𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗜𝗜𝗜 ━━ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘
099. ruining yet another perfect moment

( songs for the chapter:
making the bed — olivia rodrigo
this is me trying — taylor swift )

POTTER MANOR
october, 1979

          𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗘𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗘𝗧. James and Lily were nervous to break the news out to their parents who were absolutely sure the youngsters did something wrong. Meanwhile, Scarlet was trying to slap Sirius' hand that was creeping up her thigh and let her eat Mrs Potter's marvellous food in peace.

Sirius looked at James and raised a brow, mouthing, 'Say it'.

'I can't' James mouthed back.

"What is going on?" Mr Potter asked.

"These two have something to tell you."

"It can wait," James blurted out, eyes wide.

"James," Lily sighed. "Do you want me to do it?"

"No," James shook his head, trying to gain composure.

Sirius took this opportunity to chime in with his input, "Mr Potter, so, you know when two people love each other a lot, they—uh, in bed—"

"Sirius Black!" Mr Potter exclaimed, "What have you done? Did you get Scarlet pregnant?"

Scarlet choked on her grilled tomatoes, coughing loudly. "Salazar, NO! I'm not pregnant— Lily is."

"WHAT?" The Potter adults yelled at the same time, eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"Oh god," Lily sighed, rubbing the temple of her head.

"YOU GOT LILY PREGNANT?" Mr Potter yelled at Sirius, and his wife slapped him hard across the head.

"WHAT?" James blurted out, looking at Sirius who was absolutely astonished by Potter's thought processes.

"Guys, no, that's—" Lily tried, but she gave up trying within a second.

"What is wrong with you?" Mia scoffed at Fleamont , clearly embarrassed of her husband.

"Sirius didn't get anyone pregnant—" James rubbed the pinch of his nose, and then his eyes widened and he looked at his best friend with a gasp, "maybe you should—"

"Prongs." Sirius stopped him.

Mr Potter finally snapped back to reality, gaining composure from the slap. "Oh," he whispered, eyes widened as he looked between his son and Lily, "I'm gonna be a grandpa..." he slowly said, voice low, and then high within a minute, "I'M GONNA BE A GRANDPA!"

Mrs Potter quickly went and hugged Lily tightly and not letting her go. Fleamont stood from his seat and also wrapped his arms around the redheaded girl.

"I can't believe this," said the Potter, hugging his daughter-in-law as Mrs Potter sobbed loudly and emotionally. "I'm going to be a grandfather." 

"You know, I had a part to play in this too," a grumble came from James, and Lily playfully frowned down at her husband in a manner to tease him, ruffling his hair which only made him frown even more. Mrs Potter smiled and brought James into a tight hug.

      Scarlet looked at the family with a small smile which soon turned into a sad smile. Because Sirius and she were never going to get a chance to sit around a table with their loving family in a warm house to break out good news. Not their blood-family, at least.

      Merlin, it's not everyday Scarlet Bridget feels jealous. Jealousy was not written in her blood. Feeling jealous of James Potter's family was the lowest she had felt in her entire life.

      For a long time as a teen, she was worried about how to tell her mother when she decided to get married. Or had become pregnant. The thought scared her to terror. She hoped the day would never come and magically, Celeste would just know. And now it truly never will come.

      She turned to see the excited look on Sirius face but she was met with a dreamy one, he was staring and Lily and James hugging Mr and Mrs Potter. A light, genuine smile on his face, his heart lightening up. 

      Scarlet's heart clenched at the sight, Sirius would make an amazing father. But Scarlet... she had so much doubt in her chest, so much void when it comes to a family, she truly was scared she was never going to be able to have what James and Lily does. Her gloved hands clenched her fork tighter.

The Potter's house elf was sobbing in the background, earning everyone's attention. "Master James is a father now? Nico can't believe it." The elf was crying very loudly, muttering something about not believing how quickly James grew up.

BRIDGET HOUSE
october, 1979

      WHEN THE COUPLE ENTERED THEIR HOME, SIRIUS DID NOT BOTHER to turn the lights on and instead flickered his wand to conjure two lightened candles on the white-clothed table. He was extremely cheerful, a teeth-bearing grin on his face.

"What's gotten you in such a good mood?" Asked the girl, hanging her long overcoat behind the door with a smile. His grin only widened. 

      Sirius quickly laid down two wine glasses, and glided forward on the tiles to take out a bottle of red wine. When he opened the refrigerator and a pinch between his brows formed when he tried to find whatever he was looking for. 

      Suddenly, Scarlet's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, and she couldn't help but stare — suddenly struck by something. Stared at the side of his face, illuminated in the refrigerator light. She stared at his hair, the way the light bounced off the strands of it and curled into the tiniest swirls at his ears.

     "Blondie," his voice grabbed her attention, his utterly sweet and stunning voice, "pick a record, any record," he clicked his fingers towards the drawers. 

Scarlet did as she was told, and pulled on the drawer, instantly revealing his collection of cassettes and records. Many of them, some covered in dust. 

"How many of these do you have?" She let out a tiny laugh, she has not even noticed this when they moved in, and rarely bothered to figure out where all the random music filling up the house at all times comes from.

"A million," answered the boy, plopping a few blocks of ice into the wine glasses, "I'm with my records the way you are with books."

      Scarlet pulled out a random record, and grinned at the sight of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours vinyl. With Songbird written on it.

"Come on, put it on," Sirius urged, pointing at the record player. He smiled to himself when her smile stretched out in excitement as she placed the record onto the player. "Now, you can adjust the needle, anyhow you like."

      Scarlet loved learning new Muggle things from Sirius, and often, he would get even more exhilarated than her when showing her new things. He watched as his witch hovered the needle over the spinning record and placed it on a desired line. The guitar of Songbird smoothed through the speaker.

"Oh, love, that's perfect," he grinned ear-to-ear, loving the spot she chose. The air adorned with the tiniest crystal particles that floated around them bathed their lightened faces in glorious tranquillity.

      Songbird slowly hung in the air, the soft melody bouncing around the room and creating a satisfying atmosphere. Somehow, even after all these years, Scarlet felt awestruck by Sirius Black's beauty and his loving heart.

Sirius gestured for her to walk closer, "c'mere!" He grabbed her hand, "surely gonna be playing this at our wedding."

      She laughed out loud as he pulled her into him, the guitar melody reverberating through the room, taking her with him as he moved on his feet. She'd never smiled so big in all her life. But there she was, letting him dance her away to their song — with the biggest, downright stupidest smile on her face, ever. He swayed to the music as his hands found her waist, bringing her close to his chest. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck and she smiled that smile up at him — body radiating with happiness.

      He trailed his eyes all over her face and marvelled in her beauty. How her eyes shimmered with a glint underneath the icy-blue refrigerator light. How it enlightened her strong features in the best, most gorgeous way. 

"You're so beautiful," he said with such certainty, as though he could never get tired of reminding her of this, "all of you. Your eyes, hair... your mind, so damn gorgeous, love."

Her chest sizzled with that feeling again, "mon amour," she breathed out, so quiet, so supple and thin.

      He spun her just when the chorus ended and the verse slithered in, and pulled her back into him as his chest heaved in and out unsteadily. His arms wrapped around her upper back, unable to fight the urge in his bones to just hold her as tight at he could after that. She let him, and her arms found his lower back, squeezing tightly. Her head rose with his chest as he caught his breath from the insane rush of adrenaline, still unable to control her smile. She bit down on her bottom lip, still grinning like a fool.

"We should elope," he said in between his laughs. He'd never felt so amazingly, disgustingly enthralled by anyone in all his nineteen years of living. Sirius just could not believe he was going to marry such a wonderful girl.

Scarlet pulled her head away from the crook of his neck, laughing with him. "Elope?" Sirius pulled out a chair, and the two of them sat down. She was at the head of the table as he passed her a glass of wine. 

"Yeah!" He said excitedly. "I don't care— we could run away, whatever you want. I just want to marry you right now, and then have a little baby like James and Lily — I'm sure we'll have a girl, it's the Gryffindor instincts, you know... yeah, I'd love the chance to be a dad, one like Monty."

      He stopped rambling when Scarlet's smile slowly washed off her face and was replaced with a look of complete shock. The change of expression... he felt the anxiousness of it vibrating all the way to the very bottom of his stupid, enamoured glass heart. 

"We shouldn't bring a child into this world, Sirius," she whispered with her voice thick and slow.

      A hair pin drop could've been heard—because right there, was when the moment stopped. The world stopped spinning and they felt their love slipping away from their fingers—behind their reaches.

      The music stopped. 

      He started to feel nervous. His smile did not wear off fully, as though he was clinging onto the last bit of hope, as though everything was still gorgeous just the way it was a few minutes ago. 

"Wh—what? No, I don't mean now, I—I mean years from now, when we're older and wiser and all this is over."

"I can't—I won't do it, the child would be practically born cursed." Scarlet told him. "I don't want anyone to go through it — the hurt."

Sirius gave her a strange look, one of confusion and questions. "You—you don't want children?"

"Not when I know I won't be a good mother." She furrowed her brows.

"That makes no sense." He stated. "You never mentioned you didn't want kids."

"It's not about wanting," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sirius... I—I didn't know you wanted them."

"It's normal to want them." He blurted out without thinking.

      Scarlet's face fell, like she'd just been stabbed right through the heart as she felt her eyes beginning to grow tears that brimmed and threatened to fall. But she did not cry. Bridgets don't cry.

"No—no, that's not what I meant." Sirius began to backtrack, hearing how that sounded out loud and the look of hurt on her face.

"I don't mean this in a bad way Sirius but your parents were shit, my father was a monster," she explained, removing her hand from his. "And as much as I love my mum — I don't want to be like her, there is no fucking way I'll ever be a good mother. I can't fuck up a kid's life."

"Blondie, you'll be amazing—" he sighed with frustration. "Despite everything else, you turned out..."

Just fine? There was no way Sirius was going to say that. He proved it by cutting himself off—because Scarlet did not turn out fine. "Turned out to be fucked in the head?" she snapped.

"That's not what I said." Retorted Black sternly. 

"It's what you thought," she raised a brow, "that's exactly my point, I won't mess up a child's life, it's the worst thing you can do."

"We'll learn," Sirius said with desperation. "We've plenty of time, Mia can help you, and you said Aster taught you a million things."

"Sirius, our child would be born a Bridget, it'd be born a Black, do you really think it'll not be destined for catastrophe?" She asked. "Madness runs in my blood." What if... her child becomes a victim of relentless nightmares?

"You're the one who never believed in fate or destiny." He scoffed, and she started to feel guilty about ruining the mood. She did not mean to spoil his visions for their future, but she did. "And we're away from our messed up families,"

      She always ruined everything.

"That doesn't hide the fact that we're fated to lose." she told him.

Sirius' face softened even more, lips trembling at her words. "You don't really mean that, we can't afford to think like that! Of course, there's a way to win—there's always a way."

"We can't win!" Scarlet slammed her glass on the table and it accidentally spilled over, watching as the crimson drink stained the white cloth. "Because to win, we'd have to be just as bad as them, I'd have to be just as bad as them to survive this and I'm not."

      "And the only reason I'm not is because I love you! All because of you!" she snapped, her voice strong but eyes softening quickly. "Loving you is the only true thing about me and I'm not going to let you go because of... 'cause of fuckin' Voldemort. I'm not going to allow the war to take you from me."

      Sirius looked at her as though his heart fell out of his chest, torn apart and stomped on; he decided to ignore all the points she raised.

"Well, I'm not exactly feeling loved by you at the moment." Declared Sirius.

Scarlet couldn't help the tear that escaped from those words. "What else could I possibly do to make you believe otherwise, Sirius?" She whispered softly, desperately trying to meet his eyes.

"You cannot simply be stuck in one place because of fear, Blondie," Sirius shot back. He was not going to let her demolish his hope for the future. "Try being a little more optimistic."

With a scoff, he started to stand up and she held him in place with a grip on his bicep, not being able the bear his presence fading away. "Look, I'm trying to be better— please, I promise I am." She paused momentarily, watching his stare bore into her irises. 

"And?" He asked, as though he was expecting something more.

"I'm not changing my mind," she looked away.

Her confident tone took him by shock. "You—you can't even think about it, you just decided it without speaking to me."

"Well, it only popped up now."

"Jesus Christ, we're engaged, Scarlet! We have to talk this through!" He exclaimed loudly, and she flinched away, "Do you not want kids, not taking the war into factor?"

"But the war is there!" Scarlet shouted back. "Of course, I want kids, I want a family with you, I want so much more with you but it's never gonna happen because in the end, we're all gonna be destroyed!"

"You know what, I don't fucking care, do what you want," he stood up and stared to storm away, the pain made it hard for him to look at her. "You have no right to crush my hope like that just because you think we'll lose. I won't let you do that. I'll prove you wrong— we'll win."

      The ache in her chest as soon as he said those words was louder than the silence itself.

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't so brain-dead—why can't you think logically?" She snapped.

"I am, I have been thinking, Scarlet— you just ruined my entire fucking day," out of frustration, he ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the ends of it, "it's like you're always itching to ruin every perfect moment!"

"Because I'm realistic?" She asked, hurt filling her body, "you can't just hold onto stupid hopes like that. What if the war never ends, eh? What will happen to the kid if something goes wrong with us?"

"So, I'm in the wrong because I have hope that we can win," he laughed maniacally, a gloss over his irises as he shook his head, "no, no— you know what, fuck you!"

"Well, fuck you right back!" She stood up angrily, the sound of the chair creaking behind her filled the air.

      Then Scarlet grabbed her keys and slammed the front doors loud enough for Sirius to hear as he went up the stairs.

      They shared a sweet relationship—Sirius and Scarlet—where arguments were rare; but when the two of them got into a disagreement, their words would shoot to kill—taking the form of a dagger and aiming for fragile hearts. Neither of them ever backs down—stubbornness was tattooed too deeply into their fucked up bloodstream. And their rare arguments always ended with bleeding words and shattered hearts.

𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺

not so perfect ending but they're only
nineteen guys. not very mature when it
comes to these convos.