A WINTER'S EVENING, LONDON THE EVENTS BETWEEN CHAPTERS 41 & 42
"Sirius."
Sirius turned his head to look at his fiancée, the air nearly leaving his lungs again. It had been happening very frequently that night. He grinned when he saw that Celeste was eyeing him with a disdained look across the dinner table. But he found her entirely breathtaking. Utterly otherworldly and lovely all at once, with her thick hair twisted up and the satin sleeves of her dress draping off her shoulders. She had a face he'd go to war for; a soul he wished he could weave into his veins.
"You need to stop chucking bread rolls across the restaurant," she was saying. "Because firstly, you've missed every single attempt and secondly, they might throw us out."
Their heads turned in sync, watching a poor server several tables away pick a roll off the floor. He glanced around suspiciously before swiftly taking it away.
Sirius covered a laugh with a cough. "I'll get the next one right, just you wait. I'm gonna get it in that old bat's green hat. It's not like it could get any uglier."
She rolled her eyes, and Sirius smiled widely. It was an expression that he'd only seen during Hogwarts, but he knew it to be her truest face. Exasperated, conspiratorial, and a little bit delighted.
It was working.
Marlene had died some weeks ago, and Sirius had been desperate to pull Celeste out of her grief. Even for a little while. So he reminded her of a bet that she still owed him. After they'd found out Lily and James were dating, Celeste was supposed to owe him fifty galleons and an expensive date.
But the date was all Sirius wanted.
Now that she was laughing and smiling without a veil behind her eyes, he felt like he could breathe correctly again.
"I think I like this restaurant," she decided, leaning back into her plush chair. "Muggles can be rather creative. The Ritz, is it called?"
Sirius nodded, finishing the last of his dessert. "Ready to go? I could use a drink."
Celeste felt dizzy from giddiness.
Fingers laced with Sirius, they wandered down the streets of London. White fog came from their breaths as they slipped through the busy crowds. They followed the sounds of chatter and clinking glasses until they ambled into a moderately busy pub called The Twisted Glory.
As they entered the building, Celeste noticed that golden strings of fairy lights dangled from the ceiling, tangled with peculiar bits and bobs. The maroon seats at the bar were worn and well-loved, and soft jazz music drifted through the air. A winding staircase in a back corner led up to an informal inn.
Behind her, Sirius helped to pull her trench coat and scarf off, carrying it in his arms as they made their way up to the bar. She couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the decorations. It felt far too... homely.
Like another variant of the Gryffindor common room.
In an instant, she felt like she was a schoolgirl again. On a weekend in Hogsmeade, perhaps. Before she could stop herself, Celeste heard herself whisper, "I love it here."
Drifting back into the present, she found herself looking at Sirius. It seemed like he had drawn the same conclusion. His eyes shone, memories flashing behind them. Celeste's throat tightened, feeling like she was falling in love with him all over again.
"I take it you want champagne?" Sirius smirked, poking fun at her for the hundredth time of the evening. Her obsession with the bubbly drink was no secret to him.
"Arse." She almost scowled; her irritated expression lightening as he snaked his arm around her waist.
"Hey ⎯ you're the one that promised to marry me!"
He grinned, and Celeste found herself wishing to melt into the shadows behind her. She felt so much adoration and love in her small, withered heart that it terrified her. Nobody could ever look at Sirius the way Celeste did, now in the prime of their youths.
For the remainder of the night, they clung to each other. They danced and swayed to the music, full of desperate hope, spirit, and fear. Despite how much they had hurt each other before, it didn't matter now. They had far too much to lose and had no intention of losing each other.
Drunk on Old Fashioneds and rose champagne, they stumbled out of the pub hours later ⎯ laughing like both best friends and lovers. Celeste's ridiculously expensive coat had been forgotten back at the bar.
Light rain was falling as they ran down the pavements, past the closed shops and restaurants. Breathless and flushed after minutes of trying to find cover, the two finally surrendered to the downpour. Sirius pulled her into a shadowed alleyway, claiming her lips with a searing kiss.
The world had gone eerily quiet when they pulled away and apparated home. The stars shuddered and whispered into the cosmos, praying for a less tragic fate. But the children, the dazzling youth, they would all soon drop like leaves at the wind's breath. Celeste Malfoy and Sirius Black would not be the first to fall.
Every celestial was saddened as they vanished into the night.
