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it's on your face, don't walk away
𖥸
By the time it was spring, Celeste was getting by better. She knew that her wedding only drew closer with each passing moment, but she had shoved any of those thoughts to the back of her mind, and decided to focus on making her last months at Hogwarts worthwhile.
It wasn't terrible ― and if Celeste was being honestly, she was having fun, being just a school girl with her largest problems being selecting outfits and pointless drama. But most of all, what made her most excited for the sun to rise was seeing Sirius Black.
She'd fallen fast, and hard.
Back when they were still fussing over their arranged marriage, Celeste would be lying if she said she hadn't felt anything for him back then. It wasn't difficult for her former feelings to resurface to the top.
It was the same for Sirius.
It was plainly undeniable to him ― feeling his heart pound when she smiled or laughed, noticing everything she did or didn't do, and knowing that when she spoke to him, he would feeling uttering entranced and enchanted by her. Why had this ever stopped?
Once, James had asked him, "Any girl you're seeing lately?" ― referring to his old habits.
Sirius had merely shook his head and smiled to himself. "No, I think I want something more... serious."
His friends had dropped their jaws and looked astonished at him, wondering if something was wrong. Remus only grinned, well knowing the answer already.
And all at once, the summer season was already slipping in. The air was noticeably warmer, and iced butterbeer was becoming popular again. It felt too hot to ever step outside, yet it seemed like the only thing the students ever did.
And speaking of students, it appeared as though even Lily Evans was becoming more accustomed to James Potter. It was a surprising turn of events, but one that everyone had been anticipating for years. Celeste had even bet Sirius that James and Lily would be a couple by the end of the year.
After an exhausting day of classes, all the friends lounged around the Gryffindor common room, blissfully chatting for hours about anything, ignoring the heaps of assignments that waited for them. Even Remus had elected to disregard them.
By the time the sun had sank halfway below the horizon, Sirius leaned over to Celeste and whispered, "Let's get out of here."
Celeste grinned, and looked over to their friends, who were too busy arguing if whether or not Dumbledore was having an affair with a house elf to notice the two slip out the portrait hole.
Hand in hand, they raced down the stairs together, with large grins plastered across their faces. Sirius led her out of the castle, and farther off grounds. It was an area that Celeste didn't visit often ― the grassy fields behind the quidditch pitch.
By the time they got there, the end of Celeste's olive green dress was covered in dirt and her usually smooth hair had become tousled.
"What are we doing here?" she asked, running her fingers through the tall grass. She turned to look at Sirius, and her breath caught in her throat.
Sirius was standing still, his hands in the pocket of his trousers, simply gazing at her. In the light of the setting sun, his eyes appeared nearly blue or green. The breeze ran through his hair, tousling it, but remained beguiling as ever. Celeste wondered if she ever looked that good.
"I thought you might like it here," he answered, gesturing to the scenery around them.
He was right. It was spectacular. The field was practically shining golden, and bright with beauty beneath the pink and orange sky.
They explored deeper into the weeds, discovering curious bunnies and angry ferrets. The further in they went, the higher the weeds and grasses grew. Soon their vision was thick with them, and they started to push them aside in order to pass through.
"Do you think we've left castle grounds?" Celeste laughed, as they stumbled into a clearing.
"Who knows," he shrugged. "Maybe James and Lily are panicking and losing their minds while we're having the best day ever."
"The best," she agreed. "Let's stay here for a while, it's cooler here." After tramping through dry and sticky heat, the shade and sanctuary felt gratifying.
"There's a lake here," noticed Sirius, already pulling off his jacket. "C'mon, let's go swim."
Celeste laughed. "No! Are you insane? We'll be dripping with water the entire way back!"
Sirius pulled off his shirt. "You can't make me do it alone, love. C'mon, it'll be fine!"
Celeste shook her head in disbelief, though she was grinning. "You're an idiot, Sirius Black." Despite her words, she walked closer to the water, and took off her shoes. She knelt down and brushed her fingers against the surface, sending angry ripples across it, breaking her reflection. Distracted for too long, she stood back up and turned around.
"Fine, I'll do―" She was met with an empty clearing. Celeste scanned her surroundings frantically for Sirius. There was no sign of him, except his discarded shirt and shoes on the ground. "Sirius?"
She took a tentative step forward, her bare feet were touching dirt. The air felt too still.
Celeste turned back around, towards the lake. She blinked in confusion. There wasn't a soul in sight. She called out, "Sirius!"
"Hey there, darling," a voice whispered in her ear. His voice was deep, and hot against her neck.
Celeste gasped and whirled around, met with a grinning Sirius.
"Surprise," he sang, eyes gleaming. Then, he reached out and pushed her into the water.
Celeste shrieked, shutting her eyes right before her body made contact with the water.
