SHE'S ALL THAT ➭ SIRIUS BLACK ❨2❩ ✔︎

ACT FIVE, SCENE TWENTY FOUR

FONTAINE MANOR

Sage had gotten Sirius's letter in the morning of the 21st of March, and on that same afternoon, an owl laden with a small box wrapped in brown paper flew through her open kitchen window and dropped the parcel onto the table in front of her.

She eyed it warily, and she had half a mind to not open it just because she hated the thought of Sirius, who had spent the past twelve years of his life in prison, getting her something for their anniversary, when she had occupied her time over the decade he was away by trying to move on.

Some part of her felt like she didn't deserve him. In the back of her mind, she had always felt that way, that he was so willing to give her everything and anything when she couldn't promise him the same. She knew she was delusional for thinking that, truly—she would give him the entire world on a silver platter if she could. She loved him with every inch of her, and she was well aware that he had laid claim to her whole heart ages ago.

But there would always be the small part of her that felt like she didn't deserve the love he gave her; it was the small part of her brain, tiny and inconsequential, that had come to be when her mother had sent her away twenty eight years before, that told her that she wasn't good enough for him. That part of her was the very same part that pushed him away when they were seventeen, refused him of both friendship and the possibility of more, no matter how much she craved it.

Despite her insecurities and shortcomings—although he would never call her hesitancy a shortcoming—he had still loved her with everything in him. And the thought of him in Azkaban, alone in his cell and thinking of nothing but her, was enough to take control of her hands and move them towards his gift.

Sage carefully ripped the paper off of the parcel, finding a small box made of emerald green velvet.

She bit back a frown and reminded herself that she deserved this. She deserved to be spoiled.

With trembling hands, she opened the box.

The gasp that slipped through her lips was one of utter surprise. Inside was a locket of shining silver, a delicate letter S engraved on its face. Whether that stood for her name or his, she wasn't sure. She would think of it as his initial, though, just to feel like he was always with her. Just like he had her name tattooed over his heart, she'd wear his over hers.

Tears welled in her eyes when she opened the locket, and she blinked them away fervently.

The locket held a tiny picture of the four of them—of Lily, James, Sirius, and Sage—all grinning widely on the day of their graduation from Hogwarts. She'd forgotten this photograph had even been taken, that it even existed. In the picture, Sirius had his arms wrapped around her waist, and, seeing as it had been taken on a wizarding camera, he spun her around in real time, and Lily and James watched and beamed at them.

They all looked so young, so untouched by time and age and war. None of them knew what was to come.

She clasped the locket around her neck and fumbled in the pocket of her sweater for her phone. She felt so jittery, absolutely unable to keep still, but she was still capable of dialing his number.

"Hello, my darling wife." Sirius said, voice smooth as silk and so very warm.

Sage smiled broadly at the greeting. "I just received something in the post." She tried to keep the sheer excitement out of her tone, but some slipped through despite her efforts.

She could practically hear his smirk. "Oh, really? Was it a gift from one of your many admirers? A dazzling piece of jewelry, perhaps? Or maybe a bouquet of flowers?"

"Cheeky bastard." She muttered under her breath. "But thank you, really. It's beautiful. I love it. And I love you."

He took in a breath of air. "I was worried you wouldn't like it. Harry and I had a bet that you'd either cry or break something."

"I can imagine who bet on what. Harry always seems to think I'm far more violent than I truly am."

There was a bark of laughter from the other end of the call. "Lawson would beg to differ." He joked.

She nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Well, to be fair, that was fifteen years ago, and a crime of passion. I'm a changed woman, dear husband of mine."

"I don't think I'd have married you if I hadn't been so sure you're still as murderous as you used to be." He said, more serious now but still with a tone of humor.

She gasped teasingly. "You only love me for my lethal tendencies!"

Sirius paused, and his voice became deliberately honest. "I love you for a lot of reasons, Sage. One of them being how much you love Harry. I see how you are with him—he's just as much your son as he was Lily's. And even if you hadn't raised him for all these years, I'd still love you just as much."

"Oh, shut up."

i love them