Siriusly Deluded

Chapter 18: Presentations

After a rather uneventful brunch (except for the exchange of nervous glances between Sirius and Lauren when a house-elf mentioned the shortage of certain cooking ingredients--namely flour and eggs--in the kitchen), they all moved into the living room, where a fire was crackling in the fireplace. There was a fir tree in the corner of the room with many festively wrapped presents underneath.

Lauren's parents sat down on the couch near the tree. Sirius and Lauren flopped down on the floor with their backs to the fireplace.

After all of the other gifts were opened, Lauren watched as Sirius got up from the floor and picked up something that had been previously concealed behind the tree.

He caught her eye as he walked back over to her, gently placing a basket with a red blanket draped over it into her lap.

Lauren grinned up at him as he sat beside her and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she lifted up the blanket.

Inside the basket was a dark grey kitten with the (second) most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen.

"Oh," she breathed, gently picking up the kitten from the basket and kissing it on the nose.

Sirius grinned at her reaction. She was smiling uncontrollably as she talked to the kitten in this cute little voice.

"I couldn't decide between this one and an orange one. But Lily said that I should get this one. She...she said...she would remind you of me." Why was he so nervous about saying that?

"I love her. She does remind me of you," Lauren replied, catching Sirius' subtle affirmation that the kitten was indeed female, as she had suspected immediately.

"I guess it's the dark fur and blue eyes," Sirius commented, scooting closer to her and reaching out a hand to pet the kitten, which was draped on it's back over Lauren's arm, already fast asleep.

"Yeah, that...and she's cute...and sweet..." she murmured, looking up at him. He leaned towards her to listen to what she was saying.

"...and adorable..." she said, now gazing up into his eyes. Their faces were mere inches apart.

"..and--" Lauren never finished, having been cut off by the distinct sound of a throat being cleared. Mr. Walker's, no doubt. Sirius had pulled back from her instantly. Lauren, however, bravely sent a glance of annoyance towards her father as she reluctantly leaned away from Sirius.

He watched their exchange with strange curiosity, wondering if he would be the one to pay for her defiance later.

Mrs. Walker sliced through the suffocating tension in the air when she asked cheerfully, "Lauren, what are you going to name her?"

Lauren smiled immediately and gazed down at the kitten lovingly. Sirius found himself wishing that he transformed into a kitten rather than a dog...and reminded himself that thoughts such as that were not very manly...and therefore that desire would not be voiced to anyone. James just wouldn't understand how much he wanted Lauren to cradle him in her arms at that moment. Well, maybe he would...except it would be Lily doing the cradling.

"I don't know," she murmured finally. She raised her eyes to Sirius' and gave him a look that said otherwise--that she already had a name picked out--he just didn't understand why she wasn't going to announce it yet.

Lauren gently handed the kitten to him, then stood up and walked over to the pile of presents. She picked up a red-and-gold wrapped box from the ground and set it in front of Sirius.

He put the kitten back inside the basket and pulled Lauren down beside him. She gave him a nervous smile, her eyes darting back and forth between his eyes and the box.

Sirius grinned and tore open the gift eagerly; tossing the wrapping paper aside and wrenching open the box.

He frowned slightly when he saw that a note was resting on top of the tissue paper. Now, Sirius usually didn't bother reading the cards before opening the present, but he figured that Lauren wouldn't appreciate that. So, he read the note quickly:

Sirius,

I will give you your real present later.

Love, Lauren

After stopping a rather dirty train of thought about what that might mean, he glanced over at her confusedly. She indicated for him to go ahead and open the present, but he gazed at her for a few more seconds before lowering his eyes back to the box.

He pulled something black and shiny out of the covering of tissue paper slowly, his eyebrow furrowing slightly.

"It's...um...a leather jacket," Lauren explained hesitantly. She knew it didn't make much sense without the rest of his present. But for some reason, she didn't think that her father would approve of--

"It's cool," Sirius said truthfully, pulling off his jumper and putting on the jacket over his white t-shirt. He looked down at himself appraisingly. He decided that he rather liked it.

Lauren on the other hand, decided that she rather loved it. As he looked down, his hair fell into his eyes and it surprised her just how much she felt like tackling him at the sight.

And of course he chose that moment to suddenly look over at her and ask, "How does it look?"

She gave an incoherent, strangled response, a furious blush rising quickly up her cheeks. He raised an eyebrow and flashed his trademark smirk.

"I think it looks very nice," Mrs. Walker said encouragingly from across the room.

Sirius removed his attention from Lauren and thanked her for the compliment. Meanwhile, Lauren's face returned to a semi-normal temperature.

That is, until he leaned back over to her and whispered, "Thank you," in her ear.

Lauren's parents left the room to settle the final details of the ball, leaving Lauren and Sirius alone in the living room. She immediately crawled over to him and grabbed onto his collar, pulling his mouth to hers.

"What was that for?" he asked breathlessly after she broke away from him.

She shrugged and smiled back at him. "Do I have to have a reason to kiss you?"

He grinned and gently pulled her into his lap. "Of course not."

As they kissed, his hands slowly crept downwards from her waist, slipping into the back pockets of her jeans.

"Sirius," she mumbled warningly against his lips.

He sighed into her mouth, sliding his hands upwards before bringing them to rest around her waist again.

When they pulled apart ten minutes later, Lauren sighed as she stood up, then held out her hands to help Sirius off of the floor.

He grinned up at her and took her hands, but easily jumped up off the floor.

Lauren picked up the basket and they headed out of the living room and up the stairs, hand-in-hand.

"So, what's her name?" he asked softly once they reached the landing.

"Oh...Ashes, I think."

Sirius smiled. "That's a good name." The kitten was the same color as soot.

"Yeah, it reminds me of fireplaces...of last night..."

He leaned close to her. "You want another reminder of last night?" he asked seductively.

"Maybe." She licked her lips without even realizing it.

"Okay," he said resignedly, turning away from her and walking back towards his room.

She sighed exasperatedly and set the basket gently on the floor. "Where are you going?"

He turned back around and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if you aren't sure--"

She ran towards him and flung herself into his arms, cutting him off with her lips.

"I don't know if I'm convinced yet," he said breathlessly when she pulled away.

"You sure sound like it," she retorted with a smirk, disentangling herself from him and dropping to the floor. "I'm going to get ready for the ball."

Sirius sighed loudly and turned to go into his room. Why did girls take forever to get ready? If he had to, he could shower and dress in ten minutes. Glancing at his watch, which flashed, "You have time to kill," before showing the time, he rolled his eyes and opened his door. What was he going to do for the next three hours? Deciding that sleep, one of his favorite activities anyway, was the best way to go, he pulled off his jeans and fell onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Lauren took a hot bubble bath, reliving in her mind the events of the night before. She still couldn't believe that Sirius wasn't mad at her. She wasn't an expert on guys, but she was pretty sure that most would have been angry in that situation. But...he loved her. He'd finally told her that he loved her! That was by far the best moment of her life. She sank further into the bubbles and squealed like a little girl for the first time in a long time. She couldn't help but continually picture Sirius in his boxers. Even in the dim light, she could see how amazing his physique was...

Lauren suddenly realized that she'd been in the bath for a while and glanced down quickly at her fingers, sighing in relief when she saw that they hadn't begun to look like prunes.

She stepped out of the bath and toweled herself off before pulling on a dressing robe and sitting in front of her mirror.

"Someone looks happy," it commented cheerfully.

Lauren couldn't hold in the grin that spread across her face in response. "He loves me," she said happily.

"And who wouldn't, dearie?" the mirror replied.

Lauren laughed. Her mirror was just a little too flattering. Kind of ruined the whole purpose of a mirror, really. So much for brutal honesty. Or just honesty in general.

"The ball's today," Lauren finally said, reaching for her comb and running it through her hair absentmindedly.

"Lauren!" the mirror called loudly, snapping her out of her reverie.

She shook her head. "What? What's wrong?" she asked quickly, concern etching her forehead.

"You've been combing your hair for the past fifteen minutes. If you don't stop, it might fall out."

Lauren's hand immediately stilled and she guiltily set the comb on the counter.

"Don't tell me, you were thinking about him," the mirror commented knowingly.

She nodded, flashing a guilty smile.

"Oh, honey," the mirror said in a disapproving voice.

"What?"

"You have some food in your teeth."

"What?!" Lauren placed her head in her hands, feeling like she would die of embarrassment. She had just kissed Sirius. Of course he'd noticed.

"I was just kidding."

Lauren snapped her head up to her reflection and narrowed her gaze. Her mirror picked this moment to suddenly obtain a sense of humor? She picked up her comb and shook it threateningly at the glass. "Don't do that to me," she said, her voice betraying the emptiness of the threat.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist."

Lauren smiled at the apology and said, "Just help me get ready for the ball. I want to look really good."

"When I'm finished with you, darling, he won't know what hit him."

Lauren laughed, but her expression grew serious as they got down to business.

An hour later, Lauren's hair and make-up were complete. Her dark hair was swept into an elegant up-do, with tendrils framing her face delicately. Tear-shaped diamonds dangled from her ears and a matching necklace hung around her neck. Her eyes were lined more thickly than usual, her eye shadow was smoky, and her lashes were coated with a thickening and lengthening mascara. Lauren had been rather pleased with the result. They were by far her favorite feature. A dusting of blush accentuated her cheekbones and her lips were coated with a sheer gloss.

She was just pulling her dress out of the closet when she heard a light knock on her door. She carried the garment bag over to her bed and set it down.

"Lauren," her mother's voice called, "I was just wondering if you needed any help."

"One second, mum," Lauren replied, walking quickly over to the door and opening it.

"Oh, Lauren, you look beautiful," Mrs. Walker gushed as she stepped inside.

Lauren blushed and closed the door behind her. She didn't think she'd ever not be embarrassed whenever anyone said that to her. "Thanks, mum. I was just getting out my dress." When she turned back around, she glanced at her mother's dress. "Mum, so do you," she said.

"Oh, this old thing?" Mrs. Walker questioned jokingly, smoothing her hands over the navy blue skirt. Lauren suddenly realized where she got that habit from.

"Okay," her mom said, making her way to the bed and gently pulling the gown out of the bag. Lauren stopped behind her, realizing that it was the first time she'd seen the dress since it was finished. It looked even better than the design. It was a rich shade of red, not very different from the Gryffindor color or Sirius' couch...The fabric was silk, and Lauren could tell just by looking at it that it was incredibly soft.

Mrs. Walker held up the gown and helped Lauren put it on. It was strapless, with a slightly curving neckline rather than just cut straight across. The diamond on her necklace fell to about two inches above the top of the dress. The bodice had boning; giving it the appearance of a corset, but fortunately it wasn't as constricting. It did make her waist look very small, though. The skirt was full, spilling out from the v-shaped waistline and gently grazed the floor when she had her shoes on.

When she was fully dressed, her mother motioned for her to turn around. Lauren obeyed, twirling slowly.

"Hmm," Mrs. Walker said thoughtfully before conjuring up a rose blossom, the exact same shade as the dress. She smiled approvingly and Lauren bent down slightly as she fastened it to her hair.

"Thanks, mum," Lauren said. "How was your special night?" she asked.

"Oh, it was wonderful," her mother replied. "Your father is so romantic."

Lauren smiled. She hoped that one day her marriage would be like her parents'.

"What did you two do?" Mrs. Walker asked.

"We studied for a while," Lauren began. "Then we made dinner, and...kissed a bit." She stopped abruptly, suddenly overcome with guilt for having to lie.

"That's all?" her mother questioned.

A slow smile spread across Lauren's face. "Well, he told me he loved me," she said softly.

"Oh, he did?" Mrs. Walker replied. "Was that the first time?"

"Yeah..." Lauren answered, trailing off. She still hadn't asked him--

Her mother's arms were around her, hugging her tightly.

"You know, I could tell that he loved you from the second you two stepped off the train. The way he looks at you..."

Lauren smiled and pulled away from her mother, wiping a tear off her cheek quickly and noticing that her mother was doing the same thing.

"Look at us, mum. We're going to look horrible before the ball even starts!" Lauren also inherited her tendency to cry at every little thing from her mother. The tear-shaped diamonds were no coincidence.

"Okay, love. I'm going downstairs before the guests start to arrive. See you soon."

"Bye, mum."

Lauren walked into her bathroom and inspected her reflection one last time.

"Sirius doesn't have a weak heart, does he?"

"No...why?" Lauren asked confusedly.

"Because he'll be in danger of having a heart attack when he sees you, that's all," the mirror explained.

Lauren laughed and waved goodbye before she headed out of the room.