Love Can Be Found In the Darkest of Places (A Marauders FanFiction)

Chapter 4: Caught in the Act

After deciding upon spying on Rose, Sirius and James dressed quickly and headed down to where she said she’d meet Duncan. They’d arrived just in time – the two had just said their hellos and were walking down towards the Hogsmeade path. Rose said something that made Duncan throw his head back in laughter, and he reached a hand out to touch the small of her back. Sirius clenched his fists and for the first time, felt what it was like to hurt by something other than his family.

James looked uncomfortably over at Sirius. Generally speaking, their friendship was always filled with joking and laughter, but right now, there wasn’t an ounce of amusement in Sirius’ face, which was contorted unnaturally in a grimace.

To Rose, Duncan seemed to be a very plain, but genuinely nice guy. He said all the right things, and filled the silences with pleasant small talk. Rose rather enjoyed silences sometimes, especially with those who made them comfortable, kind of like with Sirius. But all the same, she was pleasant with him and feigned excitement when he lead her up to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, the place she thought to be the most nauseating place in the world.

“I can’t believe he’s take her to Puddifoot’s,” Sirius said in disgust as him and James trailed a fair distance behind her and Duncan. “That has to be the most nauseating place in the world.” James pretended to dry heave. “Come on, let’s get in there.”

They waited a few moments before they entered, and watched through the front window as Rose and Duncan took a booth at the far end of the shop. In nearly every table, there sat an overly affectionate couple sipping on some sort of sweet drink and gazing dreamily into each other’s eyes. Rose got up to use the loo, and the boys made their move. With Duncan sitting with his back to the wall, James and Sirius grabbed the bunk directly behind him, so Sirius was essentially back to back with the enemy. James dove under the table just as Rose came out of the loo and reappeared at Sirius’ side.

“What are you doing?” Sirius whisper-yelled, now shoulder-to-shoulder with James in a couple’s tea shop.

“Well if I sit on the other side, she’ll see me and we’ll be done for,” James snapped, just as their waitress arrived.

“What’ll it be for the two of you?” the old woman asked, winking at us. “Just tea for me,” Sirius said in a hushed whisper. James ordered the same. She gave them an odd look and tottered away, muttering about how she was too old to be working in a place like this anymore. James turned to say something to Sirius, but Sirius shushed him and jerked his thumb at the booth behind them.

“Rose Garland,” Duncan stated, saying it in a bit of a sigh. Just the sound of her name alone coming out of Duncan’s prissy mouth was enough to make Sirius cringe. He was happy when she didn’t girlishly sigh back his name.

“Now why is it that a girl like you hasn’t been swept off her feet yet?”

“Well, isn’t that the question of the year,” she almost laughed. “I suppose it’s because nobody’s ever really given me the time of day before.” Sirius could hear the sigh in her voice and he wondered if there was someone in particular that she’d wanted the time of day from.

“Now that’s crazy talk,” Duncan said. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, or anyone at Hogwarts has ever seen for that matter.” Duncan reached his hand across the table to squeeze hers. “I’m just grateful you came out with me today. I’ve been trying to muster up the courage for this for quite a while.”

She smiled at him, but subtly removed her hand from his to take a sip of the chamomile tea she’d ordered. He seemed sweet enough, but she didn’t have much of a desire to hold his hand yet. “Well, here we are,” she said, putting the returning the cup to its overly pink saucer.