Blackbird

Weary looking faces trudged into the Gryffindor Common Room. The Marauders and their friends were exhausted. Their last lesson before end of term was Defense against the Dark Arts, and it was an intense one. The teachers wanted all of the students to be prepared before leaving for the holiday. It was plain to see that fear was setting in at the school.
James walked, heavy footed, to the couch, and fell onto the empty seat. Most of the younger students had already headed home, since their lessons ended before years five, six, and seven. Lily followed suit, and sat next to him, leaning into his side in the process. Sirius and Marlene fell into the last two seats. Peter sat down with his back to the fire, and Dorcas laid down on the floor, placing her head into his lap. Remus took a seat in the chair positioned on the left side of the couch, and Belle quickly took a seat on his lap. Her small frame curled into his familiar body. They were all silent.
“I think if I were to encounter the Dark Arts right now, I would be too tired to do anything,” Dorcas said softly, her eyes closed. They all nodded. They were all worn out, and ready for the holiday so they could regain the alertness they had lost over the past few months due to sleep deprivation. Silence fell over them again, and it was apparent each of them was about to fall asleep.
“Well,” Lily announced as she sat up straight, “I think we all better be off to bed. The train leaves here at ten, and I personally do not want to miss it.” They all agreed, and each couple began to stir from their positions. They all said goodnight to each other before the girls headed for their dormitory and the boys to theirs.
“Guys, I’m nervous for tomorrow,” Lily confessed as they got ready for bed.
“Why?” Marlene asked as she pulled her black hair into a ponytail.
“I’m spending Christmas with James and his family. What if they don’t like me?”
“Lils, if the Potter’s love Sirius Black, they’ll love you to bits,” Belle said with a smile.
“Lily, you don’t need to worry,” Dorcas added. “You are the perfect girl for James, and his parents will know it the moment they lay their eyes on you.” Lily smiled at all of her friends.
“I love you guys,” she sighed as she climbed into her bed.
“We love you too, Lils,” Marlene said as she got into bed as well. Dorcas and Belle responded with “yeahs” before they too got into their beds, and they all drifted to sleep quickly.



“Babes, I gotta be honest. You’re father scares the werewolf in me,” Remus said, a slight chuckle in his voice as he checked his bag for all of his things. Belle placed her hands on his cheeks and sighed with a smile.
“You have nothing to worry about,” she reassured him. “They both love you, my father probably a bit more than he loves me at the moment.” She kissed him.
“Why do you say that?”
“He thinks that I’ve joined forces with You-Know-Who. He’s just too thick to see Barty is the one who’s gone down the wrong path.”
“Well, I love you,” Remus said with a cheeky smile.
“And that’s all that matters to me,” she responded as she kissed him again. They then left the compartment, in which had been filled with their friends only ten minutes before. They intertwined their fingers as they headed off the train, in search of Belle’s parents. Kings Cross was crowded, but not to the extent it was at the beginning and end of each school year. And standing near the passageway, was Belle’s parents. Her father stood with his typical stoic face, while her mother’s face lit up at the sight of her daughter. Belle looked right past her father, and smiled at her mother. Something wasn’t quite right with her though. Rose looked tired; she looked sick.
When they reached her parents, Belle wrapped her arms around her mother, only to feel a nagging form in the pit of her stomach that something wasn’t right. Remus greeted Bartemius while Belle hugged Rose tightly. When they pulled away, Remus greeted Rose who hugged him as well. “Father,” was all Belle said to Bartemius along with a head nod. Barty came up behind the young couple just then. He didn’t even look at Remus and Belle. He hugged his mother and father lovingly. Bartemius now looked happy. Barty was what made their father happy. In Bartemius’ eyes Belle was a screw-up and Barty is the golden child. Belle just shook her head and intertwined her fingers with Remus’ as the family began to leave the station.

News of more disappearances rang through the radio as Belle and Remus sat on her bed. It was late, and the rest of the house had gone to sleep nearly two hours before. Things were getting darker. The sky was always grey, and it felt as though with each day, the happiness in their lives was shrinking. Remus and Belle clung to their love and their friends, knowing that it mattered more now than ever before. They all had something worth fighting for and they would never allow anything or anyone to change that.
“Remus, let’s play a game,” Belle said suddenly. She got off the bed and turned the radio to a music station. Remus sat up.
“What kind of game?” he questioned.
“We ask each other questions relating to anything we want, and if we get it right, a piece of clothing comes off. If we get in wrong, nothing comes off. Oh and we take each other’s clothes off.” Remus smirked. It wasn’t much of a game, but he liked the anticipation he knew it would create.
“Alright,” he nodded. “I’ll ask the first question.” Belle folded her legs beneath her and waited for his question. Remus looked at her for a moment, trying to think of a question. “What day did I ask you to be my girlfriend?”
“February 14, 1975.” They both smiled and Remus sat forward. He pulled the t-shirt off of Belle’s body to reveal her pink lace bra underneath. He couldn’t help but stare for a moment. It had been awhile since he had seen her without a shirt on, and it felt as though they had jumped back to the first time he had ever seen her without a shirt.
“Where was our first kiss?” she asked. Remus shifted so that he was sitting directly across from her.
“In the Common Room; we were playing spin the bottle and it was fourth year.”
“Wow, I’m impressed,” she said with a giggle as she leaned forward and pulled his shirt off. She threw it aside and looked at him. There were new scars on his body that she normally couldn’t see. There were a few old bruises along his shoulders and torso. Her smile dropped a little. Belle hated seeing Remus’ injuries, because she felt so bad that he had to go through that pain every single full moon. Remus leaned forward which pulled her out of her thoughts.
“When did we lose our virginities to each other?” his voice was hushed, and his lips were mere centimeters from hers. Her breath hitched in her throat.
“July 15, 1976; it was the first holiday I went on with you and your parents. You snuck into my room,” she whispered back as she slid her hands from his pecks to his shoulders than up into his hair. Remus crashed his lips to hers as he pushed her down into the bed. He slid his hands down her sides and slipped his fingers under the band of her shorts. He tugged them down and threw them aside.
“When was the first time you told me you loved me?” Belle asked. Remus snaked his arm around her torso and held her body to his bare chest.
“The same night we had sex for the first time. I was so nervous because I thought you wouldn’t say it back. From the first time we kissed, I knew I didn’t want anyone but you,” he answered, a little breathlessly. Belle smiled lightly and kissed him as she slid her hands to his pants and slid them down. He helped get them down the rest of the way and kicked them to the floor.
“I love you, Moony,” she said as she kissed him again.
“I love you too, Belles.” Their bodies tangled together and moved as one for that night. It was a night more intimate than any other they had shared. Belle knew that she truly loved Remus with all of her being. He was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and he had every intention of making that happen. Putting the war aside, Remus and Belle had forgot about their reality for a moment, and just thought of each other.