"you chose willingly to walk into fire with her. that's what love is."

*

The next few weeks dragged on. Eva barely spoke at all, usually only talking when someone addressed her. Looking back, even years later, she remembered almost nothing from the days after her mother's death. Recovery, getting her things, the funeral - all of it blurred in her memory. She felt like she was sleepwalking through life, like she just existed while the world kept turning whether she was ready or not. It was the first time since he'd met her that Sirius ever saw all ten of her fingernails painted the same color, and she painted them black.

The Potters opened their home to her, an offer she gratefully accepted. Out of fear for her own family's safety, Lily left after a week. Sirius also returned home to his apartment, but he frequented the Potter house more than he stayed there, opting to spend his days with his two favorite people, even though it tended to be more calm than exciting.

Both James and Sirius noticed the drastic change in the girl's temperament and it worried them. As someone who dealt with depression in the past, Sirius noticed that her face seemed thinner and she didn't have as much energy anymore. Often, he transformed into Padfoot and just sat with her outside.

It bothered him that she was so quiet. She was just a colder version of the girl she used to be. He missed her laugh most of all.

The summer of 1977 was peppered with visits from friends, all who tried their best to lift her spirits. Marlene sent red flowers multiple times and Remus lent her new books. Kriss brought her kitten, Gray, over for a weekend, which went well until a big black dog ran out of the woods and scared the cat out of its fluffy mind. It took an hour for Gray to even consider leaving the safety of Remus' arms, and Sirius continuously lamented about how sad he was that he missed it.

The Prewett twins showed up for a memorable afternoon of broomstick racing through the orchard which went well until Remus crashed into the kitchen window. The group spent the evening fixing the kitchen while Mrs. Potter fixed Remus. Peter managed to coax the first smile out of her a few weeks after when he brought rolls made from the recipe Hogwarts house-elves used, but anyone could see she just couldn't figure out how to shake her grief. It followed her around like a dark cloud and she hated it.

In the days following her mother's death, James wouldn't let Eva sleep by herself, choosing to camp out on a chair in her room instead. At first she protested, but her objections faded each time she woke up with a nightmare. Having spent years waking up to a horrified Sirius across from him in the dormitory, he knew the right things to say and the things to keep to himself. Unfortunately, dealing with nightmares wasn't new to him. The two had always had a sibling-like bond, one that only strengthened as she began a slow recovery for both her mind and body.

One evening in late July, Eva heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. She glanced up from her book, Practical Defensive Spells. It really was the spare bedroom of the Potter house, and while she scattered a few of her possessions around, it still didn't feel like home. She doubted it ever would.

"Come in," she whispered, picking up her wand without thinking. The door opened and Sirius poked his head in. She immediately lowered her wand, but not before he saw her defensive stance. His face fell slightly. He chose not to comment on this, though, and sat on the bed next to her. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Remus were going to the ABBA concert tonight."

"No, you gave Remus your ticket. I conveniently decided to also give him mine." He snuck a smile at her. "He gets to take Kriss to a really great concert, and I get to spend a really great night with you. We both get to look like really great boyfriends. Really great, huh?"

"You were supposed to go," she protested softly. "Those tickets were your birthday present."

Sirius reached over and took one of her hands in both of his. "You were supposed to go, too. And I don't care about my birthday. It comes around every year."

"But-"

"No buts," he said before standing. "Can you be ready in ten minutes?"

Eva frowned. "Ten minutes? What for?"

"To be honest, five would be even better. I've been told I'm impatient. Plus, I don't want us to miss anything." He tilted his head sideways. "It's a secret. Don't you trust me, Blondie?"

She sighed. He'd been nothing but comforting to her in the last few months and she knew nothing he planned would be necessarily bad. "Seven minutes."

His face split into a grin. "Deal."

Sifting through her suitcase that she never bothered to unpack, Eva chose a red t-shirt and white skirt with a pair of black Chuck Taylors. She always felt stronger in red, more confident. After pulling her hair into a messy bun, she pushed the door open and walked down the staircase.

Eva found the boys in the living room messing around as usual, James' Queen record playing in the background. This time, James and Sirius were engaged in competitive arm wrestling with Peter taping on the cassette recorder Lily and Eva chipped in to buy him for Christmas. She thought the whole scene was rather endearing, so she leaned over the ballisters and watched it play out.

"You're going down," James said with a smirk.

Sirius' voice sounded just as strained as his muscles looked. "Shut... up... Prongs."

"Bow down to my Quidditch muscles, stud. You have no chance."

"I... will... never... surrender!"

"Padfoot, you're going to lose. Might as well just end it," Peter advised, holding the recorder up close to his face. "Hey, tell our future kids what it feels like to lose to James Potter."

"Dunno... it never... happened." Out of nowhere, Sirius pinned James' forearm to the table, grinning proudly. "You can ask James the opposite if you like, Wormtail."

James grimaced and pulled his arm out from under Sirius'. Then, he took the recorder from Peter's hands. "All right. This is the best looking Marauder dad speaking. I have pictures to prove it. Since you guys are from the future, I assume you're listening to our 'How to Marauder' series from inside your flying car, maybe on Mars. Moldy Voldy is dead long dead because I stopped messing around with my wand and shot him with a machine gun. Dumbledore somehow is still kicking around because the old geezer's going to outlive us all, I swear. I definitely played professional Quidditch after Lily married me."

"Oh, you and your dumb introductions," Sirius said impatiently, snatching it from him. "I WON!"

"Is this a bad time?" Eva asked. She leaned against the doorframe with a slight smile.

"Not at all," James said before grabbing the recorder back. "Guess what, mini-Padfoots? Your mum just entered the room! We take a lot of pictures around here, so in twenty years or so she can prove she really was hot in the seventies. You can't see it, but she's a damn fine sight for sore eyes."

"James!" She scolded. While her voice was softer than it used to be, he caught a glimpse of her old humor and grinned. Taking the recorder from them, she spoke into it. "It's Eva. I don't know who I'm talking to, but the four boys you've been listening to are complete dolts, so take everything they say with a grain of rice. Thank you for your time."

She tossed the recorder back to Peter and turned to Sirius. "Ready for whatever?"

"I am absolutely ready for whatever." He stood, and Eva noticed how good he looked. Not that he ever looked bad, but summer looked good on Sirius Black. In his black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, with a tanner skin tone than usual, she felt her heart beat a little faster. "Wait. You look amazing, so don't hate me for this, but go change your skirt."

She squinted. "What?"

"You can't be wearing a skirt. Trust me, it's not a good idea."

"Um, okay. Give me a minute." She returned a minute later wearing a pair of bell bottoms, to which Sirius nodded his approval.

"Great!" He grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the front door. "Come on! I have to show you something!"

"Sirius!" Laughter tumbled from her lips before she could stop it as he kept pulling her.

"Adieu!" James yelled at the pair right before Sirius yanked Eva out the door. He crashed on the couch, happiness all over his face.

Peter plopped down next to him with an identical grin. "That's the first time I've heard her laugh in weeks."

"That's the first time she's seemed like herself in weeks," James added. "If Sirius doesn't do anything stupid, then tonight might actually be good for her. What do you want to do?"

"Baking competition?"

"You're on."

*

"Sirius, I can't see!"

"That's the point of my hand covering your eyes, love," he replied, smirking. Carefully, he led her down the front walkway and to the bottom of the driveway. "You ready?"

"I'm ready to have your hand off of my face."

"Maybe I should leave it there, then."

"Just show me."

Sirius grinned and finally moved his hand away from Eva's eyes. She gasped when she saw a motorcycle sitting in the Potter's driveway. "You did not buy a motorcycle."

"I told you I was saving up for something good," he said, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You like it?"

"Do you even know how to drive it?" She asked skeptically. Eva knew that most wizards chose apparation or brooms for their mode of transportation. Out of their group, only she, Lily, Remus and Kriss learned how to drive, although Eva was trying to teach James.

Needless to say, it wasn't going well.

"Yeah, mostly. There's this Muggle guy at the dealership that's been showing me, and Remus helped, too."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Remus knows how to drive a motorcycle? Remus?"

"That sock-folding chocolate-eater's full of surprises."

Eva blew a curl out of her face and snorted. "I'll say."

Sirius grinned and swung one leg over the motorcycle. "Come on, then."

"Just to be clear, you're asking me to ride the death bike with you?"

"Correct."

"Well, I've only got one life to live," she muttered under her breath before getting on behind him.

"Hold on," he said as revved it.

"Sirius, maybe we should-" The rest of her suggestion was cut off as Sirius sped off and a bloodcurdling scream replaced her words. Her reaction only made him laugh, and she clung to his waist and buried her head in his shoulder until they finally slowed to a stop.

Sirius began to peel his girlfriend off of him, which was no small task. "So... what do you think?"

"I'm never riding that again!"

"Blondie, how do you expect to get back?"

Laughter fell from her lips. It started out quiet, then grew into something louder and almost normal. Sirius slung his arm around her shoulder and laughed too.

"Where are we?" She asked, glancing around. They hadn't drove for too long, but she didn't recognize the lonely street.

"Somewhere I can safely leave this for a little while." He pushed the motorcycle behind an old shed before offering his hand, which she reluctantly took. "Don't worry. You'll like where we're going."

Eva nodded but still closed her eyes, apprehensive about apparating again, even if it was just by slide-along apparation. He sensed this and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before turning on the spot and transporting them somewhere new.

The salty scent of the ocean filled Eva's nostrils before she opened her eyes. She gripped onto Sirius momentarily until the dizziness of apparation faded, but her face broke into a smile when she took in her surroundings.

"Wow," she whispered. It had been years since she visited the beach. This one seemed almost deserted. Sunset streaked the sky in gold and orange, reflecting in the sparkling sea.

Sirius smiled at her awestruck expression. "Better than spending the night in your room?"

"Much better."

"Come on, then," He said, offering his hand. The two took off their shoes and walked towards the shoreline.

Cool water lapped onto Eva's toes and the ocean breeze lazily blew strands of hair from her bun into her face. Sirius faced a similar problem with his signature dark locks. He kept flicking them out of his eyes only due them to fall back seconds later.

"How do you girls do this?" He grumbled, pushing his hair back yet again.

"We're tougher than you boys, that's how," she said. Holding up her wrist, she added, "we also were smart enough to invent hair ties."

"Give me that!" He snatched the scrunchie from her wrist and tied his hair back before posing. "How do I look?"

"Like a boy who is attractive and he knows it," Eva said, laughing quietly, but her laughter dissolved. "Why me?"

Sirius looked over at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You could have your pick of any girl at Hogwarts."

"I don't want just any girl from Hogwarts. I want you."

"But why?" Eva stared out at the ocean, watching the waves roll towards the shore and recede back. "I've been pathetic all summer. I'm terrible at potions and I can't walk down stairs and I'm so messed up. I just feel so... so powerless. Like I can't find my footing. Why would you want me?"

Sirius' heart nearly broke. He was crestfallen. How can she not see how perfect she is?

"Don't talk that way about the woman I love."

Eva stopped walking and turned to him, momentarily speechless. "I- you what?"

"I love you." He said it without hesitation. Taking both of her hands in his, he continued. As he spoke, his face became more animated, more alive, and she knew that he meant it. "You mean the world to me. And if you think a few crappy months are going to change that, then you're dead wrong."

"Sirius," she whispered, the smile on her face growing slowly but surely. "You mean that?"

"Blondie, I've loved you since we were kids. You didn't see it until this year, but I think I've always loved you."

Eva squeezed his hands. "I'm in love with you, too."

Sirius' grin was brighter than she'd ever seen it at her words. He laughed nervously, then harder, so thankful that his feelings were finally reciprocated. He pulled her in for a tight hug, inhaling the flowery scent that always lingered around her.

He felt alive.

"I just want you to know," He whispered into her hair, "that I'm not going anywhere. We're in this together. We're seventeen and stupid and fighting a war, but I am in love with you and that makes the rest of it fade away."

Eva leaned into his chest, resting her head on his shoulder, a place she seemed to fit so well. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she said honestly, "but I feel like that's what's wrong. I don't... I don't know how to get myself back. I don't want to be a burden on anyone-"

"You're such a Gryffindor," Sirius rebuked, stroking her hair. "You don't need to do everything by yourself. You don't know who you are? Okay, I'll show you. You're not a burden to anyone. We love you. I love you. And Eva, I'll do anything just to see you smile."

He cupped her cheek and pulled her close for a soft, lingering kiss. She smiled against his lips.

"That's my girl."

A little fluffier, I think we needed that.

I love Sirius and Eva, ugh

QOTD: favorite HP book?

AOTD: Order of the Phoenix

Any predictions for the story? Anything you'd like to see happen?

Love you all, thank you for reading, stay safe!