One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 151

Gwen can't help the smile that's settled on her lips.

She has a magazine balanced precariously in one hand, the other tangled in Sirius hair while he snoozes in her lap. They're sat under her favorite tree by the lake, Lily and Dorcas studying furiously on their blanket in the shade. Marlene is snoring nearby, an arm tossed haphazardly over her eyes while James and Peter take turns eating Bertie Bott's every flavor bean. Remus stands in the shallows of the black lake, his pants rolled up just under his knees as he inspects plants.

The Veela doesn't look up from her witch weekly when she feels a presence appears by her side. She merely smiles a bit more and greets calmly, "Little."

Regulus snorts, rolling his eyes at the nickname and settling in next to the blonde. He glances at her briefly, a resigned smile appearing on his lips as he murmurs playfully, "Why do you like me?"

Gwen's lips twitch at the question, a familiar one. One she'd been asked in this very spot. She finally looks up from the advice column she'd been reading, her heart warm as she says plainly, "I don't."

Regulus quirks a brow at her callous response, nearly retorting with something witty of his own. Unfortunately she beats him to it, his words dying in his throat when she muses, "I love you, Little."

She blinks calmly at the shocked expression on his face, the way his cheeks turn pink and his eyes quickly flick around to make sure no one else has heard her declaration. She'd say it louder. But she knew how hard it was for the Black children to accept the feelings they'd never been handed before. Love. She wonders if Regulus had ever felt unconditional love before. But it was true. She loved him.

Gwen isn't surprised at his voiceless answer, when he reaches out quickly and bands his hand around her wrist. It's enough. Though the gentle squeeze he gives is welcome as well. She can't resist pushing a little more, spouting more truth into existence.

"I'm not the only one, you know?"

His grip grows tighter at her words, his eyes widen a fraction. She wasn't the only one that loved him. Perhaps she could be the first one he accepts it from.

"Ninnie, what riddles are you spooking my brother with?"

The grunted words break the precarious tension between the Veela and Regulus, their attention diverted to the lazy Gryffindor in her lap. Regulus smiles slightly at the grin that appears on the Veela's lips when she peers down at her boyfriend, his brother.

"No riddle you could solve, Black," Gwen replies boredly. Regulus chuckles when Sirius screws up his eyes and sticks his tongue out childishly, his brother quick to steal the magazine that the Veela loved so much.

Gwen rolls her eyes, wondering, "Do you even know how to read?"

"Please, Inferi," Sirius scoffs, stretching out and then nestling his upper half back into her lap. "We all know I make a better Ravenclaw than you do."

Gwen let's out a hum of acknowledgement, her hands returning to his hair while he perched the magazine on his chest so they can both read. Regulus bites back a sappy smile when Sirius points with a lazy finger to one of the columns, mumbling to his girlfriend, "This one?"

The Veela replies with a quiet, "Yes, love," and the two return to contented silence while they read together. Regulus feels a rush of gratitude for the girl and he wonders if she knows that she's changed his brother's life. That she's changed his life.

His eyes lift to where Remus is wading in the lake, his cheeks warming at the sight. He liked this feeling of Deja Vu. Gwen watches out of the corner of her eye as Regulus climbs to his feet and strides down to the water. Her smile grows as he kicks off his shoes and socks and wades in after Remus. Instead of shaking hands this time, Remus offers up a boyish grin and tugs Regulus to his side, leaving one arm wrapped around him as he hunches over to say something in his ear.

"They're....." Sirius starts quietly, breaking the silence between them. He lowers the magazine to look over it at his brother and one of his best friends. His lips twitch and he continues begrudgingly, "They're good for each other. Perhaps you should add match making to your repertoire."

Gwen doesn't look at him, instead keeps her tone uninterested as she replies, "I haven't the faintest idea what it is you're talking about."

Sirius smirks, craning his neck to look up at her. He quirks a brow and sighs playfully, teasing, "Yes you do, you bloody seer."

Her lips twitch but she doesn't acknowledge his comment, instead changing the subject and wondering, "Do you reckon Nargles could give me head aches? Xeno has been awfully worried about hogwart's infestation. Pandora told me not to worry."

Sirius blinks silently for a few moments, admittedly confused by her question. A few years ago he would have laughed, maybe even made fun. The thought causes him to grow nauseous. He couldn't make fun of her now. Because now he could admit that she often knew more than he did. So instead he lets out a pensive hum before replying thoughtfully, "I suppose they very well could, Inferi. Perhaps we should ask Poppy."

Gwen waves it off, instead reaching over his shoulders to prop her magazine back up so that they could read while Sirius could still look around it to see his brother. His happy brother.

He can't resist smiling when he sees Regulus look around before quickly kissing Remus. He was getting better, more comfortable. Not with himself, but with affection. There were times where Sirius would second guess it too, where he would feel insecure or embarrassed or needy. Because he and Regulus both were still waiting for the love to go away, for Remus and Gwen to realize they didn't want to be with people that come from a long line of witches and Wizards that preach purity. Witches and Wizards that would harm his and Reggie's loves.

He'd get used to it though. Sirius was getting more comfortable by the day. And he was happy to see Reggie was too. Not just with Remus, but with James and Peter ruffling his hair or the girls talking to him when Remus wasn't around.

Or Gwen telling Regulus Black, the once Junior death eater, that she loved him.

She loved his brother. And it meant the world.

Gwen notices Sirius' quiet thinking, her hand coming to rest on his cheek. Her finger tips rest on his jaw and gently press, her heart warming at how happy he looks. This felt good. This moment. With him, with her friends. This was the good that she would remember when she was old and grey.

Sirius quickly averts his gaze back to the magazine in front of him, trying to soak in the words before him instead of the sappy thoughts in his mind. It's something boring, another article on clothes and how the go to color for this summer was purple. But she liked it, he can tell by the way she makes quiet noises of surprise at the awful journalism before them.

His lips twitch and he turns his head enough to press his lips to her palm. He doesn't know how he knows, but he can tell she's smiling. He can feel it in his bones.

She often knew more than he did.

But when it came to her...he was becoming quite the seer himself.

{{I love this one.......And I love Regulus. That's all! xo}}