SPLITAPARTS: lessons in love ✔️

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - Part Three

Sirius apparated with Cassie in tow and picked her up to carry her into her bedroom. Once inside, he gently placed her on the edge of the bed and levitated a small trash bin to her. She heaved and wretched as Sirius crawled behind her to unzip the gown and untied the neck straps. He moved to the floor again and stood her up to lower the gown to the floor and asked if she wanted to sleep in a tee shirt.

"I don't care," she replied breathily. "I feel like total shit."

"Well you don't look like you do, except that you're a bit pale." He desperately tried not to glance at her nearly naked body.

"I didn't drink all that much, I don't think."

Sirius chuckled. "You drank enough to get yourself beyond pissy."

"Oh gods—I didn't act like an idiot, did I?"

"No, actually you didn't." He pulled the tee shirt down over her head and helped her put her arms through the sleeves. "I especially liked your exit. Very classy."

"You're being mean."

"No, not at all. I think you made a very good point in relaying how you really feel about the man." He was happy that he didn't struggle with getting her arms through the dress.

"Ohhhh—what did I say?"

"I can tell you, but I doubt that you'll remember in the morning."

"Tell me anyway?"

"Well, you told the Dark Lord to his face that he was one of life's many evils."

"I said that!"

"Uh huh. And you told him that it makes you very, very sad," he relayed solemnly. "Then you kissed his cheek." He grinned wickedly.

She held her head in her hands. "My grandfather's going to be so mad at me. He told me in no uncertain terms, that I wasn't to tell my father what I really thought about him."

Sirius sat on the bed next to her. "Oh no, I think it worked out well. I really do. Besides, he probably could have pulled it from your head with ease--you were pretty far gone by the time that came out. Hell, even I pulled it from your head before it came out so I reckon you've wanted to say it for a long time. I could have said something, but I didn't--I couldn't take that away from you. Besides, I wanted to see how it was going to play out and I think you've bought the good guys some time—and we desperately need that. So yeah, I'd say you did well." He reached up and pulled the many pins from her hair and tussled it loose allowing it to cascade around her shoulders and down her back. "I also found it interesting that you left out the part where it was actually Bellatrix who was in the basement with me and that we both actually saw his thoughts of how to try to steal you from your mother's guardianship."

"You really like pushing damage control, don't you?"

He grinned. "It's my special gift. Look, I'll be right back, I'm going to bring you something that will settle your stomach."

"Okay."

Sirius left her momentarily to head to the kitchen to find some ginger and tonic water and made a weak ginger ale; he felt that too much ginger would burn her stomach. He returned to find her flat on her back staring up at the ceiling and crossed the room in a half second to set her right again.

"Oh no, Not on your back Dee, on your side. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Please?"

"Alright, I can do that."

"No messing around."

"No messing around—I wouldn't do that, not unless you asked me to. Not my style anyway," he said smiling at her. "Here, you need to drink this, it'll help to make you feel better."