When the Roses Went Black: The Lost Lover of Sirius Black

V

TW// Drunkeness

The night passed in a flurry of slurred words, clinking glasses, messy dancing, and the scratching of records. By 2am, Peter was already asleep, Remus was stumbling about with a slight smile on his face for a while, but quickly succumbed to a nap. Lily and James were cuddling together on his bed. The night was winding down, and Rose yawned next to Sirius.

Looking at the woman beside him, he said, "Come now darling. You owe me at least one dance before we retire." Rose wasn't much of a dancer. Not to say that she couldn't, but she just didn't. "I'm not a dancer Black," Rose said, shaking her head. "You are tonight darling," Sirius replied with a grin. Maybe it was the butterflies she fought hard to bury, the Firewhiskey, or both, but Rose hesitated to deny the assertion. As a matter of fact, every bone in her body screamed at her to get up. Almost as if he knew this, Sirius offered his hand and Rose gratefully took it as he pulled her into the middle of the room. Seeing this, Sirius knew he had won this battle. He didn't know many muggle songs, but there was one that came on that night that he loved. He fiddled with Remus's record player until I'd Really Love to See You Tonight, by England Dan and John Ford Coley, began to stream out of the box.

He walked back to her, took her waist and hand, and they began to rock. Much to each other's surprise, both could dance very well, despite occasional stumbling thanks to the Firewhiskey. "You know," Sirius whispered, "you're quite the natural at this. Remind me why I haven't danced with you before?" Rose chuckled. "You never asked, and if I weren't buzzed out of my mind, I'd say no." Sirius smiled again. "Clearly I'm quite convincing." "Not you Black, the Firewhiskey," Rose replied. As a response, Sirius spun Rose and dipped her down low. At first they both laughed, but their black eyes pierced into each other, and Rose thought she was looking into space. They stayed that way for a moment, when Sirius finally smiled and brought her back up to finish the dance. Rose laid her head on his shoulder, a dopey smile painted on her lips. Both wanted the moment to last forever. But the song had ended, and Rose knew it was probably time for she and Lily to head back to their room.

When she scanned the room for Lily, she found her fast asleep, drooling slightly on James's white shirt. She smiled to herself, as she didn't have the heart to wake her. She turned to Sirius. "She's knocked Black, can she just stay here with James until morning?" He nodded, and Rose pulled the covers over the couple, then removing James's glasses. Sirius smiled to himself. He found great warmth in watching Rose, who was just as drunk as the rest of them, take care of her friends. Rose turned to face Sirius and started for the door, stumbling a bit. She began to speak when Sirius cut her off.

"Rosie darling, at least let me walk you to your room. You are in no state to do it yourself." She laughed and said, "Well, I see chivalry is not dead here." Sirius meant what he said. He wanted to make sure she got back without a fall, but if he were honest with himself, he himself was in no state to go with her. But a moment alone with Rose was too tempting to pass up. Rose gave a now stirring  Remus a kiss on the cheek, wished him a good night, and the two headed out the door.

As they walked, Sirius slung his arm lazily over her shoulders. The two laughed, stumbled, and teased. The two minute walk felt like an eternity together, and both found themselves slightly disappointed when they reached Rose's door. They turned to face each other. Candle light danced over their faces, neither seemingly able to locate the words to bid each other ado. Rose looked longingly at Sirius, his face enough to sober her to bricks. Her breathing picked up, and she knew that if she kept looking into his dark eyes, she would never tear away. Finally, she planted him a quick kiss on the cheek and stepped back. "Goodnight Black," Rose said, blush creeping onto her cheeks.  Sirius's smile danced in the dim light. "Goodnight Rosie darling," he slurred. As she shut the door, Rose leaned against it, a content look on her face. He drives me mad, she thought. "You'll never understand what you do to me Black," she muttered quietly. Rose brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed, and crawled into bed, the smile she wore never leaving her, even in sleep.