Febuary 13th - Gryffindor Common Room
The general disappointment over the fact that Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday had enveloped the school, for most people preferred to celebrate the holiday outside of Hogwart's grounds. The marauders, of course, had no such reservations, for they knew ways to sneak out of the school without anyone knowing they were gone.
No, the marauders were facing a different problem, one that Nephera and Peter were lucky enough to be witnesses to.
James was pacing back and forth, "How could you do this to me, Pads?"
"Well, what am I supposed to do, Prongs! I have other responsibilities now!" argued back the raven-haired boy
"Other-" James scoffed, "So I'm replaced then? You're replacing me with her?"
Nephera and Peter were sitting on the couch, looking at the two with wide eyes and open mouths, "What's going on now?" whispered the girl
"I have no idea," answered Peter in the same tone
In front of them, the argument was heating up, "I'm not replacing you, James, but you know how it is! We're not kids anymore,"
"But Valentine's day has always been our thing!"
The Slytherin in the room groaned, dropping her face in her hands, "You've got to be shitting me," she muttered
Remus chose that moment to come back from Prefect duties, "What-" he started, seeing his two best friends at odds
Peter laughed, "Come join us, Moony, the girls are fighting," he said, beckoning the taller boy over
"You are despicable, Sirius Black!" yelled James, "I talked to Lily! I got her to understand that Valentine's day is an us thing!"
Nephera, at that point, decided to intervene. Standing up, she walked over to the two, "Love, it's fine, you can go with James tomorrow,"
Judging by the expression on Sirius's face, it appeared as though Christmas had come early for the two boys, "Really?" he asked
"Sure," replied the girl, "I could even help, would you like me to set up a nice little romantic picnic for the two of you-" she didn't get to finish her sentence, for James lightly shoved her to the side
"She's making fun of our traditions!" he whined
"Am not!" she started
Sirius stepped between the two warring teenagers, "Alright, relax, both of you," he said, turning to Nephera, "Thank you so much, mon coeur,"
"Mhm," replied the girl, raising an eyebrow, "But I expect something huge for my birthday in two days,"
The boy laughed, "Don't worry, you'll love it,"
"I better," she said, going back to the couch, "Now don't let me keep you two away from romantic planning,"
Looking at Peter, she flicked her wrist and conjured a chessboard. The boy was suspiciously good at the game, and the two frequently played it whenever they had some free time.
"Shouldn't we be doing homework?" asked Peter
The only response he got to that, was Nephera moving one of her pawns forward. Soon, enough the two emerged in the game, Remus sometimes commenting on the side while he was focusing on his Herbology assignment.
In a way, Peter was right, the two of them really should be focusing on homework and school in general. However, all of them found that in the grand scheme of things, school didn't really matter.
There was a war going on, and Nephera didn't really know how much time they had left, and she wanted to spend as much of it as possible with her friends, and not working on essays.
"Checkmate," said Peter smugly, looking at the Slytherin in front of him
Nephera groaned, "How the hell did you win again?" she exclaimed frustrated
---
February 15th - Marauders' Dorm
Nephera's morning had been, in short, perfect. She woke up to an empty dorm, with a tray of breakfast next to bed and a note, promising that the boys would cover for her in the first class of the day, so she could sleep in.
She knew Sirius had something planned for that night, apart from the general outing they'd all go on that Friday, but she didn't know what, exactly. The only thing the boy had said, was to dress nice because they'd be going out that night.
Stroking Crookshanks, who was mewling loudly due to the lack of attention, she started drinking the coffee that had been kept warm via a spell, "What do you think will happen tonight, Shanks?" she asked, fully aware that the cat wouldn't respond to her
Once she had drunk the coffee, and eaten the pomegranate, she got up and got dressed in her robes, standing in front of the closet to look at what she wanted to wear that night.
Classes went by slower than she had thought, the excitement over what would happen and what Sirius had planned made the Professor's words echo in her ears, without registering fully. The Slytherin thought it was weird, and she didn't particularly like the effect the boy had on her.
The way all day she had been fishing for information, but neither he nor the rest of the marauders gave up anything. Currently, she was sitting at the Great Hall for lunch with Alice, the four boys nowhere to be found, "This is getting annoying," she said, "I don't like surprises,"
Alice laughed, piling more salad on her plate, "I didn't think you would," she mused, "What do you know so far?"
The glint in the pixie-haired witch's eyes, as well as the grin she was so obviously trying to conceal told Nephera that Alice knew more than she was letting on. Despite that, she decided to play innocent, "Just that we're going somewhere fancy, I just don't know where,"
The Gryffindor snickered at that, and Nephera knew that Sirius's surprise was centered somewhere away from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, the question was were, "I don't suppose it's anywhere in the wizarding world," she baited, "Pity, I always find wizarding restaurants better than muggle ones,"
Alice's expression sobered at that, "You, you do?" she asked, "Well, I suppose English cooking isn't the best, other countries, though," she tried
The young Gryffindor had full knowledge of Sirius's plan for that night, and she had agreed that it was excellent, although now, hearing that Nephera didn't prefer muggle restaurants, that certainly put a damper on the entire plan.
Nephera picked up on that, judging by the girl's response, Sirius had planned a trip for the night, they'd probably apparate somewhere else. It would be a big city, no doubt, but not Paris. Walburga and Orion often visited the wizarding part of the city, and Sirius wouldn't pick a place that reminded him so much of his parents, "Yes, I've always been fond of French cuisine," she replied, feigning ignorance once again
"Well, yes, of course," stuttered the other girl, "But European kitchen in general, I mean, Greek, Italian,"
So it was either Greece or Italy, thought the Slytherin. The question was which one. They were both great, of course, but it was hardly the season to visit Greece. While the small country was beautiful all year, it was more of a summer destination rather than a winter one.
So Italy it is, she smirked.
"Drop the act, blondie," she sneered, "Milan or Rome, which is it"
Alice looked at her surprised, but soon rolled her eyes, "I should've known you'd figure it out," she muttered, "And I'm not telling you anything else,"
"It's Rome," said the Slytherin, smirking
"What? How did you figure that out!" exclaimed the girl
"I didn't," shrugged the brunette, "Lucky guess that you just confirmed,"
Alice eyed her up and down, a look of fake disgust on her face, "Oh you're good," she said
"I am, aren't I?" replied the other girl, and the two dissolved in a fit of laughter
The joyous atmosphere was cut short by Lily and Marlene entering the Great Hall, completely ignoring the other two girls in the process. It seemed as though whatever grudge they held for Nephera, had extended to Alice after the two started spending more time together.
"Do you know what that's about?" asked the Slytherin, watching as the pixie-haired witch in front of her rolled her eyes
"No clue, honestly, but I'm sick and tired of it," she answered, "You haven't done anything, and they're acting like- like,"
Nephera laughed, "I believe the word you're looking for is idiots," she said, "But really, don't take my side on whatever it is, you lot have been friends for years,"
"I take the side of whoever is right," replied Alice, "Besides, I'm not the only one. Lily and James got into an argument about it a few nights ago,"
"I know," replied the girl, "I said the same thing to him,"
While the brunette couldn't care less about whether or not Lily and Marlene liked her, she did care about James and Alice, and the fact that they were putting themselves at odds with their friends because of her didn't sit right with the girl.
Nevertheless, she pushed that thought to the back of her head and focused on what would happen that night. She had to hand it to Sirius, he had indeed planned a great evening, and she found herself giddy with excitement as she thought of it.
According to the boy, they'd be leaving at seven, which gave her a few hours to get ready. Heading down to the Slytherin dorms to shower, knowing that they'd most likely be empty, contrasted to the marauder's dorm, she relished the way the cold water fell on her skin.
It was a widely known fact that Nephera Winchester cared about her appearance. Not to the point where it took over her entire life, but to the point where she always wanted to look her best.
Something about that night, though, made her want to spend even more time on her makeup and outfit than usual.
Sirius Black wasn't in a better spot. Having just come out of the shower and now tending to his hair, it was clear to his three best friends that he was nervous about that night, "Holy hell, mate, you'd think you were proposing or something," joked Peter
"Shut it, wormtail, you know I'm not," retorted the raven-haired boy
"Yeah, Pete," teased James, "Leave him alone, Padfoot nervous," he drew out the last word
"You're all assholes, you know that?"
Remus laughed, standing up, "We're very well aware, thank you. But there's no need to feel nervous,"
"I know, I know," replied Sirius, although it was unconvincing, "It just stresses me out that she doesn't know where we're going, I mean, you know how she's not exactly a fan of surprises,"
This sent the other three boys in a fit of laughter so hard, they were practically rolling around in their beds, "You do know who you're dating, right?" pointed out James, wiping his eyes
Peter nodded in agreement, "It's Nephera, Pads, of course she knows," he said, "Well, at least where you're going,"
Sirius turned around, looking at them, "You really think so?" he asked
"Yes, yes we do," replied Remus, "Now, remember everything I told you about Muggle money?"
The other boy nodded, "Look at the numbers, pay with the papers, not the coins," he said, "And if in doubt, confundo the waiter and get out fast,"
"No!" yelled James
The others laughed at the shocked look on the curly-haired boy's face, and soon, Sirius was leaving his dorm to head down to the Black Lake, where he'd be meeting Nephera.
Making his way outside, he was surprised to find her already there. The girl was hardly ever on time, and he grinned realizing that she must be as nervous as he was.
Even from afar, he could tell that she wasn't dressed appropriately for the cold temperatures. She was wearing a thin, turtle neck shirt and a pair of wide-leg pants, all in black, as usual. On her feet, was a pair of stiletto boots that for the life of him, the boy couldn't understand how she balanced on.
Walking up to her from behind, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss on her cheek, "Happy birthday, mon coeur," he whispered
She smiled, and leaned into the familiar embrace, "I don't know how happy it could be with my boyfriend and all of my friends ignoring me all day," she said, twisting around to look at him
He too had kept up with the theme of the night and had dressed up formally, a black suit with a white dress shirt, although true to his personality, he was lacking a tie, "They were just trying to make sure I didn't fly off my rocket," he joked, "Now, would I be correct in assuming you already know what we're doing tonight?"
She grinned and nodded, "Rome. You can be quite the romantic if you want to be," she mused
The boy laughed, retrieving a cold coin from his pocket, "As much as I hate to cut this short, we have a portkey to catch," he said, extending his arm
"Illegal portkey? For me?" she gasped dramatically, "You shouldn't have,"
He played into her joke, "Only the best for you, darling," he said, "Now if you please,"
Nephera rolled her eyes, but placed her hand over his, clutching the coin tightly and feeling it grow hot under her palm. The duo was caught in a swirl of colors as their bodies collapsed into themselves until their feet touched solid ground again.
The portkey had taken them to an alley, so that they weren't seen by any muggles, near Plazza di Trevi. Nephera herself had visited the city a few times before, but she had never gotten the opportunity to linger and observe the beauty of it all ever before, "As I said," she whispered, overtaken by the sight of the grand fountain in front of her, "Quite the romantic,"
Sirius smiled down at her, pleased with her reaction. Pulling her closer to him, he placed a kiss on her temple, "Come on, I've made a reservation," he said, pulling her in the direction of the restaurant
The girl quirked an eyebrow, "When, exactly?" she asked
"I came here a week ago with Remus, he did most of the talking,"
"Makes sense," she mused teasingly, but the boy couldn't find it within himself to reprimand her
True to his word, the restaurant certainly warranted the two of them being dressed more formally than usual. Although it was small, it was clear that it attracted a rather sophisticated clientele, as the two teenagers stood out against the other, much older customers. Still, it was beautiful, and after observing the expression on his witch's face, Sirius gave himself a mental pat on the back for his choice.
"Like it?" he asked, needing the confirmation
Nepehra turned around, peeling her gaze away from her surroundings and resting it on the boy in front of her, "Love it," she corrected, kissing him sweetly on the lips
With that final confirmation, Sirius moved forward to one of the waiters, "Good evening," he greeted, "Reservation for Black, two people?"
The man looked over the list once, and nodded, "Si, right 'is way, Signor Black," he said, leading them to a table in the center of the room, and pulling a chair out for Nephera, "Grazie," she thanked
The waiter looked delighted with the fact that she had replied in Italian, "Sai parlare Italiano?" You know how to speak Italian?
"A very small amount," replied the girl, ignoring the look Sirius sent to the waiter
The man laughed, "Someone will be 'ere to give you the menus soon," he said, before walking away
Sirius scowled at the retreating back of the waiter, "Every bloody time, I swear," he said
"Come on now, Snuffles, no need to get jealous," she teased
"Yeah right," he scoffed, "With every bloke around here looking at you like you're-" he took in a deep breath, calming himself, "You know what, I don't care. Because you're not eating with them, are you? No, no you're not,"
Dinner went smoothly after that, with Sirus telling stories about the marauders when they were younger, most of which probably sounded insane to anyone who had no knowledge of the wizarding world.
"And then, just as Wormtail was piling up the dungbombs in front of the Slytherin common room entrance, all of them exploded on us!" he finished, "It took three days to get rid of the-"
He stopped talking and observed her reaction, the way she was looking at him from behind her wine glass, the small smirk on her face, and the mischievous glint in her eyes, "No," he gasped
Putting her glass down, she smiled smugly, "You should've known better than to try and prank my house, Black,"
"But you never said anything! We blamed it on poor Peter, we still bring it up sometimes,"
She laughed, "I know,"
"Unbelievable," he scoffed, "Bloody unbelievable,"
She swallowed the pasta in her mouth, "I wasn't alone in doing it! I'll have you know that it was Ellie that saw you in the first place!"
He cocked his head to the side, his expression turning somber, "You don't really talk about them," he pointed out
"I know, and before you say anything, I know it's not healthy, but-" Nephera took in a deep breath, "It just hurts, remembering that they're not here anymore,"
Sirius didn't say anything, letting her talk and simply listening to what she has to say.
"Sometimes I feel guilty for the way I reacted," she admitted, "I mean, I heard that my best friends were dead, I didn't bat as much as an eye. I just kept playing chess,"
"It was a shock, Nephera," he asserted, "There's no right or wrong way to react to news like that. You loved them, they knew that,"
The brunette smiled gratefully at him, "You don't get nearly as much credit as you deserve," she said, "I don't know how many times you've made me feel better over the past few months,"
"I wouldn't have it any other way, mon coeur," he replied earnestly, "Besides, I get to call you mine, don't I?"
"Don't get all sappy on me now," she snarked
He smirked at her, motioning for the waiter to pour some more wine for the both of them, "Can't I tell my girlfriend how much she means to me on her birthday?"
"Not if it'll make me break this glass over your head,"
"Now, now, love, we both know you'd never cause a scene like that in a place like this,"
Rolling her eyes, she turned her face away to hide the blush on her cheeks. No matter how long the two had been together, he somehow never failed to make her blush. Unknowingly, she started observing the couple that was seated at the table next to them.
"What are you thinking?" asked the Gryffindor, always eager to get an insight into her mind
She smirked, "See that man sitting there? The way he's rubbing his ring finger every once in a while?"
"Yeah, what about it?" he nodded
"I'll bet you anything I own, that the woman there is not his wife," she stated, "I mean, look at her, young, pretty, he looks old enough to be her father. Even worse, the fact that he's not wearing his wedding ring means that she has no idea she's the other woman,"
He couldn't help but look at her as she spoke. Sirius had noticed that whenever she observed other people, her eyes would turn almost cat-like, sweeping with ease and practiced agility over everyone around her, taking into account even the smallest detail. How someone walked, how they talked, where they looked, everything and anything, she noticed.
Nephera was in the middle of explaining more about the couple sitting next to her when she noticed his gaze on her, "Are you even paying attention?" she asked
"To every detail," he replied
And it was true, for he was indeed paying attention to every detail in front of him. The way her hair barely reached her shoulders and had been straightened to perfection. The way the faint light of the restaurant made the deep brown in her eyes pop out, only made brighter by the maroon color her lips were painted.
Yes, he was paying attention to every detail, to the point where he was sure he had her face and the sound of her voice acquitted to memory.
"Should we get desert, or is there anything else you've planned for tonight?" asked the girl
Sirius laughed, "Right again," he exclaimed, "We'll get dessert somewhere else, I need to give you your present first,"
As he signaled over to the waiter in order to pay, Nephera looked at him curiously, "You didn't have to get me anything else, this dinner was more than enough,"
He looked at her pointedly, "Yes I did," he asserted, but then his lips formed into a smirk, "And don't pretend as though you don't enjoy being spoiled,"
She rolled her eyes, knowing that his statement was right, but also knowing that it applied for him too. After all, growing up in families like theirs and leaving aside the abuse, both of them had grown up having anything and everything they ever wanted. Such an upbringing was sometimes hard to shake off.
Nephera fought back a laugh as she looked at Sirius, fumbling over muggle money. In the end, he gave up, simply handing the waiter a few bills and ignoring the quizzing look sent his way, "Bloody muggles," he muttered after the man had left to retrieve their change, "Do you know they have different currencies in each country?"
"It's a good thing we're wizards then, isn't it?" she whispered, careful not to be overheard by anyone
They left the restaurant hand in hand, walking to the same Alley that they had arrived from. This time, the boy took out a pen from his pocket, not offering any questions as he beckoned for the girl to place a finger on it.
Once again, the duo was transported to a different location, a small village, this time. It was a muggle village by the looks of it, built right on the edge of a cliff, with the waves crashing miles below. Long, cobblestone streets stretched around, leading to the center of the village. The streets were lined with lamps, providing a soft glow to the area.
However, what truly captured her attention was the house they were currently standing in front of. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together, and she turned around to see Sirius looking at her anxiously, "Really?" she asked, a small laugh escaping her
The boy extended his arm, handing her a pair of keys, "I uh, well, I suppose this is me asking you if you want to move in together after Hogwarts," he said, "But if you don't want to, then the house is just for you, you know? I was just wondering-"
She cut off his rambling by pressing a kiss to his lips, "Yes, Sirius, I'd love to move in with you,"
"Oh thank Merlin," he sighed relieved, "I don't think I've ever been more anxious in my life!"
"Sirius Black, anxious over a girl, who would've thought," she mused
The boy pecked her lips, "Not just any girl, mon amour, not just any girl,"
A/N
4k words
jeez this chapter was longer than normal, and because of this it's not edited so ignore any mistakes please!
also, don't worry, more drama's coming soon
much more drama lmao oops
don't forget to comment and vote!
xx