chapter fourteen
When the two of them entered the house again, Sirius was already pacing the floor, awaiting their arrival. He looked at Harry, at the flowers, and at Marigold.
“We saw Mr. Rhubarb on our way home, that sweet man,” Marigold set her bag down to take the flowers from Harry. “We got flowers for a celebration!”
“A celebration?” He pressed.
“I’m not expelled!” Harry exclaimed with glee.
Sirius pulled Harry in for an embrace, mixed emotions evident in his brows. Marigold frowned slightly at this, but went to fetch a vase for the bouquet.
“We expected you home an hour ago!” Hermione entered, Ron and his parents following in suit.
Marigold squeezed past them, on a mission.
“Well, this is good news indeed! I say it calls for a party!” She heard Mrs. Weasley cheer.
That night at the party, with the vased flowers in the center, they all drank and ate and talked well into the night. Well, all except Sirius. He sulked for a while in a corner, only cracking a smile when Pip pulled a prank on George, or when Remus said a good joke.
Marigold was talking with Tonks when Pralice and Oliver approached.
“Mum, he’s sitting over there alone and miserable for some reason,” Pralice motioned to the breading brunette man.
“He wouldn’t even let me fetch him a fire whiskey,” Oliver agreed.
“Sirius is alright,” She assured them, knowing if she could just have a conversation with him it would help.
As she declared this, luck would have it, Sirius decided he was done partying and exited to his room.
“Tonks, why don’t you convince the adults to take their own celebration in the den, I’ll go fetch Sirius for it,” She inquired.
“Of course,” Tonks nodded, knowingly.
Up the staircase she crept, her feet carrying her to the closed door where she knew Remus and Sirius were taking camp. It was his childhood bedroom. She knocked on the door softly but only heard the man mumble within.
She twisted the cold doorknob and helped herself in. Bracing her back against the door, she smiled fondly at Sirius sitting in bed before her.
“Come on now Siri, what are those puppy dog eyes for?”
He tried to muster up a grin, but she saw straight through it. So she crossed to him and leaned on a bed poster at his feet.
“You’re disappointed because you wanted more time with him, and now that he’s going back to school soon, you’re worried you won’t have any at all,”
“I wish you wouldn’t read me so well,” He huffed childly.
“Why not? You always decipher me so well,”
“How can I possibly express my selfish motives?”
“You’re not being selfish, he was your only family for so long, I don’t blame you at all,” She hummed, her cheek smushed against the wood.
“What do you purpose I do, Goldie?” He looked up at her helplessly.
“For now, come down and have a drink with us adults, it’ll feel like old times. Then, the order will be around your house plenty. Harry will come to stay with you for the holidays, and if you ever do feel lonely…call Rem or I up and we’ll come to give you companionship,”
Sirius didn’t say anything for a while, he just studied the woman’s face and the hair falling from her bun. She fully understood what Harry meant earlier: how Sirius looked at her like they were both still teenagers.
“Do you ever get sad, watching the girls leave for school?”
“Every time…but they always come home,” She agreed. “I actually had a really great talk with Harry today, I promised him we would never make him go back to Privet Drive,”
“You and I?” Sirius sat up straighter, happier.
“Yeah, as in like a co-parenting thing,” She nodded, giggling.
“Just like Lily and James wanted,” Sirius stood from the bed now, a great smile on his face. “I’m so glad we found each other again,”
“Come on you sentimental old man, let’s give our godson his first shot of giggle water,” She reached out to take one of his hands in hers, and he let her lead him down to the party once more.
The adults had set up their own celebration in the den by now, led by Tonks as she poured everyone another round. Marigold and Sirius happened upon her twins, their boyfriends, and Fred sneaking a peek with their heads around the corner of the door.
“I suppose you five want a drink?” Marigold asked, dropping Sirius’ hand.
He missed the warmth of her touch instantly.
“I knew you wouldn’t let us down,” Fred grinned cheekily.
“Alright, there’s a bottle of something in my bag upstairs, I trust Pip already knows where it is,” Marigold kissed her daughter’s forehead. “But I better not hear of any hangovers tomorrow morning, alright? And don’t be causing any drunk troubles for me, I don’t want to cross Molly!”
“Yes mum, thank you!” Pralice kissed her cheek, the five teenagers scurried up the staircase.
“You’re the best, Marigold!” Oliver sang over his shoulder.
“We love you!” George added.
“You’re such a cool mum,” Sirius complimented.
“I just don’t have any discipline in me anymore,” Marigold laughed.
“Hey you two, glad you could make it!” Remus smirked as his old friends entered.
“I’m still learning how to control my parental emotions, I’m sorry Molly,” Sirius directed to the woman he’d fought with recently.
“I understand, me too,” She laughed good-heartedly.
“Harry! Come in here!” Marigold yelled, pouring a shot of giggle water.
“Yes?” The boy tentatively entered his best friends in tow.
“Take this,” Sirius handed him the drink, and Harry’s eyes lit up.
“Don’t get too excited, that’s all you’re gonna get tonight,” Marigold winked at him.
“Mum, I don’t suppose I could have one?” Ron smiled sheepishly at his own mother.
“Oh alright, but share it with Hermione,” Molly gave in, her jolly mood granting everyones. “And Ginny better not get any!”
“Yes!” Ron cheered, watching Marigold pour him a heavy shot.
“Marigold, these flowers are so lovely!” Tonks sniffed the white and purple bouquet deeply. “Are they enchanted with something? I feel so, so, incredible!”
“Yes, Professor Rhubarb, our old herbology professor retired and sells flowers from a cart around London now, if you pay with sickles he’ll enchant them to enhance the desired emotions of those who smell them!” Marigold indulged, taking a whiff herself.
“Oh yes, Madam Rhubarb, the old healer at Hogwarts, her husband?” Remus took a turn.
“The very same,” She nodded, crossing to a dusty victrola in the corner. “What kind of music would you all enjoy?”
“Run along kids, go make your own fun,” Arthur told the lingering four, three of which were giggling over themselves.
The night turned into one that reminded the six adults of being young and carefree, old magic swing tunes from the youth of Mrs. Black played loudly. Arthur and Molly sang a couple of tunes to each other, lost in love and sipping their giggle water.
Blue Moon came on, and Sirius interrupted Tonks and Marigold’s conversation.
“Excuse me, ma’am, would you like to dance?” He asked properly.
“Alright fine,” She laughed, moving to face him so they could begin, but suddenly the man thrusted her at Remus.
“Great, here you go!” He collapsed on the sofa near his cousin.
“Padfoot, you-“ Remus scolded with no real malice, obliging in the forced dance with an old friend.
Marigold shook her head fondly and allowed her lowered inhibitions to take charge as they danced together like old times. Both were barefoot, and tripping often due to the alcohol, their lack of practice, and the fact that they were never really good, to begin with.
“Thank you for the dance, Gold,” Remus kissed Marigold’s cheek as the song came to an end.
“The pleasure is always mine,” She hummed.
The record lulled silent, signaling a flip or a change, so Marigold busied herself doing such. The room fell back into their jolly conversations. Sirius was at the bar fixing himself another when Marigold approached.
She slid next to him, leaning her back on the old marble, watching with glee in her eyes as Remus and Tonks discussed something animatedly on the sofa. Sirius looked to the woman beside him with an eyebrow piqued.
“Rem’s got that look on his face,” She whispered so only he could hear.
“What look? Oh…” Sirius looked inconspicuously over his shoulder. “You mean that certain one of admiration he reserves for so few?”
“The very one,”
“Well I’ll be, Mooney might have a crush on my favorite cousin!” Sirius turned around fully now, leaning over to whisper in Marigold’s ear. His mustache tickled her jaw, and she found her heart beating extra hard.
“Are we going to conspire to get them together?” Marigold sent him a sideways smirk.
“You evil witch, you, Goldie,” Sirius barked out a laugh.
“Everyone should dance, come on! It’s such a good song, such a good night!” Marigold cheered to the group.
“Molly, may I?” Arthur bowed to his wife romantically.
“Oh Arthur, you flirt!” She beamed, taking his hand and standing from their loveseat to join the other two on the rug.
Sirius pulled Marigold flush to him, holding her too tightly for it to not be romantic. She swayed with him slowly, a matching smile permanent on both of their faces.
“You two aren’t getting out of this,” Marigold pointed a finger at the remaining seated two.
“you won’t have to tell me thrice,” Tonks took the lead, luring Remus to follow her.
“Looks like you’ve still got it, eh moon?” Sirius teased, dipping Marigold with little reason or warning.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you doing that,” She giggled as she came back up to look him in the eyes.
“I’ve thought about doing that since the day I was locked away,” Sirius cooed, making the woman’s knees go wobbly. He held her tight to him once again at this.
“You’re too lovely for a woman to stand,” She joked.
“You make a man feel free,” He mumbled in her ear.
“I wonder what trouble the kids are finding themselves in upstairs,” Molly glanced at the ceiling as she and Arthur swayed.
“Something fun I hope,” Tonks chuckled, her and Remus still too distant in their dancing for his old friends.
“Don’t fret over them tonight Mols, you deserve to feel young again,” Remus sang.
“Oh I know I do,” Arthur spun her.
“Remus is far too polite,” Marigold spoke so hushed that Sirius could hardly hear her over the vintage tunes.
“I agree, but what are we to do about it?” He nodded, picking his head up from her bare shoulder. She’d long since changed out of her work clothes for a strapped silk dress in a pale gold color.
“I have a couple of tricks up my muggle sleeve,” Marigold winked and took a step back, feigning she was fetching Sirius’ forgotten glass.
Not so accidentally, she bumped into Tonks with her back, still facing the long-haired man. The movement forced Tonks into Remus’ chest as they continued their calculated dancing.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, darling!” Marigold apologized to her new girl friend.
“Fine by me,” Tonks didn’t make a move to place any space between her and Remus.
Remus blushed by didn’t make a move either, simply keeping his wide hazels on his dance partner, a shy smile gracing his lips.
Marigold took a sip of Sirius glass just as the song ended, a much more fast paced and chipper tune replacing it.
“Oh I love this one!” Sirius jumped onto the coffee table, singing along to its gushy and loopy words.
“Me too! Your mother used to play it all the time!” Tonks cheered, moving to join her cousin, but not releasing Remus’ hand with out reluctance.
The began to sing along to the words, twisting and grinning. Molly and Arthur stilled to laugh at the spectacle.
“You used to love performing like that,” Remus took a drink of his own, speaking to Marigold as she clapped her hands in beat.
“Maybe she still does,” Sirius took the instrumental break to invite Marigold up between them.
“My performative days ended long ago,” She shook her head.
“Since when?” Molly laughed.
“Since I had to be a mother, an adult!” Marigold put her hands up in mock defense.
“Oh please, grace us with it, one last time!” Tonks urged, extending a hand.
“Alright, I’ll come out of retirement, but just for you dear,” Marigold gave in, flushed and goofy.
She took Tonk’s hand and joined the pair, although she didn’t know the song nearly as well as they did. She humored them with twists of her own, lip synching into a fake microphone. Remus threw his head back to laugh boyishly, sitting with the Weasley’s on the sofa for the show.
With the last note, the three bowed and hopped down from their small stage.
“I remember all too well why I fell for you back then,” Sirius sighed romantically.
“And I remember how I fell for your tricks, mister,” She teased, placing a hand on his chest to keep him from getting any closer.
“I better put Padfoot to bed before he gets too sappy for any of us to handle,” Remus offered, going to stand.
“Would you prefer I flirt with you, Remy?” Sirius inched towards the man.
“I have work tomorrow, with book lists coming out soon,” Marigold apologized to Tonks who still had an arm around her waist.
“No wait! I’ll behave myself!” Sirius spun around, protesting her exit.
“A few minutes longer!” Even Molly pleaded.