the hat | 𝐬.𝐛

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟰𝟵 || To Encounter

It was way past midnight when Emery awoke.

She opened her eyes, rubbed them, and noticed her father sleeping beside her. At once a smile crept on to her face. Placing a kiss on his forehead, she covered him with a spare duvet and tiptoed out of bed, suddenly feeling extremely thirsty.

She crept out of the room, shutting the door gently behind her, and walked across the carpeted corridors to the marble staircase, her bare feet treading soundlessly as she descended.

On reaching the kitchen, she went to one of the cupboards, taking out a glass and filling it with water.

She turned out the lamp, then headed towards the door, until she bumped into something hard.

It was dark, and she couldn't see, but she automatically knew it was Sirius.

She could smell his faint cologne, and his lingering smell of cigarettes and firewhiskey. Just then, she noticed he had an arm around her waist.

She would have fallen if otherwise. 

"S-sorry," she mumbled, yawing. "Sirius?" 

His voice was raspy, and sent tingles to her toes. "Hmmm?"

She wanted to go back to sleep. Her face was red, and Emery sighed gratefully once again to the fact that it was dark. A blush coated her cheeks, and she was sweating.

She was barely wearing anything suitable for him to see.

She wore a pair of satin shorts that reached her mid-thigh, and a long sleeved dressing gown that just barely covered her shorts. The dressing gown was made of soft satin, with a furry border along the rim. It was backless, but covered with a light net mesh.

Feeling extremely self conscious, she squirmed under his grip.

"Uhh," she murmured. "You hand, it's around my waist," she whispered.

"I'm aware, love," he hummed.

Emery's heart fluttered at the way he said 'love'. She was once again, grateful it was dark, so he couldn't see her blushing.

"Erm," she stuttered. "Your hand, uhh, could you please move it?" she murmured. "It's around me, and I want to go upstairs, but I can't because your hand is around me, and if you'd move it, I could go, and I'm a bit..."

"Shh," Sirius cooed, stroking her hair. "Calm down, darling." He retracted his arm, gently sliding it around her waist. 

He put his hand and the back of her head, kissing her forehead. "Sleep tight, love," he murmured into her hair, running his hand down to her back.

 Emery's heart beat thunderously as his digits skimmed across her semi-bare skin. All that separated his fingers from her skin was the sheer net of her pajama. She could feel the tips of his skin grazing against her back, shivers trailing down her spine.

He felt her warm skin beneath his fingertips, and he blushed at the thought of touching her almost-bare back.

"Goodnight," said Emery simply, then turned away from him, the echoes of Sirius' fingers still haunting her skin.

Then she felt an arm curl around her wrist, and pulling her backwards.

Emery stumbled forwards into Sirius' chest.

"Uhh," she whispered, her voice raspy with nervousness.

"Where's the lamp?" Sirius whispered. "I came for water."

"Oh," said Emery softly. "Uh, yeah, right."

She moved her wrist away from his fingers, then turned on the lamp, blushing madly as Sirius followed her, feeling extremely strained in nothing but her pajamas.

She walked over to the cupboard, reaching her arm up and getting a glass, then filling in water and handing it to him, their fingers barely brushing over each other.

Emery tucked her messy locks behind her ear, feeling awkward as she suddenly wondered what to do with her hands.

"Thanks," Sirius mumbled, then drank the water in one gulp. He placed the glass on the counter.

It was then that he realized Emery wasn't fully dressed.

He'd never seen her in shorts, and her legs suddenly seemed much longer. Her skin had a soft glow to it, and her hair seemed to shine in the dim lamplight. He noticed her bare back, covered only by a transparent net fabric.

He stood up, realizing that he stared for too long.

"Goodnight, Emery," he whispered, then walked past her, his shoulders grazing past hers.

"Night."

***

Emery awoke the next morning, greeted by her father who brought her breakfast in bed.

"So," he started. "Papa and Fox day out?" he grinned cheekily.

Emery smiled, her cheeks stretching out to form a smile. "Okay," she agreed happily. "But what about Sirius?" she wondered aloud.

Artemis sighed. "He'll go back to Hogwarts today, is that alright? Dumbledore only gave him permission for one night. He sneaked out, as it is."

Emery nodded. "I understand."

"He's waiting downstairs for you. He wants to say goodbye."

"Oh," said Emery, clambering down from her bed and walking towards the door, barefoot.

Artemis cleared his throat behind her. "Where are you going?"

She shrugged. "To see him off."

"Not dressed like that, you're not," he said sternly, pointing to her pajamas. 

Emery looked down, blushing. "Oh, right," she stated. "I forgot."

She didn't tell her father that Sirius had already seen her in her pajamas. She walked over to him, giving him a hug. "This seems so unbelievable," she murmured into his shoulder.

He kissed her hair. "I know, sweetheart, and we'll make the most of it. Promise," he told her.

"Okay."

Emery wore a cream coat over her pajamas, tying the strings around her waist. It covered her pajamas, ending at her knees.

Then, she slipped outside her door, her eyes not leaving her father's.

Going down the stairs, she saw Sirius leaning against the wall near the fireplace, his hands in his pocket.

She gave him a smile. "Uh, bye," she said slowly. "Have fun."

Sirius smirked, the same smirk that drove her crazy. "That's no way to say goodbye," he pouted, pulling her arm and hugging her. 

Emery froze, then slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, inhaling his smell from his leather jacket. Once Sirius pulled away from the hug, she stepped back, waving.

"Bye."

"Bye, love," winked Sirius. "See you tomorrow."

Emery nodded, and watched Sirius disappear into the flames, feeling a jolt of electricity as she thought of his smirk.

Little did she know, Artemis Fowl was watching their exchange from the stairs above, smiling to himself.