all that i can give - sirius black

chapter fifteen,

November 29th, 1975.

Saturday had come too soon. It was Hogesmeade day and the night before the castle had received some of the heaviest snow of the month. Now, flakes floated down occasionally and stuck to the small window of Natalie's dorm.

It was time for her to walk down with Remus to the village, and all that was left was for Natalie to do was lace up her boots. They were brand new and had been sent to her by owl from her father. He apparently felt bad that she had been injured and had taken the liberty of ordering some of the items she'd been wanting to get from her favorite stores.

The boots had charms and enchanted wool inside to keep her feet warm during the winter. She was wearing her boots with a pair of robes her father had also sent her in the mail. They were in a new cut and were layered in various warming and temperature regulating charms. She knew because she had undone the enchantments herself to inspect the wandwork.

She was just tying the bow on her last boot when she heard the rhythmic knocks that she knew belonged to Regulus.

"Come in, Reg!" She called.

He entered her room and immediately flopped onto her bed. "Nat, I feel like death."

Natalie was at his side in a blink. "Are you sick?"

"I don't think so."

She pushed his hair out of his face to check his forehead. "What are your symptoms?"

"Laziness, fatigue, a general sense of 'blegh'."

"Are you serious?"

"No, actually-"

She cut him off by swatting him on the back of the head. "Don't even. Go get ready for Hogesmeade mister. I have to meet Remus, but you know how Charlotte feels about being late."

Regulus rolled over and pulled her blankets over his body. "I don't want to."

Natalie rolled her eyes and muttered a spell under her breath. Regulus was swiftly pushed out of bed, righted back up, and shoved out of the door with a quick 'Love you!'.

"It doesn't feel like it!" he hollered back.

Natalie chuckled to herself and waited as she listened for the sounds of his retreating footsteps.

She wasn't entirely sure why she was nervous for today, she just knew that she was. If she told Charlotte or her mother about it they would just say that it's normal to be nervous around your fiance. She wasn't so sure if it was normal to feel so nervous she needed a potion, but everyone was different.

Natalie sucked in a deep breath and gathered her purse. She double checked for her chapstick, her galleon satchel, and her spur-of-the-moment idea quill before locking and leaving her dorm to meet Remus.

As expected, he was waiting patiently outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room while he ignored the death stares from their peers.

"Natalie! You look stunning." he greeted.

"When am I not?"

Remus smirked and playfully nudged her shoulder. "Humility also looks wonderful on you."

"As does everything else."

They continued joking as they made their way to the small town. They kicked snow up as they walked even as Natalie tried her hardest not to. Her boots were a gift from her father and she didn't think he'd be particularly pleased if she dirtied them the first time she wore them.

Remus was just finishing his rant about a Huffelpuff boy in their year who was apparently very discourteous in the Prefects bathroom when they finally arrived to where Natalie said she would meet Matteo and her aunt. She could see her aunt speaking with Salvo through the snow covered tree in front of her.