Chapter title from "Found Out About You" by Gin Blossoms.
For those who came here without reading the first book, know that my character Rhiannon was basically born out of and raised in sexual magic. It only grew stronger once she entered the British wizarding world and became entangled with Sirius and Severus, learned more about the Dark Arts, and learned the nature of her own powers and inclinations. Just some insight into her behavior. She's interesting...😉
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"Colleen...Gilmore." Her own last name sounded strange rolling off her tongue. It was the first time she'd said it or been conscious of it this week. Robert's name. She wished she could wave a magic wand and go back to her maiden name, Cannon, leaving every trace of Robert behind. "Um, would you like to come in?"
She stepped aside and let the girl enter into the living room. Her poise was regal, her body fluid. Those alluring eyes scanned the bare room and she shook her golden head with a small smile.
"He still hasn't decorated a bit, has he? Just as well, I suppose. You should see his room in his old house— it's atrocious. I guess since Severus owns this place I should just do it myself. But I'm a little busy with start of term."
Her accent was different— American, but peppered with a few British inflections here and there as if she'd been here for awhile now. She turned back to face Colleen and a grin swept her face. "Of course— you should just do it! You obviously have an eye for beauty— you're stunning."
Rhiannon moved closer until she was nearly right up against her. She reached her left hand out and grasped a strand of Colleen's hair, running it through her fingers before laying it gently back down. The hairs on Colleen's arm stood up. She glanced down at the fingers resting against her, her attention focused on the intricate ring the girl wore. Its center was a large emerald, flanked on the side by two slightly smaller pear-shaped diamonds resembling snake heads. Even tinier diamonds trailed down each snake's back until they merged together as one, leading to the silver band that encircled her delicate finger. The ring, her eyes, her touch— they combined into some kind of force that seemed to cause Colleen's very breath to catch in her chest. She was suddenly very aware of her half undressed state.
"Thank you," Colleen finally mumbled awkwardly. "You're very stunning, too. Obviously."
The girl's laughter danced throughout the flat. Colleen expected her to back away, but she didn't, her fingers taking turns toying with Colleen's hair and the sleeve of her shirt. It would normally be absurdly invasive, but for some reason Colleen didn't really mind. Her conscious awareness screamed at her to find out who this girl was and why she was here, but that lower part of her brain, the part that just rolled along and accepted whatever tempting, maddening confusion Sirius had thrown her way this week, just hung on for the girl's next move. She was mesmerizing.
"Remus told me Sirius said you were a queen," Rhiannon continued. "But of course Sirius is so dramatic, I needed to see for myself. Clearly he was right though. I'm really glad he found you so quickly. I've been so worried about him." This time she pulled Colleen into an embrace, her nose passing through Colleen's hair casually as if she were trying to sneak a whiff of the perfume she'd put on after her shower.
What's with these people always sniffing?
"Mmm," Rhiannon said with a laugh. "You do smell nice."
"Th-thank you?"
Colleen breathed a sigh of relief when Sirius appeared, shirtless in khaki drawstring pants, toweling his wet curls. He froze when he saw the two women embracing. Colleen pulled back awkwardly, noting Rhiannon's amusement as she did so.
"Sirius," the beautiful girl greeted him. She moved gracefully across the room and took him in her arms as well, kissing his cheek. Colleen's stomach knotted. This didn't look like one of those one-night stands from the newspaper article; she acted more like a wife greeting her husband. She did turn him loose more quickly though than she had Colleen, her attention darting to the dining table and the tea tray Colleen had prepared instead.
"I'll get an extra cup," Rhiannon announced, disappearing into the kitchen.
Sirius immediately looked at Colleen apologetically. "I didn't know she'd be here. I promise."
"Does she not call ahead?" she replied tersely.
"Um, no. She doesn't use telephones. And she hasn't been here in weeks. Her husband owns the place."
"Ah, so that's the only connection?" Colleen hated the jealously in her voice, but there was surely no woman on the planet that would be confident when that girl was in the room.
"No," Sirius answered honestly. "We were engaged at one point."
She was breathless once again. But not in a good way like his wickedly enticing ex-fiancé seemed to command. This was more like a panic attack. Colleen forced herself to retain composure. An ex-fiancé was a perfectly normal thing to have, just as she'd had a husband. It didn't mean anything now. Except that the fiancé was currently standing in his kitchen and apparently had a habit of making unannounced drop-ins.
"How long ago?"
"It ended between us last Christmas. She was married last Saturday."
Colleen nodded slowly, a puzzle piece seeming to move into place. "The night you went to the club, looking for someone that seemed as sad as you were."
Sirius shook his head and immediately brought her into his arms. "No," he said emphatically. "It wasn't like that at all. I didn't even know about the wedding until I saw it in the newspaper on Monday."
"The newspaper? Who is she, Sirius? Some kind of movie star?"
He hesitated. "Not exactly. It's a special interest kind of newspaper...local."
"These cookies look delicious," Rhiannon commented, filling her cup with steaming tea and sinking her teeth into a Stroopwafel.
"Thanks, they're Dutch," Colleen commented offhandedly. She joined Sirius's ex-fiancé at the dining table, deciding to at least attempt cordiality for now. She wasn't about to press him for answers and show her insecurities in front of Rhiannon.
"Have you traveled to the Netherlands?" Rhiannon asked brightly. "There are so many places I want to travel, when this whole mess is over. Though I'd have better luck getting Cornish pixies to take a nap than convincing Severus to ever leave his bookshelf. I tried to get him to come with me tonight. You two really need to learn to get along better, Sirius. Actually have a chat. But with classes starting Monday he's in a foul mood already, of course. That's why I'm here. Wanted to let you know Harry arrived. It seems he had a tangle with Draco Malfoy on the train though."
Sirius tensed like he wanted to jump up from table. "Is he alright?"
"Draco broke his nose."
"WHAT?" Sirius did stand up this time, the muscles of his bare chest taut like he might turn into a beast.
"Shhhh," Rhiannon said calmly, resting a hand on his arm.
It was like Colleen wasn't even there.
"I ran into Tonks in Hogsmeade," Rhiannon resumed. "She had been on duty when the train arrived at the station and she found him. Draco had immobilized him too. If Tonks hadn't been on watch he would have ended up riding the train back to London."
"Not the worst thing," Sirius said sullenly. "Someone could have alerted me. I would have gotten him."
Rhiannon sighed. "Sirius, really? You know better than that. Anyways, Tonks fixed his nose up, and Severus escorted him to the feast. He said Harry was 'even more angry and insufferable than usual,' to which I replied he would be as well if someone had just broken his nose and left him trapped on a train. I ducked out after that, to come here and let you know what happened, since Harry was hurt and all. I'm sorry to...interrupt your weekend." Her eyes raised to Colleen's with a warm smile. "She's beautiful, Sirius."
"Yes, I'm aware." His tone was biting and on edge; Colleen reminded herself this had to do with Harry and that those words weren't meant as a slight against her.
"What did he and Draco have a row about anyway?" Sirius asked, sampling one of the Dutch cookies for himself. He gave Colleen a quick nod of thanks.
"That I don't know. I'll try to find out. It may have not even had a reason— could have just been like you and Severus back in the day," she said teasingly.
Sirius grunted.
"How about I leave the two of you alone now to enjoy your weekend?" she suggested. "Remus said you have a child, Colleen?"
"Yes. And since I didn't get a chance to answer your earlier question, yes— I have been to the Netherlands."
"What? Oh!" Rhiannon's laugh had a cadence like a ringing of a bell. "I'm jealous. Maybe I can get you to travel with me if my husband won't." She jumped up from the table and grabbed Colleen's arm, pulling her with her toward the door.
"But since you have a break from being a mother this weekend, you and Sirius really should enjoy every minute," she insisted. "I'm headed back to the school. It was so nice to meet you. Really." Her green eyes locked to Colleen's blue ones with sincerity. "I just want him to be happy. And you're the one — the one he was meant to find."
"How could you possibly know that?" Colleen questioned, perplexed. She was growing tired of hearing this and just being expected to believe it.
Rhiannon lowered her voice to a whisper. Sirius had retreated to the kitchen, presumably avoiding any possible accusations of ogling, touching, or waxing nostalgic for his ex.
"Ask him about Amortentia."
"Amor- what?"
"Amortentia. Not now. Wait until the moment is right. But that's what you should ask him if you want to understand," the young girl advised, squeezing Colleen's hand.
"I'm so tired of all these code words and names," Colleen whispered back, her voice pained. "You all
live in this world I can't possibly understand. I never know if it's all just one giant joke at my expense or one giant puzzle that would terrify me if I ever figured it out."
She had no idea why she would open up like this to Sirius's ex, of all people, but the words had just poured out. Colleen couldn't stop a tear from rolling down her cheek— not from true sadness, but just from several weeks of being completely overwhelmed.
Rhiannon brought her hand up and caressed Colleen's cheek softly, wiping the tear away. She seemed to grasp it in her hand for a moment, then opened her fingers to reveal a tear-shaped diamond in her palm.
"What the..."
"Shhh..." Rhiannon placed the jewel in Colleen's hand and sealed it closed. "Don't question it. Just appreciate the beauty. And trust Sirius. Believe me— he's a good man. And when he loves you, he is all in. His world is complex, but he will help you understand it at a pace that will keep you comfortable and safe. Alright?"
Colleen nodded. She should hate the woman, but she didn't. She seemed wise and powerful, almost like some divine current flowed through her and only used her as a vessel. Still, as Colleen thought of the shirtless god sitting in the kitchen, she was rather glad the goddess was vacating the premises for the evening.
*********
Sirius remained in the kitchen a few minutes after he heard the front door close. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of Colleen's reaction, having had zero chance to prepare her ahead of time. Rhiannon was a force— that much was a fact. But one he no longer struggled to resist. His time with Dr. Moody and even the months at Grimmauld Place between their breakup and his resurrection from death had given him perspective. She was beautiful, sexual, smart, thrilling— but she wasn't what Sirius needed. He longed for warmth, comfort, softness, and understanding. A woman whose beauty enveloped and nurtured him, not tantalized and teased him. Surely Colleen would understand that.
Just as Sirius was about to stand and head to the living room, Colleen appeared in the kitchen instead. Sirius heard something tiny bounce on the table as she set it in front of him. A diamond.
"Are you asking me to marry you, love? Because the answer is unequivocally 'yes.'"
"No, apparently your ex is presenting me with diamonds," Colleen replied, finally sinking down to enjoy her tea and cookie. She hadn't eaten a thing with Rhiannon present. "How did she do it, Sirius?"
Sirius wasn't following. "Do what?"
"I cried. She took a tear from my face and turned it into that."
"Why were you crying, my love?"
"Sirius! Focus! I know what I saw. I want to know what is going on."
"I honestly don't know how she did it," Sirius answered. "That's not typical magic."
Colleen cradled her head in her hands. "And what IS typical magic?"
He sighed. His stomach actually felt nervous again, like it did that night of their first phone call. There was so much on the line now. At this point he felt like he might truly die without her.
"Rhiannon's a witch," he finally told her. It was the best he could do. Not an outright lie, but still playing his own cards close to the chest.
Colleen's pale blue eyes blinked. Then she dissolved into laughter. "A witch? I suppose that's why she's so damn beautiful, right? Really, Sirius. This is ludicrous."
"No more ludicrous than this, right?" He held up the diamond. "How else would you explain it?"
"Are you asking me if she's a witch or telling me she is? I'm so confused, Sirius. How many more things are you going to throw at me and expect me to understand?"
Sirius reached for her hand, gripping it tighter when she tried to pull it away. "I'm telling you she's a witch. An actual witch."
Colleen sipped her tea, staring blankly at the table. "Is that why you decided not to marry her?"
"Not exactly. She fell in love with someone else."
"So if she hadn't, you'd be married to her right now?"
"Who's to say, really?" he responded truthfully. "A lot has happened over the past year. A lot, Colleen. If any one of those infinite number of things had been the slightest bit different, then anything could have happened. I don't love her. I love...the idea...of us. You and me— what we have. What we're building. Rhiannon will be a part of my life though, because she is my only connection to Harry at the moment. I can't give that up. I hope you understand."
Colleen nodded reluctantly. "A witch, though? What does that even mean? Like a Hocus Pocus, Wizard of Oz kind of witch? Or like a Stevie Nicks, wiccan, pagan, whatever kind of witch? Like a religion, or some kind of practice?"
Sirius shrugged and laughed. "Like a real, actual witch. I'm not sure which of those categories it fits into— maybe all of the above, in some way. But magic is real, love. It's not just some game in a box like Ben's magic set. I can tell you more about it...show you more about it. But it will take time. And I'll need you to be patient with me and trust me."
Colleen looked at him like he had just spun the Earth on its axis. He supposed he had. He could have just said Rhiannon was a witch and left it at that. But he knew Colleen would find out the whole truth one day, which would make this conversation seem like a deliberate omission, a lie. Sirius knew this was the gateway he needed to get this whole thing started.
"So you..." she began, closing her eyes. Opening them. Fidgeting with her hands, her hair. Her mouth wanting to speak, but the words seeming afraid to spill out.
"Yes?" Sirius prompted her.
"What did you do when you found out she was a...witch? God, it sounds so stupid to say, Sirius. Like you're playing some joke on me, and I'm falling for it, and you're laughing at me on the inside."
"It's not a joke, and I'm definitely not laughing at you. And I think what you're trying to ask me is if I already knew witches existed, and that magic is real, before I met her. Because you're wondering about me. And the answer is yes— I'm magic as well. I'm a wizard."
Sirius let out the breath he felt like he'd been holding for a week. A week was a long time to hold one's breath, but he knew it likely wasn't long enough. He envisioned Ministry officials bursting through his door to cart him back to Azkaban for his flagrant violation of the International Statute of Secrecy. Thank Merlin they all thought he was dead.
Colleen stood and walked to the kitchen window, staring up at the sky.
"Good idea," Sirius said quickly. "Let's go outside. For a walk. We need some fresh air. I'll get you some bottoms." He disappeared to his bedroom, grateful for the distraction. He threw a white t-shirt on himself and grabbed Colleen a pair of leggings. As he made his way back into the hall, he stopped, then returned to his armoire drawer to retrieve his wand. He didn't make a production of hiding it this time. It was a tangible thing that could aid in their discussion— something to wrap her head around.
The sound of crickets filled the air, and a crisp nip on the September wind caused Sirius to pull Colleen to his side as they walked. His street was deserted, since it was largely a family neighborhood with little ones enjoying supper and bath at that time of night. Sirius was grateful he didn't have to worry with onlookers.
"I should have brought my jacket," Colleen mumbled.
Sirius wasted no time transfiguring her t-shirt into a sweatshirt. It was the perfect opening, and he fell right though.
"Sirius!" she shrieked.
"Shhh, keep your voice down, love. There's a law against Muggles seeing things like that. I am only showing you because you're my chosen partner. I need you to keep your reactions to a minimum, alright?"
Colleen just stared ahead at the pavement, her mouth agape.
"Wait a minute— what's a Muggle?"
"You are, darling."
She made a face. "That doesn't sound very flattering. Reminds me of something like a Muppet— or 'one who mugs people.' What does it mean?"
Sirius chuckled. "I'm not sure where the word comes from. But it means a person without any magical blood." His thoughts drifted to Benji; the power had to come from one of his parents' bloodlines, at some point in the past. Sirius wasn't quite sure how to figure out which, though for some reason it occurred to him it might be a good conversation to have with Snape, of all people, at some point. The man was good at solving riddles. Rhiannon would be delighted.
"So you're born into this, then. You don't choose it?"
"Correct."
"I can't believe I'm even trying to understand this," Colleen said, clearly flustered, her hands flying nervously as she spoke. "I feel so gullible, like I've completely leapt off the rails." She stopped walking and turned to him. "That— that thing you used on my shirt— that's a wand? A real one?"
Sirius grinned proudly. "I would be honored for you to hold my wand, my lady. I do feel it will be quite content in your capable hands."
Colleen rolled her eyes at his double entendre but laughed, which pleased him. He wanted to keep this as lighthearted as possible. He removed his wand again and gently placed it in her right hand. She examined the carvings in the ebony wood and traced them lightly. Sirius swore he could feel the movement of her fingers on his skin even though they stood apart.
"What you told Ben...the school...the letters...the owls..."
"All true."
"The newspaper on your table..."
"You saw that?"
Colleen nodded. She looked miserable— overwhelmed, nauseated, unsure of reality itself. Sirius knew it was time to stop.
"Colleen, my love— I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight. We need to take it slow, okay? Will you trust me?" Sirius returned the wand to his pocket and drew her close.
She didn't answer right away, the only sound being the crickets and cars driving past at the nearby intersection.
"Yes, Sirius. I trust you," she finally replied.
Colleen buried her face in his shirt and squeezed his waist, seeming to want to tether herself to something real, something physical. He lifted her chin and kissed her earnestly, conjuring his strongest feelings of reassurance and security in an attempt to transmit them to her.
They had reached a cross street with some eateries up ahead; Sirius suggested a real dinner and a change of subject. They spent the remainder of the evening talking about Ben— his favorites, silly little things he would say, his first steps, how Colleen felt when she held him when he was a baby. She told Sirius of how she sat in front of the television one night the week after Ben was born, watching Winnie the Pooh (Sirius had to ask what that was), holding his sleeping form on her shoulder with tears streaming down her face, for no real reason other than the poignant interactions of the characters along with her newfound love for the tiny little boy. Motherhood was beautiful on her. Everything was beautiful on her. Sirius had never wanted to be in something as much as he wanted to be in everything that was hers— her thoughts, her heart, her home, her world.
It was an entirely new brand of magic to him, and one he desperately hoped his own magic wouldn't jeopardize.