| Sirius held tightly to Cassie all that night and long into the next day. He was trying to make absolute positive sure that she never got away from him... ever again.
Cassie opened her eyes that morning and saw Sirius� sleeping face. She reached over and gently brushed it with the back of her hand. She couldn�t believe that after everything she had been through, after all the trials she had suffered, she was finally happy and going to stay happy until the end of her days. �I love you,� she whispered softly. Sirius opened his eyes, blinked, and smiled at her warmly. �Good morning,� he said. He wrapped his arms around her, brought her close, and kissed the top of her head. �I love you.� She nuzzled into his neck, loving the warmth and comfort it brought her being that close to someone who loved her more than life itself, and had on many occasions proven it. �You are going to be my wife,� he whispered sleepily to her. �Mrs. Sirius Black.� �Cassie Black. I like the way that sounds,� she sighed, kissing his cheek. �I do too,� he said happily. His eyes flashed opened and he sat bolt upright. �We gotta do this soon!� he declared. She turned in the bed and smiled lazily at him. �What are you talking about? Why do we have to rush this?� �Oh come on, Cassie!� he said, rummaging through his closet, pulling out a pair of boxers, and throwing them on. �There�s absolutely no time to waste! I am not going to let another second slip by where you can get away from me. At least when we�re married it�ll be a huge pain in your arse to run away.� Cassie sat up, wrapping the covers around her chest and gazing at Sirius affectionately. There was no way she was going to leave him now. Sirius emerged from the closet clothed in his pajamas, muttering wildly to himself. �Well, first, we�ll have to tell James, Lily, Remus, and Peter, they�ll want to be there. Then we have to tell your family, and then we have to find a place to go and do it. Then we have to go look for the clothes... and I want to do this as soon as possible, Cass! I want to be married right away.� Cassie watched him for a long time, marveling at how she had managed to run away from someone so wonderful for so long. She realized, with a sudden urgency, that she wanted to marry Sirius right there if she could. He was right. Why should they waste any time at all? She hopped out of bed, disregarding the sheets, and grabbed her clothes from the floor. She pulled them on and Sirius backed out of his closet, fully clothed and stared at her curiously. �That was quick.� She ran into his arms and kissed him passionately. He embraced her and held her happily. He was so excited at the prospect of holding her like this for the rest of his life that he squeezed her as close as he could get her. She pulled away from him slightly and looked into his eyes. �I agree with you. I don�t want to waste another second without being married to you.� They parted and immediately went bustling about the flat, trying to get everything in order before they were to set out and make the arrangements for their hasty wedding. Cassie immediately owled her parents, telling them the news, and set to work on finding somewhere for she and Sirius to be married. Sirius told James, Lily, Remus, and Peter the news and invited them to celebrate the next day. Cassie was in such a hurry to get out and buy a dress that she ran smack into Sirius on her way out. He laughed heartily and grabbed her hands. �I�m having a thought,� he said quietly. She smiled tenderly at him and placed her hand on his cheek. �Don�t let it harm you before the wedding, stupid.� �Shut up, dozy,� he said, nudging her. �Since we�re getting married anyway, why don�t you move out of that gross flat of yours and move in here?� Her eyes lit up in excitement before they turned back into the playful ones as she answered, �Oh, like this place is a palace, Black?� He narrowed his eyes at her and then couldn�t help the smile spread across his face as he leaned in closer. �Is that a yes, Cassie?� �It might be,� she said, closing her eyes as he continued to lean closer. �Just say it, you know you want to,� he said, closing his eyes this time. �All right. I�d love nothing more than to move in with you.� �That�s what I thought,� he whispered and pressed his lips down on top of hers. He let his fingers roam wildly through her long, silky tresses and felt his heart soar. It was finally happening. Cassie was going to be his, and his forever. He�d never thought it could happen. She pulled away and sighed happily. �All right then. I�m going to go look for a wedding dress and then I�ll pack all of my stuff and bring it over here.� �Whoa,� he said, putting his hands up. �What do you mean you�ll pack all of your stuff? Why don�t I get a head start to your flat, start packing, and you can meet me back there? I�m not just going to sit here and do nothing.� Cassie smiled so widely she thought her face was going to burst. Her eyes watered in pure joy and happiness. �I really love you, you know that, right?� �I do now,� he whispered, kissing her cheek. �Go! Go! Get that dress. I�m going to get some more stuff ready and then go to your place. Take your time, don�t rush.� She closed her eyes happily and disappeared. Sirius stared at the place where she had just been occupying, marveling at how unbelievably lucky he was. After Cassie had finished picking out her dress and helped Sirius move the rest of her stuff into his flat, they fell into the middle of all of the moving boxes in the living room and stared at the ceiling as they held hands. They laid together, Cassie�s head resting comfortably on Sirius� shoulder. �Do you realize, that in three nights, we are going to be married?� Sirius smiled as he stared ahead into space. �Yes, isn�t it wonderful?� �I�ve never felt better in my entire life.� They sat in complete relaxed and blissful silence for a few minutes before Sirius whispered, �Is there anything you want to do before you�re a married woman?� Cassie was quiet for a few minutes before she gave a small chuckle. �I�ve always thought about seeing Paris before I got married. Just by myself, you know?� Sirius chuckled too. �Well, you can�t do that right now. I mean, is there anything you want to do that I can do for you before we get married?� She turned her head slightly to peer at him. �I�ve always wanted to run barefoot in the Forbidden Forest. Ever since I was at Hogwarts I thought about doing that. Just because it was Forbidden.� Sirius scoffed, �Oh please. I was in there so many times I could paint you a picture by memory. Do you really want to do that?� Cassie stared at him incredulously. �Are you serious?� �Of course I am. I�ll just pop over to James� place and grab his cloak. We can be back before we get discovered. I promise. Are you ready?� She squeezed his hand. �Not yet. Tell me what you want to do that I can do for you. This is going to go both ways.� Sirius sighed, looking to the ceiling again. �I�ve always wanted to fly. Just soar through the clouds, but I was never very good with a broom. James was blessed with that talent. I wasn�t. I�ve never done such a thing, but I always have.� Cassie laughed to herself. �It just so happens I�m a terrific flier. I have a Shooting Star packed away somewhere and I can take you for that ride through the clouds.� There was a mighty scuffle just then as Sirius popped out to get James� cloak and Cassie started looking around in her things for her broom. Once Sirius came back with the cloak and Cassie had located her broom, they stepped outside their door and looked at each other. �What shall we do first?� Cassie asked. Sirius took the broom and set it by the door. �I think we should fulfill all of your needs first, my dear.� Cassie�s eyes glittered. �I just love you.� �I know.� A few hours later, Cassie and Sirius were blackened by the trees and soot in the woods, but were also windswept from the broom ride they had taken all around England. They were both in the best spirits as they stepped into their flat. Before they could open the door, Sirius put his hand on it to stop her from opening and he leaned back against it. �Do you want to look for a bigger place after we get hitched?� �What do you mean? Like, a house?� �Yeah,� he said, a grin crossing his face as he breathed deeply. �Oh, Sirius, I would� I would love it. But what do we need a house for? We�re not going to be� parents.� Sirius frowned and drew her closer. �Says who? Who says we can�t adopt? There are tons of kids out there who need someone to love them. And we can love them just as much as we could love our own.� Cassie smiled at him. �I can�t believe how good you are to me.� �I love you too much to be horrible to you. Today anyway,� he said, winking at her. �What about that Andrea?� Cassie asked thoughtfully, completely disregarding the fact that Sirius was trying to purposely goad her into a fight. �What about her?� �You said she looked like me, from what I told you and the more I look at her, the more I realize you�re right. I�m trying to think of where she got her nose. That�s definitely not my nose.� Sirius laughed heartily. �Who knows, Cassie? Maybe it�s the daughter you were supposed to have, the daughter you�re going to adopt. The one that looks scarily like you. Who�s to know? We�re not even married, yet. Let�s talk about a house first.� Cassie nodded distractedly as Sirius ushered her into the house. He wanted her to forget about having children, as he knew it would only depress her further. He wanted to think about marrying her in a matter of three days and having her in his life forever. That was all that mattered. �I can�t believe I�m doing this before you and Lily are.� �Settle down, you�re going to wet yourself before I wet myself. I�m just surprised you managed to convince someone to marry you.� �I�m surprised you�re even considering getting married, James. You just�� �Gentlemen! Can we just get Sirius ready?� Remus interjected, pushing James aside and dusting off the front of Sirius� black robes. He wore a gray shirt underneath that matched James�, Peter�s, and Remus� robes and he felt as though his hair were not his own, but James� instead. He couldn�t get it to do what he wanted and he felt unclean, sweaty, and messy. He knew he�d never look as wonderful as Cassie undoubtedly would. �Would you just calm down?� Remus asked him, placing his hands on his friend�s shoulders. �I have faith that you can do this. You just need to tell yourself the same thing. You are getting married to Cassie. Just stop being so nervous.� Sirius nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. He turned to observe his reflection and was surprised that he didn�t look nearly as bad as he thought. �Fix your collar, dear,� the mirror instructed him. He started for a second and then fixed his collar. He turned to his friends and smiled weakly. �I guess it�s show time.� Sirius walked out into the bright light of the day and gazed out at the few guests they had invited. There were only a few members of Cassie�s family attending, as well as a few friends from Hogwarts that Sirius had kept. Other than that, there were few seats to be filled. There was a long white carpet leading up to the tree where he and Cassie were to be wed. They had both decided that the perfect place to get married was their spot, where they�d first revealed their feelings to each other, the place they�d first kissed, and the spot where Sirius had proposed. It was perfect. However, it being the middle of February, it was hard to work around the winter chill and snow. Yet with the help of some Charms from Lily�s talented fingers, it was just as if they were getting married in the spring. They�d set up two separate tents accordingly, and Cassie was still in hers with Lily, getting made up. Sirius walked to the front of the aisle, followed closely by his three best friends. Sirius stood next to the High Wizard who would perform their wedding and clasped his hands together tightly. He surveyed the wedding guests. He�d completely overlooked the fact that Professor McGonagall was of the attendants. She sat on his side, clad in her best formal gowns. She also appeared to be more laid back and held a piece of tissue tightly in her hands. It looked as though she had already used it more than once. It was with a fleeting and entertaining thought that Sirius remembered Professor McGonagall had unknowingly been the person that introduced him to Cassie. If he had never served detention with McGonagall, he never would have met her. And just as he was remembering their fond memories, Lily stepped out of the tent and made her way slowly down the aisle. In a matter of seconds, Cassie would emerge as well. Lily wore baby�s breath in her long, bright red hair. She was holding one single red rose and wore a dress of silver that made James gasp. He leaned over and whispered into Sirius� ear, �Remind me to propose to her after the ceremony.� Sirius didn�t answer. He only smiled at him blissfully. Lily walked up to the front of the aisle and beamed proudly at Sirius. She bent over and kissed him on the cheek. She whispered in his ear, �I�m very proud of you, Pup.� Finally, Cassie and her father walked out of the tent and Sirius could barely breathe. She looked unbelievably devastating in her dress, though it wasn�t anything large and spectacular. She wore her hair loose and wavy, as he always loved it. A crown of red roses sat atop her head, holding the small veil that flowed down her back. Her dress was simple, but beautiful at the same time. It was sleeveless and low cut, clinging to her form in all the right places. She wore a smile of undeniable happiness, holding a dozen roses in her hands as she walked toward him. There was a whole bright future in the way she was carrying herself. Sirius could see that with every step she took, she took in a whole new life for herself, leaving everything that had hurt her behind. Everything in her told him that she was his forever. She had forgotten everything that hurt her before, and was now ready to love him with all her heart. She stopped just before Sirius and turned to face her father. He kissed her on the cheek and guided her then toward Sirius. He extended his arm to her and she took it willingly. They faced the High Wizard, clinging to one another happily. �We are gathered here to bear witness to the joining of two spirits as one�� the Wizard began. Sirius quickly tuned him out and turned to look at his future wife. �You look absolutely lovely,� he whispered to her in all sincerity. She gripped him tightly. �I look horrible, don�t lie to me.� He leaned his head onto hers. �You could never look horrible, love.� Cassie�s eyes watered and tears ran down her cheeks freely. He could always recognize Cassie�s tears, and this was no exception. However, this time it was a joyous cry and not one of pain and anguish. If he had it his way, she�d never feel that way again. �Do you, Sirius Carter Black, take this woman to be your wedded wife? In sickness and in health, in joy and in pain, for better or for worse?� Sirius turned to face her, never believing in two words more. �I do.� �And do you, Cassiopeia Lynne Reye, take this man to be your wedded husband? In sickness in health, in joy and in pain, for better or for worse?� Cassie�s ice blue eyes sparkled right along with falling snowflakes several yards away as she answered, �I do.� It was all blurry up until the High Wizard�s voice carried out the words that Sirius wanted nothing more than to hear in the entire universe. �I now pronounce you wizard and wife. You may kiss the bride.� Sirius stared in a heavenly stupor at his bride before he slipped his hand behind her neck and brought her lips up to his own. There was more tenderness and warmth in these lips than he had ever felt before in his entire life. It was probably because he was kissing his wife. The clapping began and they broke apart, smiling like complete fools. They walked down the aisle together and stopped only when one of Cassie�s family members stopped them, pulling out a Muggle camera that Sirius did not recognize. �Smile!� Sirius could do nothing but. He pulled Cassie close, put his arm around her waist, and pressed his head onto hers. Cassie wiped her eyes quickly before the picture was taken and let her hand fall heavily to her side. The flash caught them in time, and they turned to look at each other. Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat and gazed into the eyes of the woman he loved more than life itself. She closed her eyes and gave a happy giggle. Sirius pressed his forehead to hers and tenderly ran his fingers along her face. �I�m never going to let you get away from me,� he whispered lovingly. �I�d never leave. I love you.� Sirius smiled and kissed her forehead. �Mrs. Black� let�s go home.� |
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