scars || sirius black

35 - never? never.

Emmy stayed next to Sirius for hours, just breathing in his reassuring scent. He woke up a while later and shifted to pull her closer. No one else was up yet, the silence was theirs and the peace that it gave was an odd feeling.

"You alright?" he asked softly, stroking his thumb along one of the scars on her lower back.

"Are you?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from the screaming and emotion of last night.

He didn't say anything for a while. They watched as the sun rose over the mountain in the distance with its snow-dusted peak looking as ethereal as a fairy-tale palace. Emmy didn't want to imagine what still lay at the base of it, or in the many floors and stairwells below them still.

"We're going to face today, you and me. We're going to do it together."

Emmy smiled softly, "I love you so much"

"You know I'll never stop loving you?"

"Never?"

"Never."

"I don't think I could stop even if you did," she smiled, a hint of laugh on her face. He couldn't help but kiss her. She felt like she was melting inside as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers trailing through his hair.

Slightly out of breath they drew back sharply as someone coughed loudly behind them. Guiltily, Sirius peaked through the four-poster bed's thick curtains to find a smirking James pulling on his quidditch jumper. He had dark bruises covering the whole left side of his face and winced as he moved his torso but the glint of mischief in his eye was the same as always.

"Should I see if Remus wants waking up for breakfast?" he said wickedly.

"Don't you dare!" Sirius answered in a whisper, somehow unable to keep the smirk off his face as he turned back to a grinning Emmy who was already pulling on one of his t-shirts.

With a quick kiss on his cheek, she climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the door. James opened it for her, a Cheshire Cat grin on his face.

"Well good morning to you too," he grinned. She flicked his nose, "Not a word to Remus, you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am."

—————

Breakfast was served by the house-elves in the common room, though the numbers of students were down significantly, many parents having arrived at the school in the early hours of the morning to take their children home.

The morning newspapers had been delivered too; the proficiency of the Ministry of Magic's security and Professor Dippet himself was being called into question and many senior officials had already been forced to resign. No one had any idea how the death-eaters had gotten through the castle's defences, there was a huge investigation already mounting.

She walked down to the hospital wing in the morning whilst her friends were still eating, not wanting to make a big deal of it, but found herself unable to enter.

The scene inside was horrific. There was blood everywhere, many St. Mungo's healers were still scurrying around trying to help the school nurses and there was an area set out with bodies wrapped in plain linen sheets.

"Ah, Emeline, come in please," called Madam Pomfrey brusquely. "I'll be with you in a minute."

After about half an hour , she bustled over to set her dislocated shoulder properly and heal up many of the cuts and deep bruises littering her body.

"How is Mister Black doing?"

"Alright I think, seems to have healed well thankfully."

She nodded, "I'll give you some pain potion to take back with you. He'll still be numb from the spells I cast last night but they'll run out quite soon."