chapter nineteen; slughorn's christmas party
TEMPEST WISHED SHE REMEMBERED WHAT FEELING BEAUTIFUL WAS LIKE. Call her self-centred, but she missed having a face free of scarring. She ignored it best she could when surrounded by others (that being the Marauders, Remus in particular), but when alone or in the company of one of the girls, she could complain as much as she liked and knew they wouldn't mind.
"You look absolutely gorgeous!" Marlene cried, rushing forward in her striped pyjama pants and sighing happily. She placed her hot chocolate down on her bedside table, before clambering over and spinning her friend around. Tempest reddened a little, looking down at her feet. She hated dresses, especially this one. Tanusha had sent it over upon hearing the news that her sister were to attend Slughorn's Christmas party. It was a significant event in the Hogwarts social calendar, hence why the older Thatcher-Grover wanted to uphold the family reputation. "Tanusha knows what she's doing."
"She always does," Tempest smiled slightly, looking down at the beautiful silk and tulle of the deep crimson garment. Correct, it truly was a lovely dress, she just hated how awkward she felt in it. Also, she hated wearing make-up, yet Lily had insisted. The red irritation of her scar had calmed over the last few weeks, and it was but a large, pinkish line. Lily's powder had made it blend in a little more, which was nice enough. Tempest still noticed it, though.
"I still can't believe you're going with Sirius," Marlene gushed, as if her heart was swelling up. "It's taken you both long enough."
"We aren't together, Marl," Tempest shook her head, rolling her eyes a little, though she couldn't stop the tiniest of smiles appearing on her lips. "We aren't...compatible."
"Shut up," Marlene scoffed, amusement lacing her tone as she pushed Tempest's shoulder so that she moved closer to the dorm door. "You two have gotten so close over the last couple of years, and regardless of whether or not you'll get together, you make adorable friends."
Tempest didn't respond, she instead twisted the doorknob and began to exit the dormitory with her friend on her tail. The raven-haired teenager reached for the hand of Marlene, who gripped it firmly, understanding the unease.
"Just wait till they see you," Marlene assured her as they walked down the spiralling stairs towards the common room, where some of the other attendees were waiting for her.
The girls turned the corner, and Tempest quickly met the eyes of the handsome brunet boy standing beside James in a well-fitted suit. Sirius' jaw slacked a little upon the sight of the insecure yet enchanting girl drawing closer to him. It appeared that for once in both their lives, they had been set on edge by a person that didn't actually mean them any harm.
"You look amazing, Tempest," Sirius reached out to squeeze her arm, to which she flushed a little. His lips seemed to be stuck in a permanent smile, one that wasn't sympathetic, suggestive of demeaning; it was one that was full of admiration and respect.
"You too," Tempest responded softly, unlocking her grip on Marlene and reaching to loop her arm with his. The burning fear inside her seemed to settled for a moment when they touched, replaced with nervous butterflies fluttering about in her stomach. She opened her mouth again to speak, but she couldn't think of anything to say. What was wrong with her? Usually Sirius was so easy to talk to, but for some reason there felt as though a barrier were between them. Merlin, she was so helpless all of a sudden.
She didn't realise she had been staring at him for such a long time until James cleared his throat. The two both turned their heads away from each other with red cheeks, and their friends surrounding them chuckled. The Potter boy was smirking with his arms crossed over his chest. "You two should be off then?"
"It's a shame you can't come, Potter," Tempest muttered, and he shrugged, his lips remaining upturned.
"I'll be there in spirit," he winked, causing both of the teens before him to scoff. The boy then stepped to the side and gestured for them to move past him. "Go on, you'll be late."
Sirius grinned down at Tempest and nudged her a little, before they both began moving towards the exit of the common room. The raven haired boy leaned down a little to whisper in her ear. "Told you I'm not a liar."
Tempest rolled her eyes a little upon the realisation of what he meant. He said she'd look beautiful that night, and though she may not have felt like it, for a split second she knew he was right.
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"Here, Pest, try this!" Sirius practically flew across Slughorn's office with a small pastry in hand, eager to feed his friend. Tempest eagerly grabbed the food from him and stuffed it in her face, using her free hand to give him her glass of butterbeer. The two indulged in their respective treats, making incoherent grumbles of delight.
"This is brilliant, far better than any of the other snacks here," Tempest mumbled, her mouth filled with food. The pair had assigned themselves a corner of the party, neither of them too skilled at small talk unless they were part of a group of familiars. Lily was galavanting somewhere with Alice Longbottom seeing as Marlene didn't really want to come, leaving the other two Gryffindors to their own devices.
"Lighten up, Thatcher!" Sirius laughed, throwing his arm around her shoulder and gesturing to the less than lively atmosphere. Professor Slughorn was bumbling around with his third glass of giggle-water, his eyes slightly glazed as he wandered the premises, trying to converse with all of his guests. "Look, if Slughorn's having fun, no doubt we can as well!"
"That's easy for you to say," Tempest looked up at her friend, who poked the side of her cheek to try and get her to smile. "You're a party animal."
Sirius scoffed mockingly, placing his hand over his heart. "I, have never partied once in my life. I dedicate all of my time to studying the arts of transfiguration in hopes to win the heart of my one true love, Minerva McGonagall."
"That's only partly true," Tempest joked, to which Sirius grinned. He reached down and laced their hands together, before nodding towards the balcony on the other side of the room.
"Come on, the stars are meant to be quite nice tonight," the boy suggested, and Tempest quirked an eyebrow, allowing him to drag her through the loud party. She nearly stepped outside too, until she heard the torrential rain. Sirius noticed her stop, and he turned just before he could make it onto the balcony. "What's wrong?"
Tempest sent a flat look in his direction. "What do you think? It's pouring, genius."
"It's drizzling," he attempted to correct her, only to be cut off by the booming thunder. Tempest crossed her arms and felt a small smirk rise to her face. "Come on, Onyx, you've always loved the rain."
"Not in a pretty dress," she shook her head, and Sirius paused, before looking over the girl's shoulder.
"Mister Black, Miss Thatcher!" The slightly shaky voice of Horace Slughorn grew louder, and Tempest felt her heartbeat slow a little in relief as she was saved for a moment. Sirius huffed quietly, though he put on his most polite expression as he greeted the potions professor.
"Good evening, Professor," Tempest smiled warmly, reaching to shake the man's hand. Sirius did the same, his upper arm brushing against his friend's. "This is a lovely party."
"Thank you, my dear," the man hummed, seeming slightly tipsy. That was all right though, it was nice to see him having fun. "Shame about the weather though. I'm sure it'll turn to snow soon enough. Oh, and I must say, you two make a lovely couple."
"Kind of you to say, Sir," Sirius interjected before Tempest could say they weren't one. She nudged him in the stomach with her elbow and he chuckled softly, but she didn't shut him down verbally.
"You know, I always had an inkling that you two would end up together," Slughorn hummed, oblivious to the looks on the faces of the teenagers before him. Sirius was smirking, while Tempest's eyes were slowly widening. "I assume it all fell into place during our lesson on Amortentia? Mister Black here said he smelled brand new books, salt water and a hint of blueberry. I don't suppose he was referring to your habits of reading, though I'm not as sure about the other two."
The expressions on Sirius and Tempest's faces had now switched. Tempest smirked a little. "I live in Brighton, by the sea, and blueberries are my favourite fruit. Interesting of you to notice, Professor."
"You'd be surprised how many crushes you hear of when you're part of a school faculty," he chuckled to himself, before bumbling off to chat with someone else. Tempest, unable to hide her smile, turned on her heels to see Sirius Black bright red in the face.
"Books, salt water and a hint of blueberry?" she asked, her eyebrows quirked amusedly. Sirius scoffed, crossing his arms and looking down at her.
"Oh yeah? And what did you smell?" He retorted, and Tempest lifted her finger to her chin to mock her deep thought.
"Mud, sweat and too much hair gel," she teased, and he rolled his eyes despite his growing grin, poking her in the stomach lightly.
"You're hilarious, did you know that?" he responded, before taking off his blazer and drooping it over her shoulders. "There we are, your pretty dress is protected now. Can we go and stargaze?"
"If we must," Tempest sighed over-dramatically, though she didn't hesitate in following his footsteps. She laughed as she felt the downpour wash over her, Sirius' blazer doing nothing to stop the water drenching the fabric of her clothing. He was right -- she loved the rain.
"You see, that one is Orion," Sirius shouted over the torrent, pointing at the pitch black sky. Tempest laughed, looking up to see the clouds covering any sort of star. "That one is Cassiopeia, and over there is Cygnus!"
"You can see them all so clearly!" Tempest cried out, her voice laced in sarcasm. Sirius grinned, reaching over and pulling her closer to him. The two stood in silence for a few moments, allowing themselves to be drenched in the rain. Sirius shuddered a little, so Tempest took his blazer from her shoulders and returned it to him. "There we go."
"Well, my attempt in being a gentleman backfired," the boy muttered, and Tempest chuckled. He then looked down at her, droplets falling from his dark hair. "Did you really smell mud, sweat and hair gel?"
Squinting up at him as she tried not to get water in her eyes, she shook her head. "Only the hair gel."
Sirius laughed and pulled her closer to him. "What else?"
"Strawberry and petrichor," she responded, to which he furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing what it meant. Tempest smiled. "It's the smell that comes after the rain."
Sirius reached forward and tucked a piece of hair behind Tempest's ear. Her makeup had almost completely dissipated in the rain, leaving her scar on full view and her eyes with slight black rims around them. He didn't care. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. "What you say if I kissed you right now?"
Tempest chewed the inside of her cheek, before tilting her head a little. "I'd ask you why you took so bloody long."
Sirius laughed, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers. With his hands cupping her face, Tempest felt a swirling in her stomach, as if this had been something she was missing for so long. The rain still pelted against her clothes and her body, but she was warm. As she pulled away, she rested her head against his shoulder and embraced him.
She never wanted this feeling to go away.
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YES WE LOVE THAT #SOFT CONTENT LADS
SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN AGES BUT I'M A SPREEEEEE RIGHT NOW AND I'M WRITING AS MUCH AS I CAN BEFORE IT ENDS NEWYEARNEWME