Siriusly Deluded

Chapter 14: Excursions

The next morning, Lauren awoke with a start when she heard the word "NO!" screamed from down the hallway. 'Sirius!' was her only thought as she jumped out of her bed, wrenched open her door and ran down to the other end of the corridor.

Without even thinking, she grabbed the doorknob to his room, remembering that she probably shouldn't have been able to open it only when she was already halfway through the door.

She rushed over to the bed, where Sirius was thrashing around. He seemed very upset by whatever he was dreaming about. She reached out a hand, pulling it back in fear when Sirius' arm came dangerously close to hitting her.

After a few more failed attempts to touch him, she finally climbed onto the bed. She sat next to him and placed her hand lightly on his forehead, gently pushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "It's just a dream," she murmured. He stopped moving immediately.

Sirius' eyes darted open, flitting around before landing on Lauren's concerned face.

"Sirius, are you okay? I heard you scream," she said softly when his gaze met hers.

Sirius squeezed his eyes shut. If she had heard him from down the hall..."I'm fine," he replied, his voice edgier than he'd intended.

"Alright, I..." Lauren trailed off, not sure if she should ask about his dream.

"I'm sorry, I just can't talk about it right now," Sirius said softly, giving her an apologetic look.

"Okay, I'll go get dressed," she said carefully as she slid off his bed and stood.

"Bye," Sirius called wistfully, taking advantage of the opportunity to watch her pajama-clad body as she walked away.

Lauren froze, her hand poised above the door handle, at the sound of his voice. She shook her head, but simply couldn't make herself leave the room.

Sirius' mouth formed a grin as Lauren slowly turned around to face him. It widened as she crossed the room at lightning speed and jumped into his arms. She framed his face with her hands, pulling him in for a kiss. Sirius, of course, happily obliged. He fell back onto the pillows, bringing her along with him.

As if he knew what was going on, Lauren's father chose that moment to call from downstairs, "Lauren, breakfast is getting cold!"

Lauren, who had jumped into the air and practically fallen off the bed at the sound of her father's voice, immediately headed out of the room.

Sirius thought it wise not to say anything to her this time.

He dragged himself out of bed and took a hot shower. He dug through his rather unorganized trunk, picking up a shirt and quickly dropping it back inside when he inhaled. He shook his head, remembering the dirty shirt from when he was packing back at school.

After dressing, he walked downstairs alone, realizing that Lauren had probably already gone. He caught sight of Mrs. Walker, crossing the foyer.

"Mrs. Walker," he called.

"Good morning, Sirius. Did you sleep well?" Maria asked.

"Yes, thank you," he said reluctantly. He wasn't about to go into the details of his dream with Lauren's mother.

"Glad to hear it. If you're looking for Lauren, she's in the dining room," Mrs. Walker said with a smile.

"Actually, I was hoping I could ask you something," Sirius replied, stepping closer to her so they wouldn't be overheard.

"Of course," Maria said.

"I was wondering if I could get Lauren a pet for her present," he said.

"What kind of pet?" Mrs. Walker asked, raising her eyebrows. She was not allowing a bat or anything like that in her house.

Sirius told her his plan to go shopping with Lily at a pet store in the afternoon.

"I think she'd love that," Maria replied with a smile once Sirius finished. She started walking to the dining room.

"Really?" he asked, grinning as he followed her through the doors.

"Yes, really," she said.

"Really what?" Lauren questioned from her seat.

"Never you mind, Lauren," Maria admonished as she planted a kiss on the top of her confused daughter's head.

"You kids have fun today," she called back as she walked through the other set of doors and out of the room.

Lauren looked at Sirius, who shrugged and gave her a weak smile. She narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything.

He sat down and a house-elf rushed in, pouring him a glass of pumpkin juice and setting a plate of pancakes in front of him. He eyed the meal appreciatively for about a second before grabbing his fork and digging in.

"Sirius," Lauren said with a laugh, "the food won't disappear if you don't inhale it."

"Er...right," Sirius replied, giving her a grin as he slowed the rate at which he was shoveling the food into his mouth.

Lauren watched Sirius as he ate, chewing on her own pancakes thoughtfully. She was still trying to decide what to get him. She had an idea, but she needed James' help. Now all she had to do was somehow get away from Sirius when they were shopping.

"Are you going to finish that?" Sirius asked, interrupting her thoughts. His fork was hovering dangerously over to her plate.

"Sirius! Yes, I'm going to finish it! There's more, you know," she chastised. She knew teenage boys ate a lot, but his appetite was pushing the boundaries of normalcy.

Sirius grinned sheepishly at her before asking, "So what are your parents' special plans tomorrow?" He remembered the look that had passed between her parents at dinner the night before.

"Oh," Lauren said, surprised by his completely random question. A house-elf came through the door and piled more pancakes onto Sirius' plate. He looked delighted, but turned towards Lauren as she started talking.

"They always go ice skating and then out to dinner. It's their tradition. My dad proposed on Christmas Eve, right in the middle of the rink," Lauren explained with a smile. Her parents were quite romantic.

Sirius smiled back, an idea brewing in his mind. "Do you want to go ice skating?" he asked.

Lauren's eyes grew a little bigger in response. "Sirius, are you kidding?" she asked with a laugh. "Do you even know how to?"

"Well, no," Sirius replied slowly. He hadn't really thought about that. 'Oh, well. I already put the idea on the table. I'm not going to take it back now,' he thought resignedly. Besides, he could tell that she would love to go. "You could teach me," he said with his infamous puppy-dog look.

Lauren sighed, but it was half out of exasperation and half out of happiness. "Okay then. We'll go tonight," she replied.

After Sirius finished his third helping of pancakes (and Lauren shook her head, wondering where all the food he ate went... 'It certainly doesn't show,' she thought evilly as she glanced over at him), they put on their coats and strolled out into the streets of London.

They shopped for several hours in Muggle London, picking out presents for a few people on their lists. As they stood on a bridge overlooking the Thames River, Sirius was still wondering how he could "ditch" Lauren before meeting Lily in Diagon Alley at two o'clock.

Meanwhile, Lauren was wondering the same thing. She was supposed to meet James at two-thirty. Sirius was standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her head. As a particularly chilly wind hit them, she backed up, snuggling closer to him. She fought back a laugh when she heard his stomach growl.

"You ready for lunch?" she asked, turning her head and tilting it upwards to look at him.

"How'd you know?" he asked with a smile.

"Here, or Hogsmeade?" she questioned.

"Hmm, Hogsmeade," he said after giving the question some serious thought.

After apparating to Hogsmeade, they ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks Inn.

"Sirius," Lauren said after they finished their meal, "would you mind if I did a little shopping on my own?"

"And leave me to fend for myself with all these crazy shoppers?" Sirius asked dramatically, glad that she had been the one to ask about separating.

"Hush," she said with a laugh. "Besides, you'll fit right in," she smirked.

"I resent that," Sirius replied.

"Okay," Lauren said, giving him another smirk.

After paying, they went outside and started walking down the crowded street. Once they got into a less-crowded place, Lauren gave Sirius a hug, saying "I'll see you later," before disapparating with a loud pop.

He looked at his watch, which read "You're going to be late." He apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, where he met up with Lily. They walked to the back of the store and into Diagon Alley, headed straight for the Magical Menagerie.

"So how is it going at the Walkers?" Lily asked. She had talked to James earlier in the day. It seemed that he was missing having his best friend over.

"Good. Her parents are...nice," he replied.

"I'm glad to see that her dad hasn't killed you yet," she commented with a laugh.

"Well, don't get your hopes up. There's still time," he said slyly as he held open the door to the pet store for her.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Lauren was in Gringott's, getting some money out of her vault. She still had a while before she was supposed to meet James, so she headed over to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to pick up her present for Remus.

At two-thirty, she was browsing through a shelf of books at Flourish and Blotts when someone tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to jump and whirl around.

"James!" she whispered, "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"

"Sorry," he replied with a smile.

Lauren rolled her eyes. Sirius and his friends enjoyed scaring her a little more than she liked.

"So, what did you have in mind for his present?" James asked as they headed out of the store and into the street.

"I'll show you," Lauren said, leading the way to the junk shop. When they reached it, she pointed at the window.

"It needs a little work," she explained, hoping James wouldn't think it was a stupid idea.

"Yeah, we could put some really cool spells on it," James said excitedly.

"So you think I should get it for him?" she questioned.

"Definitely," James said, already walking into the store.

After haggling with the shop's owner about the price, Lauren made the purchase. Meanwhile, James transfigured the present into a gobstone and handed it over to Lauren.

She looked at her watch, which read, "You better find something to do." She still had about an hour before she and Sirius were going ice-skating.

"Do you want to get some ice cream or something?" Lauren asked.

"Ice cream?" James questioned incredulously. "It's freezing outside."

Lauren shrugged. "I like ice cream," she said simply.

"Okay, we'll have ice cream then," James said, shrugging his shoulders.

After Florean Fortescue gave them their cones, they sat down at a table and talked.

"How's it going with Sirius?" James asked with a grin. He knew his friend could be quite a handful.

"Good. I think he misses staying with you, though," she said honestly.

"We miss him, too. Especially my mum. He's like a second son to her. But, I'm sure you're...keeping him occupied?" James questioned with a smirk.

Lauren rolled her eyes, refusing to respond to his comment. She turned her attention to her ice cream, but she was sure that James noticed the guilty smile she couldn't hold in.

After a while she asked, "Does he always eat that much?"

"Well, yeah," James replied laughingly. "That's the one thing my mum doesn't miss about him. She always said he was eating us out of house and home."

After trading stories about Sirius' eating habits, a silence settled between them.

"How are you and Lily doing?" Lauren asked. "Everyone can tell how much you like her."

James shook his head and said softly, "I don't just like her...I love her."

Lauren smiled back at him and murmured, "Oh," in a barely audible voice.

"You know, the way you and Sirius feel about each other," James said.

Lauren looked away, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. Sirius had never told her that he loved her. She loved him, obviously. She wasn't sure if he felt the same, so she had never told him.

James noticed her reaction, immediately wondering if he shouldn't have said what he just did. Sirius had told all of them that he thought he was in love with Lauren months ago...of course he had told her that, right? James sighed; obviously he hadn't. His best friend was an idiot.

~~~~~

Sirius was having some major doubts about his suggestion to go ice skating as he headed to the ice-skating rink. Falling on his arse onto a slab of freezing cold ice in front of a ton of people...was not exactly his idea of fun. After getting Lauren's present, he and Lily went to the Leaky Cauldron and had some butterbeers while talking. He then met up with Lauren's mother, who had volunteered to take Lauren's present home and keep it hidden.

He made a face as he struggled to tie on the skates. His expression changed, however, when he glanced over and saw Lauren, who was lacing up her skates, humming softly. She quickly finished the task and met his gaze. He went back to tying, acting more frustrated than he really was.

Lauren laughed softly and hopped off the bench, kneeling down in front of him. She put her hands on his and slid them off the skate. Then she tied his laces deftly, feeling very much like a mother until he reached up a hand and placed it lightly on her cheek.

"All set," she said, smiling up at him.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. He also stood, but quite awkwardly at first. He placed a hand on her shoulder to steady himself.

"Don't worry," she said. "It's easier on the ice."

For some strange reason, Sirius doubted that. But he still made his way over to the entrance of the rink.

"You ready?" Lauren asked as she stepped onto the ice. It didn't look that hard...

He nodded and allowed her to pull him into the rink. He quickly circled his arms around her waist to keep from falling. It was quite the reversal of events. He was the one who usually had to keep her upright.

Lauren bit back a laugh when Sirius grabbed onto her. Then she glanced behind him, where several people were waiting to get on the ice.

"Sirius," she said softly.

"Mmm," Sirius replied, his eyes closed.

"We need to move. We're blocking people," she said.

He opened his eyes, noting the impatient skaters. "Okay," he said resignedly.

She pried one of his hands off her and turned so they each had an arm around the other. Then she skated forward, pulling him along with her, his free arm flailing and his legs spreading out threateningly over the slick ice.

After a while, Sirius became accustomed to skating. Lauren wasn't surprised. He was a fast learner, and he was good at just about anything he tried to do. They were still holding hands, but it was no longer a safety precaution.

"I can see why your dad proposed to your mum here," Sirius murmured as he looked around the rink. They were only one of many couples on the ice.

"It is really romantic, isn't it?" Lauren replied, half to herself.

Sirius responded by pulling her closer to him.

They finally stepped off the ice about an hour later, both freezing cold. Sirius took her hands in his, rubbing them for warmth.

Lauren had a better solution. She wrapped her arms around his back, moving forward until she was against him. His arms encircled her waist. He rested his chin on her head.

"Thank you," Lauren said into his chest. Then she looked up at him.

Sirius didn't know if he had ever seen her look more beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold. Her hair was splayed about, ruffled by the wind.

"My pleasure," he said softly before claiming her lips with his own.

They walked hand-in-hand back to Lauren's house. After Geoffrey had taken their outerwear, Lauren led him into the living room, where a fire was burning.

"Are you hungry?" Lauren asked, turning to Sirius. From the looks of things, they had missed dinner.

"Are you kidding?" he answered with a laugh.

Lauren smirked. Why did she even bother to ask?

She led him into the kitchen, where the house-elves greeted them.

"What would you like to eat, Miss Lauren?" one of them asked eagerly.

"Whatever my parents had is fine," she said, not wanting them to have to make a whole other meal. "And maybe some hot chocolate," she added as an afterthought.

"Right away," the house-elf responded, scuttling away to get started.

Lauren and Sirius went into the dining room and sat next to each other.

"I had a good time today," Sirius said once he settled into his chair.

Lauren smiled. "Since when do you enjoy shopping?" she asked teasingly.

"Since today...since you," he said truthfully. The only kind of shopping he usually liked was at Honeydukes and Zonko's Joke Shop.

Lauren blushed. "And the ice skating?" she questioned.

"I wouldn't mind you giving me another lesson," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

~~~~

After eating, Lauren and Sirius went back into the living room. Lauren sat down in front of the fireplace, leaning back on her arms. He sank down next to her, sighing as he rested his head in her lap.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Lauren asked after a while.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he responded playfully, sitting up long enough to tackle her so she was lying on her back next to him, his arm supporting her head.

"I didn't ask you what you got," she said, "just if you g--"

He silenced her with his lips, pulling her body closer to his and wrapping his arms around her waist. She sighed into his mouth, tangling her arms around his neck and reaching her hands up into his hair.

It wasn't long before they both fell asleep in front of the dying fire, wrapped in each other's arms.

Lauren's parents walked in an hour later after searching the house for the teenagers. Mr. Walker frowned at the sight and took a step forward. His wife, however, reached out an arm, halting him.

"Let them be," she said softly, a smile playing at her lips.

Mr. Walker sighed reluctantly, glancing over at his wife before conjuring a blanket and letting it fall into place over the sleeping couple.