you are loved. - r.lupin (ft. THE s.black)

dandelions

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked in between giggles. Her blue eyes were covered by a red and yellow striped tie, preventing her from seeing her surroundings. She felt a warm hand holding hers and she heard her boots crunch against the cold snow.

"Just wait," Sirius laughed. He was carefully leading Caroline towards a field, making sure to avoid small sticks so she wouldn't trip. In his free hand was their woven basket filled with soups and salads because he knew Caroline wouldn't be able to hold it while she was blindfolded.

Instead of just staying at the edge of the Forbidden Forest for their monthly picnic, Sirius decided to bring her to a place where he liked to think. As far as he knew, nobody else went into the forest so no one else would be at that spot.

They finally reached a spot under a huge tree that was free of snow but not bare ground. Sirius quickly found an area where it was clear and he let go of Caroline's hand. He made his way over to the area and began fixing their food so it was in a nice arrangement.

Sirius looked back at the blindfolded girl who was standing awkwardly because she couldn't see. For a second, he thought he'd made a mistake by taking her to this place but he immediately felt okay when she smiled. "Sirius, are you still there?" she asked hopefully.

Maybe it was the way that she said his name or maybe it was the way that she smiled, but Sirius knew he'd never met anyone like her before. He believed that love came once in a lifetime and he was sure that she was the love of his.

"Yeah, I'm here, princess." Sirius walked towards her and carefully lifted her blindfold. Her blue eyes fluttered open and the first thing that she saw was Sirius' grey eyes. Sirius looked into her eyes and for him, he saw forever. With her.

"What is this place?" Caroline asked, her eyes diverting from Sirius'. He moved out of the way so she could take in her surroundings and she smiled at the flowers on the ground.

"This is where I come to think sometimes," he explained.

"In a field of dandelions?"

"Yes," Sirius chuckled, "in a field of dandelions. I found this place less than a year ago." He bent down and picked up two dandelions, then handed one to her. She held the small flower by the stem with both of her hands, her thin eyebrows raised in question.

"You're supposed to close your eyes and make a wish when you blow it," Sirius explained. "Whenever I come here, I pick up a dandelion and I make a wish. It's like birthday candles basically. They could come true if you wish really hard."

"You must've had a lot of different wishes then," Caroline giggled.

"Nope, just one. I wish for the same thing everytime," Sirius said. His dark grey eyes searched Caroline's blue eyes and she somehow knew what he wished for but didn't bother to ask about it.

The Pettigrew girl looked down at her dandelion and closed her eyes tightly. Sirius watched in awe as she blew the small white parts off and they floated into the air, taken away by the wind.

Sirius followed suit and blew his dandelion while making a wish. Just as he told Caroline, he made the same wish that he'd wished on every dandelion. He wished that one day, Caroline would be his.

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"I know this is hard for you to hear, Care-bear, but-"

"Peter, for Merlin's sake! Shut up!" Caroline screamed. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! He's not dead so stop it!" She tried to make her way towards the staircase leading to the girls dorm but Peter stood in front of the staircase, blocking her.

"I don't want to believe it as much as you but the longer it takes for you to accept it, the worse it's going to be when you do realize!" Peter argued. "His funeral is in 2 days and you need to be there!"

"He's not dead, Peter! Why is there even a funeral?" Caroline asked desperately.

"Caroline, he's gone!" Peter lowered his voice even though there was no one else in the Gryffindor common room besides him and his sister. "I don't want to fight you but you have to be there. Don't do it for me but do it for dad."

After knowing that Caroline heard him, he moved to the side and let her pass. The youngest Pettigrew angrily pushed past him and stormed into her dorm. Peter let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead as he walked up the stairs leading to his own dorm.

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Caroline was dressed in a flowy black dress, the one black article of clothing that she owned. Her hair was neatly braided but there were no flowers this time. Instead, there was a single red rose in her black gloved hands.

She watched the casket holding her father's body sit in an opening in the dirt ground. Her older brother stood next to her, wearing a black suit. First, her mother tossed a red rose into the grave, landing into the coffin softly.

Peter followed shortly after, also throwing in a red rose. Caroline's hand trembled as she gripped the rose, the thorns seeping into her skin. She released the flower and watched as it fell onto the dark green box. "I can't do this, I'm sorry," she quickly apologized.

Caroline quickly wiped a tear from her cheek and walked off quickly, her black dress flowing behind her. Sirius wanted to go after her but James put his hand on Sirius' chest, telling him 'no' without saying any words.

The bespectacled boy quietly excused himself and went after Caroline. He searched the entire cemetery but she was nowhere to be found so James went back to Hogwarts. He reached the girls dormitories and knocked on the 6th year's door.

The door slowly opened and James could see that Caroline's face was covered in mascara tears and her eyes were red and puffy. "I don't want to talk, James," Caroline said sadly.

She began to close the door but James stuck his foot in the crack so she wasn't able to fully close it. He gently pushed his way into the dorm so he didn't have a chance of accidentally hurting her and he closed the door behind him.

"I thought it was best to not have anyone too close to come see if you were okay," James explained, "so that's why Sirius or Peter or Lily isn't here. I didn't want you to do something you'd regret."

"I wouldn't do something stupid but thank you," Caroline sniffled.

"Oh come here," James muttered. The Potter boy wrapped his arms around Caroline's waist and she slipped her arms under his and encircled them around him. She sobbed into his suit and his dress shirt became completely drenched in her tears.

James soothingly stroked her hair while she cried and whispered nice things to her. "I want to give you something," James whispered. Caroline briefly lifted her head out of James' shirt and he pulled a small mirror.

"A mirror?"

"It's a two-way mirror. Sirius and I used to use them when he stayed at his house over breaks but now we live together so we don't use them. Whenever you're sad, you can look into this mirror and say my name and I'll be able to see you and you'll be able to see me," the Gryffindor Chaser explained.

"Why are you giving it to me?" Caroline asked. "Why don't you give it to Lily or Remus?"

"Do you really think that Lily would take this?" James shot back, causing Caroline to giggle through her small sniffles. "I'd just shout into the mirror all day to get her attention and she wouldn't know how to shut me up. Besides, I want you to have it."

Caroline gingerly took the mirror into her hands and managed to smile even though she thought she looked terrible in her reflection. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For everything, I mean. For being here today and for the mirror and for being my friend."

"Thank you for being my friend," James responded softly.