"i'm laughing with my lover, making forts under covers, trust him like a brother. you know, i did one thing right."

*

"Sirius, where are we going?" Eva giggled as Sirius pulled her forward. He kept a hand over her eyes, hiding their location.

"I can't tell you! That would ruin the surprise!"

"Okay, but why didn't we just apparate?"

Sirius rolled his gray eyes, although she couldn't see it. "Apparating was physically impossible."

"Apparating was-" Eva didn't get the chance to connect the dots because Sirius led her right into some sort of body of water and she gasped indignantly. "You're such a jerk!"

Laughing, Sirius held up hands to cover his face as she began to splash him. "Oi! Stop attacking me and turn around, you lunatic!"

She listened to him and turned around, her eyes widening. Not wanting to get her hopes up, she ventured a question with a timid smile. "Why are we standing in the Black Lake?"

"I may or may not have written a letter to Minnie explaining how her poor Quidditch Queenie was all burned out and desperately in need of a getaway, and how I wanted to take her to her favorite place in the entire world for our three year anniversary. However, she said that our anniversary was too close to the start of term, so I countered with a new date and switched my off days to this weekend, and here we are."

Before he could even finish, Eva's face broke into a grin. She launched herself into his arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him in a tight hug. "You're the best husband ever!"

"I know I am." He grinned impishly and stole a quick kiss. The water sloshed around his ankles, but he held Eva above the lake. Due to his many years working as an Auror, this wasn't a strain on his muscles at all. "We've got the castle to ourselves for the next seventy-two hours, my dear."

"My dear, hm?" Eva giggled as he pulled her in for a soft kiss. "That's new. I like the sound of that. Makes me feel like something special."

"You are something special. Never forget that."

His mouth dangerously close to her ear. Her breath caught in her throat and she smiled, wondering how the moment could possibly get better. It did, of course. Their lips met again for a few perfect seconds, but Sirius threw Eva into the water without warning.

She resurfaced moments later, laughing and gasping for breath. Sirius grinned cheekily at his soaking-wet wife.

"Oh, you are so dead," she vowed. "You're dead, Black!"

"You've got to catch me first, Blondie." With a wink, he dove underwater, and without hesitation, she swam after him.  They chased each other for a while. Just when Eva almost caught up to him, he turned into Padfoot and paddled away, his pink tongue sticking out triumphantly.

An hour later, the couple emerged from the Black Lake as the sun set low in the sky, dripping wet. Their clothes stuck to their bodies, but they didn't care, choosing to laugh it all off. It seemed like being back at Hogwarts reminded them of two people that used to exist, two kids who chased each other around the grounds and kissed in back hallways. There was a reason why Eva called Hogwarts her favorite place. What was it that Dumbledore said at their graduation?

"Never forget the friendships forged between classes. Never forget the moments of triumph from a Quidditch victory or a good test score. These memories will anchor you as you move forward in life. I encourage you all to visit at some point, for Hogwarts will always be here to welcome you home."

She hadn't forgotten a single thing.

"Do you reckon we should head in?" Sirius asked as he squeezed out his dark locks over the lake. "It'll be dark soon."

"Yeah, okay. Are the house elves here? I'm sort of hungry." Eva thought about those rolls she loved back in school and said a silent prayer.

"Yep. They clean during the summers to give Filch a holiday."

The blonde grinned. "Ah, I can imagine Mr. Filch lounging on a tropical beach somewhere, soaking up the sun's rays and drinking margaritas with Mrs. Norris."

They walked up the hill and into the castle just as dusk settled in the sky. Sirius glanced up at the expanse of indigo, searching for one particular constellation.

"What're you looking at?"

Sirius shook his head, but smiled faintly at the sky. "No one."

Inside, Eva felt like they had stepped back in time. Except for the lack of students, nothing had changed. Many of the portraits waved to the pair, while others scolded them for being there, and others yet expressed their joy at seeing them again.

After spending a long time in the kitchens getting stuffed with pastries by the ecstatic house elves, they climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, a journey Eva could take in her sleep, and finally reached the portrait hole. The Fat Lady had been snoozing quietly, but at the sound of footsteps, she startled awake, nearly dropping her lacy fan.

"Oh my goodness! You two startled me!"

Sirius grinned and said, "sorry."

"Don't trouble yourself about it. Professor McGonagall told me that there would be a pair staying here this weekend. I didn't know that meant the two of you. I meant to stay up, but I must have dozed off." The Fat Lady flounced her black curls and straightened her pale pink silk gown. "Password?"

"'Detention, Mr. Black'," Sirius chuckled. Eva laughed, too, thinking he was kidding, but when the portrait door swung open, she only laughed harder. Sirius grinned and swung an arm around her shoulders. "Some things never change, I reckon."

Despite the summer weather outdoors, the common room somehow stayed at the perfect temperature to allow for a roaring fire. Memories flooded Eva's mind just looking at everything.

"I can't believe we're back here. I mean, this is so crazy!" Eva ran across the room and plopped down on a chair. "This was James' armchair. This was mine. Remus used to fall asleep on that couch almost every night. Lily used to do homework over at that table. She'd help me with Potions' essays sometimes. And we used to roast marshmallows and play games around the fire. And- what?"

Sirius couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. "Yeah, I remember all that. You know what else I remember?" He walked over and offered her his hand, which she took. Then, he led her over to a windowsill and sat on it, pulling her onto his lap. Pointing to the chair she just occupied, he said, "that was your chair, and I used to sit on this windowsill and pretend to read, but I was actually sneaking looks at you."

"Really?" She asked with a smile that even reached her bright green eyes. "How long were you watching?"

"Longer than you can imagine." He winked. "Let's go upstairs and clean off. I brought our bags here during my lunch break."

"You really thought of everything."

"Of course I did. It's our almost-anniversary." Sirius hesitated at the top of the steps, then pushed open an all-too-familiar door to a room that hosted some of his best memories. He crossed the room to the four-poster bed closest to the window and ran his thumb over an engraving on the wooden post. SB. On the others, he knew there were similar markings: JP, PP, and RL. "It's weird that some other group of students sleep in here now."

"But it doesn't really feel different." Eva looked around the dormitory with a smile, picturing its walls covered in Freddy Mercury posters and wizarding photographs. The desk looked bare without poems about Lily, and someone had returned the plush red chair the boys stole from the common room. Leaning against the bed that once belonged to Remus, she said, "you proposed to me here."

"Ah, the most chaotic moment of my twenty-one years," he chuckled. "James was moaning on the floor right there, and Lily was latched to a bedpost over there, and Marlene wouldn't stop eating those damn pretzels, and McGonagall stood over there, ready to kill us all. You were wearing that oversized Beatles t-shirt. It was the perfect moment."

Eva found herself transfixed by her husband. Every little detail about him was perfect, from his storm-gray eyes to the way he smiled at her like she was everything. Slowly, they drew closer together, a movement that wasn't voluntary, but magnetic.

Emerald irises met eyes of stormcloud gray, their noses inches apart. "This weekend's all ours, right?" Eva whispered.

"Just you and me. It's about time, too. I don't remember the last time we got a few days to ourselves," he murmured back, close enough to count her freckles. "What do you say we change into some dry clothes, break out the firewhiskey, and snog until we can't feel our lips anymore?"

Giggling, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd rather kiss you right now."

"Even soaking wet and sober?"

"Yes."

"Fine with me."

"You were right," she whispered when they parted for air. "Some things never change."

*

Faint sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the otherwise dark dormitory in golden warmth. On the nightstand sat a basket of freshly-baked rolls. Two young people lay asleep in a four-poster bed, snuggling underneath a Gryffindor blanket. Blonde and black hair tangled on a shared pillow.

Sirius woke with his head buried in Eva's shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of her floral shampoo. For the first time in months, no worries plagued him. He realized how much he'd needed this break, a weekend away with the person who meant the most to him.

Back in their school days, Sirius would have slept much later than her, but since the deaths of the Prewett twins, he hadn't been sleeping well. Being an Auror took a toll on his energy levels, so he generally fell asleep quickly at night, but the fear of losing his own life, or worse, losing one of his closest family members, scared him awake. That was when he started going on morning runs. However, there was just something about the atmosphere of the moment that put him at ease.

Eva stirred as he sat up in bed. She rolled over and looked up at him with a tired yet beautiful smile. Her eyes were still cloudy from sleep. "Morning."

He leaned down and gave her a long, gentle kiss. "Morning, Blondie."

His kisses made her close her eyes and giggle. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

His lips found hers again. They kissed slowly because for once, they had time. No one would bang on their door or send an owl. No one, except for Professor McGonagall, knew their location.

"What if we never leave?" Sirius muttered quickly. "We could stay here. We could live like this forever."

"I'd agree, but the poor kid whose bed we've stolen might not appreciate this." She sighed. "I missed this. Feeling... normal."

"Yeah, me too," he whispered. "Listen, I have something to tell you."

"Oh, okay. What is it?" Eva turned over as he laid back down so that they were facing each other. He reached for her hand and she took it, their fingers fitting together perfectly.

"With all of the madness that's been going on in the Auror Office, Moody needs a new second-in-command. It used to be Dorcas, but... anyway, that's not the point. The point is, it's looking like the promotion's gonna go to me. They won't announce until December, but Moody's really been taking me under his wing lately. It's going to happen, I can feel it."

"Really?" She asked, her spirits lifting then falling in the span of a few seconds. "Will that be more dangerous?"

"Honestly, no. I would just be Moody's right-hand man, essentially. I didn't bring it up to discuss that, though." He took a deep breath. "If I get that promotion, I'll get a raise. I was thinking, if you're okay with it, that we could finally move out of the apartment and buy a house. Then we could maybe start a family there or something."

Eva couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you serious?"

"Yes on both accounts." He winked and she blushed furiously, irritated that she'd fallen for the oldest trick in the Marauder book. "We'll have more money. We'd be able to afford to take care of someone else, and I know that having kids is important to you."

"Well, it is, but do you want them?" She asked. "It can't just be my decision."

"Of course I'm okay with it. I'm the one who brought it up, Eva." He shook his head, the slightest smile on his handsome face. "I think our godson is corrupting my tough side."

"I like you like this," she whispered, giving him the lightest kiss on the cheek possible.

He laughed. "Of course you do."

"Do we really have to wait until December?" She asked, her voice wistful as she imagined a little playmate for Harry. The dream was so vivid that it burned in her heart and her mind. "That's so far away."

"I don't reckon I want to risk raising a child in a small apartment in Diagon Alley, so yeah. Sound like a plan?"

Eva snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his bare chest. "Sounds like a plan to me. What'll we do until then?"

"You can start by kissing me, Mrs. Black. That would be a wonderful way to start the day, don't you think? Maybe we can go down and visit Hagrid later, or play one-on-one Quidditch, or go swimming in the Black Lake again. Whatever we want."

"Or," Eva said, drawing out the word playfully, "we can stay here for a long long time and just talk about everything and nothing. Just enjoy being around each other."

Sirius looked at her in disbelief. "Have you ever turned down Quidditch before?"

"Only when the alternative is you."

here's another soft evarius chapter for my favorite ship :)

go check out my latest book "cherry wine", which tells the story of the black sisters: bellatrix, andromeda, and narcissa!

sorry for this late update! life's been so busy lately

please vote and comment! thoughts?? predictions??