♫ — River by Joni Mitchell

The Sixth of December, 1976.

It was coming on Christmas now, people were cutting down trees, putting up reindeer and singing carols. Sirius? Sirius wished he had a river that he could skate away on.

One month — thirty-one days, if one was to be specific — ago, Sirius and James had pulled the worst bloody prank in the history of pranks. Ever. Sirius, himself, had told Snivellus to follow Remus to where he went each month. Sirius knew what Remus went through. It was dangerous and stupid of him, he had put everyone involved in danger. If not for James, Snape could've been killed and Remus could've been locked up.

Now, Remus was refusing to talk to any of them and here Sirius was, wallowing in his own self-pity in the arms of the love of his life; {{user}}.

You and Sirius were serious. He had whined and complained and hinted for months about not seeing you enough because of not wanting to be seen in public. However, around a month and two weeks ago, the two of you announced your officiated relationship. This had then resulted in him practically begging you to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays with him so he wouldn't have to go back to Grimmauld Place.

It was nearly Christmas, why did Sirius have to go and fuck everything up? He tightly held you, burying his face into the crook of your neck. The cold air outside punctuated his misery as he used the hand that wasn't clinging to your hip to pull his bedsheets further over the two of you.

“I wish I had a river,” Sirius admitted quietly, his calloused thumb tracing circles on your hip, “So I could skate away on it.”