they were cute, in that weird sort of way that makes everyone else uncomfortable. they did weird things like sit on each other's lap, or lick the other's face. i'm all for 'to each his own,' but licking your boyfriend's face and then the two of you...
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June 1981 The Order of the Phoenix Headquarters
"Dorcas!" Lily squealed, she was slightly tipsy. "Please tell me you have a dress."
"Of course I have a dress. My wedding is in three weeks, how could I not have a dress?"
Lily laughed and sipped at her bubbling drink. It was a loud bunch tonight. Dorcas remembered the first few meetings when the Order consisted of five people. Back then none of them had known what to say, war had seemed like it was a far off possibility. Tonight, however, they were all living as if it was there last night on earth. Dorcas did not mind at all. Sirius and her had agreed that they wanted their engagement party to be wild. They wanted everyone to forget that there was a war. If Lily Potter was any indication, they were succeeding.
"Lily dear," Dorcas had to shout over the music Sirius had picked for the night. "I'm gonna go find Sirius."
Lily's eyebrows bounced as she spoke. "Not too much fun you too." A hiccup. "The party has barely started." Lily laughed at her own joke, and continued to laugh as she looked for her husband, James.
Dorcas couldn't picture herself ever being happier. The music and the drinks had infused her with the feeling that nothing could go wrong. They were at the top of the world. And there was Sirius. She could see him now, he was hard to miss. He had cut his long hair just a few days ago. We'll, he had actually burnt most of it off at his bachelor's party and had to cut the rest. She would never tell him, but Dorcas had heard him crying into his pillow about it last night.
Dorcas could not believe that she was only three weeks away from being married. Married to Sirius Black no less. He had always been her best friend, and for the longest time her crush. She had loved him long before he even knew the meaning of the word. She had loved him when he was his most broken. The summer before sixth year, when he had moved in with James, she thought he might not make it to 17. But here he was, dancing with a protesting Minerva McGonagall. The poor professor, Sirius was spinning her around wildly while Remus and Peter clapped a quick rhythm.
"Sirius Black!" McGonagall squawked. "You better stop right now before I break an ankle."
"Oh Minni don't be dramatic." Sirius' bark-like laughter warmed Dorcas's heart, she loved seeing him happy. "We all know you're the spriest here."
Dorcas took pity on the woman and rushed over. "Sirius! Let the poor woman go."
"Dor, my lovely wife to be!" She was engulfed in his strong arms, and surrounded by the smell of firewhiskey. "I have just been telling Minni that since my dear mother will not be present at the wedding, I expect her to dance with me. Isn't that one of your muggle traditions?"
"Yes my dear, it is, but I don't think it will be quite as wild of a dance as I just witnessed."
Remus and Peter were doing their very best to control their laughter. Remus was doing a much better job than Peter.
Dorcas ignored them and turned back to McGonagall. "I am so sorry Professor."
"Quite alright Dorcas, quite alright. And please dear, call me Minerva, only my students call me professor."
"Of course, Mrs. Minerva."
McGonagall laughed, "We'll get there eventually dear." The aged transfiguration teacher raised a wrinkled hand to Dorcas' caramel cheek. The blue eyes, so full of life, and the brown ones that had already seen her fair share of trial, found solace in each other. Dorcas closed her eyes and leaned into Minerva'a hand.
"Alright, Minni, I will be stealing my lovely fiancé back so that we can get in a little dancing before Peter burns the place down." Sirius, as impatient as always, scooped Dorcas up with an arm around her waist.
As the two made their way to the center of the crowd, Sirius placed a scruffy kiss on her jaw. In the absence of hair he had taken to growing out his stubble. Dorcas thought it was a very good look on him, an instant perk in his mind.
"Everyone look here!" Moody stood against the back wall of the room, waving a camera wildly over his head.
"Calmly form two lines." McGonagall added her voice to Moody's as Dumbledore cut off the music.
"Yes." The headmaster's slow voice boomed over the chatter and commanded respect. "I thought that this would be an excellent time to get a picture of us all."
With lots of jostling and rearranging the group was finally in place. Sirius and James kept trying to be placed in the very front, middle of the picture. Dorcas finally had to threaten Sirius' little remaining hair for him to listen. With a tap from Mad-eye's wand, the camera began to flash the countdown. Just before the camera captured the image, Sirius gave Dorcas a passionate kiss. He would later claim that it was so that "everyone who saw the picture would know he had got the girl."
