Chapter Thirty-Three “ Nikeia’s Story
Nikeia Strathmore was standing at the top of the Astronomy Tower, looking over the white grounds of Hogwarts while leaning against the cold stone. It had snowed last night, adding another layer to the piles of snow. No one was on the grounds; it was, in fact, quite cold out.
She was good with Charms. Always had been. So, to add a Warming Charm to the air around her was as easy as Banishing a pillow.
Indeed, it seemed as if the past two months of her life had been Banished from her memory. She remembered the Halloween feast, the day of the ball, and nothing in between, aside from precious”so very precious”moments of consciousness in between.
And yet, she could remember the moments before the long blank. She could remember the pain and confusion. And she wished she couldn’t.
Suddenly, a weight fell onto her shoulders, followed by two more warm weights. A light kiss was placed on her cheek, and she realized it was Sirius, wrapping a blanket around her. His arms followed, enveloping her and holding the blanket to her body.
“I can remember it all,” she whispered.
He was still for a moment, then he gently pulled her to the ground, cradling her with her back against his chest as he leant against the battlements. He pulled a second blanket over them both, and repositioned his arms around her thin frame. She let her body lay against his without hesitation, feeling weary from standing for so long. Madam Pomfrey had allowed her out of the Wing only that morning, though she had to return to spend the night in the matron’s care.
“Do you want to tell me?” Sirius whispered against her ear.
She did not respond immediately. Instead, she thought about it for a moment. Her eyes closed, and the scenes played across her mind briefly.
“I… I left the library late after the Halloween feast. I don’t remember why I was there. I guess I was studying for something. Or maybe I had gone to get a book… I do remember that I had been sitting in the window-seat by the Restricted Section.”
“Oh, I love that spot. Small enough for one to sit and study”or sleep”but just big enough to cuddle with someone. If they cuddled close, that is,” Sirius said, nuzzling her neck playfully.
She giggled, startled to feel that it was an odd sensation in her throat. She loved laughing; to not do it for over two months was a shocking idea for her.
“Will you sit with me there sometime?” she asked, finding one of his hands under the blankets.
He laid a lingering kiss on her cheek in response.
“Madam Pince kicked me out right before curfew,” Nikeia said, continuing her tale. “I can remember walking back to the common room, thinking about a bunch of things. You were a prominent fixture in my brain, I remember.” She lightly titled her head back to bump against his jaw. “If I told you how prominent, you’d probably bring the Tower down with your big head.”
She felt his chest rumble with laughter, and heard his chuckle in her ear. “I’ll get you to tell sometime, don’t worry.”
She smiled, though he couldn’t see it. She’d gladly tell; after so many years of watching him, she couldn’t wait to share her thoughts.
“I guess I wasn’t paying attention when I was walking, because… because the next thing I knew, people had blocked my path. One of them came up behind me and smashed their hand against my mouth and their arm wrapped around my body. It hurt.” She swallowed hard, and Sirius’s hold tightened gently. “I noticed the Slytherin crest: it’s burned in my memory. That and the oily voice of one of them.” Nikeia tensed and Sirius growled deep in his throat. His hand tightened in hers.
“He said Silencio and I couldn’t scream when he slapped me. Hexes burned me… pinched me… bruised me… Paper cuts hurt, and having them all over my body was maddening.”
Her breath came faster as she continued to recount the torture. Bee stings, shoes in her side, a slap across her face.
“Then pain. Pain as never before.”
Tears were rolling down her face, thought she managed to contain the sobs. “Unforgivable pain. Unforgiving pain. My mind was numb. And yet I felt it all. I still feel it-”
Sirius’s grip tightened some more, and she was grateful that he stopped her flow of words. After a few moments, she felt well enough to continue.
“He touched my cheek. I remember that it was such a gentle touch”so different from everything else. I never thought it could come from him. From… from Snape. He touched me, then smiled. So… so horribly. His slap was almost welcome after that. At least I recognized him. Then he said something… something horrible-sounding. But, I don’t remember it. I didn’t recognize the curse, I’m sure of it. I recognized the pain, though. Oh…”
She sobbed, and buried her head in her arms. Sirius’s head came down to rest on the back of her neck; she felt her tears fall onto her back.
“The cuts…” he muttered, correctly assuming the outcome of the curse.
She nodded, and when she could breathe, she whispered, “I remember curling into a ball, and then feeling a hand on my shoulder. I remember floating, and I think I wondered ‘Is this what death feels like?’ and then I stopped remembering.” She had managed to stop sobbing just long enough to say that; when she finished, she started again, pressing her hands against her face.
Sirius turned her in his arms, and pressed his cheek to her forehead. His embrace tightened even further”part of her was surprised he could hold her any tighter.
It was many minutes until they could breathe easier, her tears subsiding and his anger abating.
She sniffled, then readjusted her self slightly, loving the feeling of her back against his chest and his jaw against her temple. His legs pressed against the outside of hers, and she realized it was a more intimate seating arrangement than she had ever been in. She didn’t mind though, especially now that she was calm enough to feel his chest rising. Eventually, they began to breathe in sync with each other.
Suddenly, she giggled.
“What?” he asked.
“It just feels so strange to breathe with you.”
“Well, keep talking and we won’t be able to.”
She laughed, again hating that it seemed to strain her to do so.
“Gosh, I missed your laugh,” he muttered, sighing.
“I missed you,” she admitted, speaking just as softly. She turned her head as well as she could to look at him. He caught her gaze, held it for a moment, then gently pressed his lips to hers.
Behind such a gentle kiss she was amazed to find such emotion. She gripped his arm with one hand, and reached the other up to press against his cheek.
He kissed her twice more, each as soft, gentle and passionate as the first kiss, but each singular and special.
Almost too soon, he pulled away, just enough to smile softly down at her.
“I wish I had done that sooner,” he admitted.
She smiled faintly. “Oh, but it wouldn’t have been the same.”
He was still for a moment, and she could see him looking back at his past years at Hogwarts.
She decided to elaborate. “I was so jealous of all those girls who got to walk around, hanging on your arm. I never admitted it, but, oh, I so wished I was one of them. The girlfriend of the cutest guy in school.”
Sirius exhaled, and the breath tickled her ear.
“And then, Lily made me realize that there wasn’t anything truly admirable in being some guy’s girl for a week. She couldn’t see you staying with anyone more than a week, and perhaps that was unfair, but I-”
“No. It was fair. I… never thought about any of those girls after their week. Lily saw the truth.”
“Yeah, she’s good at that. She really cared about me. She didn’t want me hurt. When I finally saw that, I… somehow managed to give you up. It was so easy to say you weren’t worth it.”
“Thanks.”
She giggled again, stretching to peck his lips gently. “It didn’t last. I saw you again this year, after summer break, and… it hit me again. Your smile, your eyes, your laugh. Oh…” She sighed, and Sirius chuckled.
“Lily had been so adamant to stay away from you Marauders”or at least from you and James. And then that detention happened. That was probably the best worst thing to ever happen to her.”
They shared a laugh.
“I’d say you’re quite right,” said Sirius. “She needed a good kissing.”
Nikeia gave a loud bark of laughter. “I can’t deny it, but I will say that I think she’s the type that had always wanted to be kissed by one man, and one man only. We never really talked about it, and for that I’m sad. She was always doing homework when Josey and I were talking about boys. You know, I think that was her first kiss?”
“Really?” asked Sirius, bending over to look at her. “James being an idiot and kissing her without warning was her first?”
“Oh, it just sounds wonderful when you put it that way,” she chuckled. “But, yup.” She was silent for a moment. “It’s incredibly romantic, don’t you think? To only ever kiss one person for your entire life?”
Sirius didn’t say anything, but looked slightly uncomfortable. “Well…”
“I’ve kissed a few boys, don’t worry,” Nikeia admitted, absolutely adoring the look on Sirius’s face.
“And I’m sure you know I’ve kissed my fair share.”
“Of course. You are Sirius Black, after all.”
He smiled broadly at her, then paused. “When was your first kiss?”
Nikeia giggled yet again. “Matthew Colburn. Oh, he was so cute! He had these lovely green eyes that were just-”
“I appreciate a pretty picture as much as the next guy, but I don’t really want to hear about him,” said Sirius, blandly and bluntly. Nikeia laughed loudly.
“Oh, very well. Anyway, he’s a wizard. Studied at the Italian Institute. He would flirt with me in Italian. Nothing more romantic than Italian-”
She broke off at the sound of Sirius gagging. She rolled her eyes, smiling at his playful act.
“He caught me under the mistletoe at the Christmas Party in our home during my fourth year.” She sighed, almost only so she could hear Sirius gag playfully again. “We were almost inseparable that break. He’s a year older, so I was completely starstruck.” She sighed again. “And then we went back to school, and it was all a happy memory. We exchanged owls, and he admitted to liking a girl in his year. He was so sweet”he almost seemed to think that he had an obligation to me to ask if it was all right!”
She heard Sirius scoff, no doubt thinking it a very unmanly thing to do.
“We’re still friends, and he’s still with that girl, Charisa. Absolute sweetheart she is, too!”
“Should I write this Matthew and ask his permission?”
Nikeia laughed, then gasped suddenly. She doubled over, pressing her hands (and therefore Sirius’s also) against her torso, where acute pain had flared up. She didn’t know if it was from stretching the healing cuts, or from lingering remnants of the spell, but it hurt.
It took a few minutes before the pain went away. She realized that Sirius has bent his body over hers as if shielding her from any new pain. She took a steadying breath, and allowed him to straighten her. She nuzzled her head under his chin, her eyes closed.
His next words brought a very welcome goofy grin to her face.
“I don’t care about Matthew: you’re mine. And I’m not letting anyone hurt you.”
.
A Few Detentions and A Story by LaneTechFreshie
Chapter Notes: Nikeia’s finally back with her friends, and Sirius hears her story.
Chapter Endnotes: So, if anyone is rereading this story, perhaps you’ll notice changes. For new readers (thank you!), I rewrote this chapter to spiff it up and make me happier. The original isn’t much different… Just less good. Though, after reading it again, I’m very happy I made the changes I did. I love it now!
And Omagus had some strong words for the Death Eaters… At least, a strong word. No, I won’t repeat. But thanks Omagus for nitpicking.