked, piping up from his long bout of silence.
"Because it's different for girls. You remember Ivy Leynne?" Lily posed, and everyone nodded. "You all heard the rumours, right? Those were all false. It was the guy who got expelled and his friends. She had to leave as soon as the seventh year finished, and nobody heard from her except for her friends and family."
"Wow," Remus said, but Honey and Marlene shrugged.
"Wait, why aren't you two more shocked about it?" James asked in slight shock.
"Why are you two shocked? It's double standards," Marlene said.
"I dunno, I guess I just thought those were horror stories people told to scare children," James scratched the back of his neck.
"Nope, they're true," Honey shook her head.
"Well, I know that now," James stammered.
Honey and James quickly boarded the train to Platform 9 3/4.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Honey and James got off the train at Hogsmeade station after their week at Godrics Hollow. Honey breathed in the brisk air of her beloved Hogwarts as she spotted her best friends chatting in one of the corners of the station. She dropped her bags and bounded up to Sirius, putting her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. She planted her lips firmly on his and then pulled her head away as she smiled.
"Hi," She grinned.
"Hey," He whispered back.
"Hullo," Lily said.
"Greetings," Marlene piped.
"Good evening," Remus said.
"Yo," James said.
"Sup," Peter replied.
Honey hugged him tightly. He held her close, tightening his arms around her lower back. The rest of the group stood by, chatting with James. The couple obviously missed each other, standing in the middle of the station as they were.
"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Honey asked, pushing her face in the gap between his neck and his shoulders.
"Not really. That guy got expelled. And a broken nose. And a black eye," Sirius shrugged, bouncing her up to keep her from falling.
"How'd he get a black eye?" She asked with a shiver.
"I punched him. Are you cold?" He said, smoothing her hair down.
"A little cold," She agreed. "When'd you punch him?"
"Day before he left," Sirius said, bending his knees slightly to pick up a blanket. "Here."
He slung the fluffy blanket over her shoulders and tucked it between her chest and his. It looked like he was carrying a large grey dog on his chest.
"How'd he break his nose?" Honey asked from under the blanket.
"Moony tripped him down the stairs, and I punched him again," Sirius said.
"Okay," She replied sleepily. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too, Bee," Sirius replied, tucking the blanket around her shoulders more tightly.
"I love you," Honey said as she fell asleep.
He smiled as he held her sleeping form. Sirius began chatting to the rest of his friends as they walked up the long winding road to Hogwarts castle. Her legs flopped behind his back as they marched up the hill.
"So how was your time in Godrics hollow?" Sirius asked.
"It was fun, my parents and Cole were really sweet. Honey didn't sleep very well, though. I learned how to bake cookies. Let's just say I was scared while Honey and mum tried to teach me. There was a lot of yelling," James shuddered.
"Aww, poor Jamsie," Remus said with a sly smirk. "Little Honey and his little mummy were yelling at him. Boo-hoo."
"Very funny, Moony," James shot back.
Honey stirred in her sleep, so the girls cut their laughter to half its original volume. Honey merely turned her head towards Sirius's neck. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued walking. He shot them a glance as he adjusted the blanket around her shoulders.
"Hey, Padfoot, why aren't you two married already?" James joked.
"We're sixteen," Sirius said.
"You're like a married couple already," James laughed.
"She's my best friend. And my girlfriend," Sirius said. "Also, I love her."
"Aww," Marlene and Lily chorused.
"You know, I missed us altogether. This is fun," James said.
"It really is," Sirius said quietly.
"Dinner is supposed to be nice tonight," Lily remarked.
"Isn't it always?" Marlene said.
"I suppose so," Remus agreed.
"I'm sleeping on the floor tonight. I can't leave her alone," Sirius whispered.
"Uhm, she would be with us," Lily pointed out haughtily.
"I need to be there for her. Especially because I wasn't there when she needed me the most. She's always there for me, I have to return the favour," Sirius said, bouncing her up gently.
"That's really sweet," Marlene said, pulling Honey's bag along behind her.
"Oh well," James said. "Hurt her and you may never have the ability to hurt again."
"I wasn't planning on it. In case you didn't just hear my entire conversation, I was saying she's my best friend and the love of my life," Sirius said.
"Perfect," James said. "I didn't want to have to kill you. You're my best friend."
"Aww, thanks mate," Sirius said.
"Yeah, can you open the door to our dorms now, please? She's getting heavy," Sirius asked as they walked up the spiral staircase.
"Yeah, no kidding. It's only a kilometre walk from here to the station," Remus said, rolling his eyes.
"Just open it," Sirius said.
Remus swung open the door and Sirius staggered over to his bed, laying the sleeping girl down. He covered her with the fuzzy grey blanket and pulled the drapes closed around her. He pulled off her combat boots, set them on the floor and kissed her forehead. With that, he walked away with Remus and went back down to the common room.
"Is she still asleep?" Lily asked worriedly.
"Perfectly," Sirius agreed.
"Good," Lily smiled.
"And she wasn't screaming or thrashing around in her sleep?" James asked worriedly.
"Not at all," Sirius said.
"Good, good," James said, relaxing slightly.
"And you put her blanket on her?" Marlene asked.
"Of course. Her shoes are on the floor, too," Sirius agreed, pouring a drink of water from one of the tables.
"That's good," Marlene sighed.
"Does Alice know that Honey's back?" Peter asked, looking up the girls' stairs.
"She does, but she's out with Frank," Lily laughed.
"Yeah, I kinda got that," Peter said, still peering up at the girls' dorms.
"Who are you looking for?" Marlene asked, kicking her feet up on the table.
"Uhh..." Peter blushed.
"Let's start a guessing game," James said.
"Ooh! I'll go first! Is it Jayla Christensen?" Remus asked.
"No," Peter huffed.
"Jade Healmen?" Lily posed.
"Matilda Holland?" Marlene said.
"Elsie Jake?" James said.
"Sasha Holmes?" Sirius guessed.
"Geana Gordon?" Remus asked.
"No, I have it! Is it Bailey Ellis?" James said.
Peter blushed extra at this one. The group cheered, and Bailey Ellis descended the stairs. She was an attractive brunette with a short haircut, and at least half the guys in their year had crushes on her.
"Hi, Bailey," Marlene said to her friend.
"Evening, Marlie," Bailey said. "Hullo, boys."
She walked past them to the portrait hole, Peters eyes following her all the way. Lily grinned at Peter.
"You should ask her out," Lily said. "She likes you too."
Peter turned his head to her, his blonde hair whipping around his face slightly. It covered his blue eyes momentarily, showing his disbelief.
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah," Marlene agreed.
"You're not lying?" Peter said, looking between the two girls.
"Not even a little bit," Lily said.
Peter stood and followed Bailey out of the common room. They heard him speaking, her laughing, her speaking, and finally some laughter from both of them. Peter came back to the group wearing a big smile.
"I asked her out and she accepted," Peter said.
"That's great, Wormtail!" James said, clapping the shorter boy on the back.
"I'm tired," Remus complained.
"Me too," Sirius agreed.
"Coming up with me?" Remus asked.
"Course, Moony," Sirius said, standing.
The two told the group their bidding for the night, marched up the stairs and gently closed the door behind them. Honey was still sleeping on Sirius's bed when they arrived, stirring only slightly as she felt the draft from the door.
"I'm going to put my pyjamas on in the closet. Try to bother her the least amount possible," Sirius warned, tip-toeing to the other edge of the room.
Remus nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Honey shot up, sighting bolt upright in the bed. Her breathing was rapid and heavy as she scrambled to put her back against the wall. Sirius sat up slowly, groggily, and moved up to sit on the edge of the bed.
"What happened?" Sirius whispered so as not to wake the other boys.
"Just a nightmare. It was about you lot dying in a huge fire. I had to stand by and watch, my magic wouldn't work. I survived but you all died," Honey said, fear residing in her voice.
"We're all here," Sirius reassured her, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face as he moved closer.
"I know," Honey said, cuddling into him.
Sirius put the blankets back on top of her, making sure she was comfortable. She moved to one side of the bed and lifted the blankets for him.
"Come, I'm getting cold. I could use your body heat. As long as you're wearing trousers," Honey said, looking up at him.
"Hold on a moment, I'll pick up my pillow. And we can have an extra blanket," Sirius said, bending over to pick his things up.
He threw a blue-themed quilt on the top of her grey blanket. His pillow went next to the one under Honey's head. Sirius sat on the edge of the bed and laid down next to her. She cuddled into his chest as he slung an arm around her waist.
"This is new," Honey said, breathing his scent in deeply.
He smelled like a mixture of fire and burnt marshmallows. She smiled and pulled herself closer to him.
"It's nice," Sirius agreed, burying his head in her shoulder.
"It is," Honey murmured.
Sirius tangled his legs up in hers, his breath tickling her neck. She planted a soft kiss on his lips.
"Goodnight, Star" Honey whispered.
"Night, Bee," He said sleepily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ready?" James asked in hushed tones.
The other two boys in the dorm nodded.
"On three," Remus said.
"One," James said.
"Two," Remus continued.
"Three," Peter said.
"HONEY AND SIRIUS!" The trio shouted, causing the couple to wake up with a start.
Honey sprang up, leaping so far that she ended up smacking James in the face and tackling him before she could see who she was attacking. Her blind fear was calmed when she saw she was attacking her 'brother'.
"Don't scare me like that," She said, smiling slightly.
"You liked taking me down, we all know you did," James said, sucking in a breath.
He continued to lay on the floor as Honey tugged on one of the jumpers she found lying around in the slightly chaotic room. She held her folded-up blanket to her chest and giggled slightly as she watched James struggle to stand up.
"You could help me up instead of pissing your pants while laughing at me," James said, struggling to crouch.
"No, I'm enjoying watching you struggle," She said, fighting her giggles.
Sirius stepped up behind her, putting his arms around her hips. She giggled even harder. He kissed her neck and James groaned.
"What's wrong, Padsie?" Remus asked sarcastically. "Don't like your best friend snogging your sister?"
"No, I really don't," James said, finally standing.
Honey kissed Sirius, making him lean over slightly. James groaned again and walked out of the room. Remus and Peter burst out in laughter, clutching their sides. Honey's smirk morphed into a grin of extreme happiness and pride.
"You're a genius," Remus said.
"I also really hate that he can't stand this. It's really annoying," Honey said, rolling her eyes. "I also really love this boy." She used her thumb to point at Sirius over her shoulder.
"I love you too, but can we go get something to eat? I'm hungry," Sirius said his stomach grumbling in agreement.
"I'm hungry, too," Honey agreed, walking to the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Goldman," Lucius Malfoy said, coming up in front of her.
Sirius had just walked away when he arrived. She turned around and walked the other way, internally groaning. He stopped her by setting a hand on one of her shoulders.
"What would you like, Malfoy?" Honey sighed, putting her hand around the handle of her wand.
"My parents said that you're an awful person and that you killed your parents. I'm sure it's true, you're just awful enough to do it," Malfoy said.
"I'm warning you," She said, her tone rising dangerously.
"I heard, that your parents begged not to have the cruciatus curse so they wouldn't have to live long enough to meet you again," Lucius joked, his friends cackling behind him.
"Shut it," She snapped.
One of the bags near them on the floor spontaneously combusted. Everyone backed away. Everyone but Honey and Lucius. They stood glaring at the other, a fire blazing in their eyes, dimming the brightness of the literal fire.
"Lucius Abraxes Malfoy," Honey said, breaking down his name. "If you do not back away and leave me alone, I swear to Merlin that I will not go easy on your ass."
"Honey Marissa blah blah blah Goldman," Lucius said, taking a tiny step back. "I swear to Merlin that if you even think about hurting me, I will make sure my parents hear about it."
Honey cackled madly. "As if I give a damn about your little mummy and daddy."
Lucius glared at her. "Watch your mouth, asshole. They'd kill you before they let you hurt me."
"As if I would care," Honey snorted.
Lucius stammered to find a come-back.
"What's that?" Honey asked, pointing at his shirt.
He looked down and she flicked his forehead with her black matte acrylic nails. He fell back and she marched away, smirking.