The residents of Regents Park had always thought the family that lived in "the Angelline House" were strange, although they had never actually seen them. The house was huge and romantic with ivy spreading whimsically over its face. A fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Angelline House had a certain aura to it, a magical, unearthly aura. The house was plunked on a bluff that jutted out over Primrose Rock Beach, and there wasn't a prettier place you'd ever see. Primrose Rock was a big boulder that sat about fifty yards - depending on the tide - into the ocean. The first steps onto the property were taken on a lavish stone driveway, surrounded on both sides by large booming trees and clean-cut grass that lead to the front of the house. The house itself was styled around Louis XIV's palace in Versailles, with huge granite pillars at the entrance and an aristocratic feel all throughout the home. It was; of course, nowhere near as big, but still huge none-the-less.
"Truce!" Serena Angelline squealed as James Potter chased her across the sandy white beaches of her beachfront backyard. He reached a long, muscled arm out and caught Serena by her slim waist, making her squeal loudly. Serena collapsed on the shore, giggling uncontrollably. James dove onto of her, all six-feet of his perfect jet-black haired, sparkling hazel eyed, fourteen year old boyness landing on her five-foot seven frame. "You know that I hate it when I get sand in my hair." She quipped as she shook her hair, so it fanned out behind her.
The teasing smile that had been on James's face disappeared altogether; She was so beautiful. Almost an untouchable beauty and if you were to reach out and touch her, you would yank your hand back just in time because it wasn't possible for someone to be that gorgeous and for that person also to have the personality that Serena had. Her sun kissed blond waves were tousled behind her as her breath came in pants, while she tried to get out of his hold and her full and voluptuous breasts were one stop away from exploding out of the peach bikini top that she had on.
He continued to peer down into her face and wrapped his quidditch-toned arms around her long, narrow waist and pulled her close, tucking her pale gold head into the crook of his neck and massaging the ruts between her ribs on her back with his fingertips. One of the best things about Serena was her total lack of flab. Her entire body was as long and lean and taunt as his new Prince broomstick.
It was painful having such ridiculously hot best friend, who was hands down the hottest girl at Hogwarts, and maybe all of England, and possibly the whole world.
Serena was an absolute goddess- every guy James knew talked about her. Sometimes James wondered if she would've been more comfortable in a less perfect body, because it would've given her more incentive to do more productive things. He wasn't sure what she had to aspire to , since she had everything a girl could possibly want.
He breathed in Serena's Frédréric Fekkai Wild Raspberry clarifying shampoo. He'd kissed a lot of girls, and had even gone to third base last November with Lauren Knowles, a very experienced 5th year Ravenclaw who really did seem to know everything. But kissing Serena would be . . . Different. He loved her. He always had. It hadn't gone away. It didn't matter how many girls he dated and dumped over the years. It was as simple as that. She was his best friend, and he loved her. He felt caught. She was the thing that completed him. The thing that made him happy and nothing could ever compare to that.
He felt a wave of panic and embarrassment as Serena caught him looking at her.
"Why are you looking at me like that, James?" Serena asked on a rush of breath and cut into his thoughts.
"What are you thinking about?"
Serena thought for a moment, contemplating whether or not she should be truthful, and then sighed heavily, deciding on telling him half the truth. "Mom and Dad aren't letting me go to Hogwarts this year," she announced, her enormous navy blue eyes growing huge and glassy as they welled up with unexpected tears. Go away and leave James? It hurt too much to even think about.
James flinched as if he'd been slapped in the face by an invisible hand. He rolled onto his back so they were both looking into the light blue sky. "No way," he responded decisively, turning his head sideways so he was looking at her. She couldn't leave. He wouldn't allow it.
"They want me to grow up. Be more mature," Serena explained. The pink, perfect curve of her lower lip trembled dangerously. "If I'm at Hogwarts, they feel like my mind is "being tainted by the blood-traitors I insist on surrounding myself with". Anyway, they've arranged already arranged for me to meet some of the deans of admissions and stuff from some school in the Netherlands. It's like I have no choice."
He touched his hand to her cheek. "Hogwarts is going to suck if you're not there." he told her earnestly. "You can't go."
Their bodies were so close the entire James-side of her hummed. If she leaned forward and tilted her head just so, she could have easily kissed his soft, lovely lips. And she wanted to. She was actually dying to, because she really did love him.
"It's some verymessed-up daddy who names his only daughter after some crazy chick who drowns herself. That is some very twisted wish fulfillment." Sirius said with a playful smirk.
"It wasn't my dad," Serena informed him from her lying-down position on the soaking wet grass that was in the Black family garden. "It was my mom. Rolfus was completely oblivious to anything other than Dark Lord when I was born, so Paqu had her her way and I was officially tagged 'Syrena'."
Serena's mother wasn't Indian or anything, "Paqu" is just what she called her.
"It's an acronym," she had explained.
P.A.Q.U.
Passive Aggressive Queen of the Universe.
As soon as she was old enough to know that Syrena was Salazar Slytherin's bipolar little squeeze with borderline issues who went for a one-way swim, she insisted her friends start calling her "Serena", or "Rena", or even in some cases, "S."
"Did your mother hate you?" Sirius asked her, laughing at the story.
"She didn't hate me," Serena answered, "she just hated having me because she got all fat and stuff- which for Paqu was five pounds. She popped me out and bought a treadmill on the way home from the hospital. Why? Because Paqu is totally SDE R&B. Sadistic Death Eater Rich and Beautiful. She got back to the 125-million-dollar beach house daddy had inherited for his 17th birthday, strapped me into one of those baby packs and hit the treadmill."
"Shit," Sirius replied.
"The symbolism is cutting, no?" She replied. "I figure it's where I got my taste for dark magic. Like, it had to be this powerful subliminal influence, right? I mean, I'm this baby and I'm strapped to this complete bitch who resents my existence running at the same rhythmic, robotic pace for hours on end with buzzers and lights and shit? Come on."
"Re, I think you got your taste for dark magic because your parents are both fucking death eaters." Sirius said, grinning.
"Shut up!" she replied smiling, hitting him in the arm.
"I'm serious Rena!" he replied grinning goofily.
She moved so she was on top of him, her legs straddling his hips. "But you're always Sirius!"
"Lucky for you then," he replied, winking and sending her a charming smile that all the girls at Hogwarts would die for.
"Just how lucky?" she asked suggestively
Sirius teasingly placed his hand on her thigh, moving it higher up, inch-by-inch.
"So lucky, my family will hear your screams all the way at the Malfoy Manor."
"Speaking of family..." She said hesitantly, climbing off of him and standing up. She had to tell him sometime, right?
"What about my family?" He asked, tensing
"No Sirius. Not yours. Mine."
"What about them?"
"They aren't... they aren't letting me go to Hogwarts next year.." her voice barely above a whisper, tears forming in her eyes.
Sirius took a deep breath. She could see the emotions forming in his eyes; Shock, anger, defiance, fear, sadness.
"You can't go Rena, I won't let you"
"I don't have a choice Sirius!"
"Listen to me, what am I supposed to tell everyone? Fuck, I spend half my summer with you, if not all of it! Even my parents approve of you! What am I supposed to tell everyone when they ask where you are? Why you're not with us? With me? Who's going to make all those other girls jealous?" Sirius asked, continuing his speech. "What other girl will I talk to about Quidditch? Who else is going to sleep in my bed, pull pranks with me, and compete with me in classes!"
"Sirius, please don't - "
"Who can I turn to when I need to get my mind off of my family?" Sirius nearly yelled at her. "How will I go every day without hugging you, tackling you, tickling you, chasing after you and staying up all night with you?"
Serena turned her head away, holding back her tears.
"Good, Rena! Cry! Merlin knows I'm going to!" Sirius said, brokenheartedly. "Rena, I don't think I can take another person in my life leaving me and stop loving me!"
"I'll never stop loving you Sirius! Don't talk like that," Serena cried out, freely crying now, as Sirius shook her, close to tears himself. She doesn't know how he's holding himself back. He's shaking, he's so pale, he looks as though he's about to pass out.
"What about Remus, who's done nothing to you? Who needs you every single month, and who's always been there for you?" Sirius continued, becoming more hysterical. "Who's going to have intelligent conversations with him to keep him sane? You're going to leave him all alone with us, Rena?"
She would laugh if her heart wasn't aching so badly. Sirius would too.
"What about Peter, who's been nothing but nice to you? Who always defends you?" Sirius said, nearly incoherent. "Peter who always needs you to help him with his confidence? To make him feel better and wanted and significant!"
She began to sob on Sirius now, and he's hold her tightly, lacking the will to go on anymore.
"You can't imagine how much this is killing me, too. I don't want to lose you guys." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm so fucking scared, Sirius. It's driving me crazy. I love you so much and I can't bear losing you. I need my boys!"
"We need our girl too, Rena."
They stood there for a while, until Serena untwined her arms from around Sirius' waist. "Now come on. Let's go inside and mix some martinis and watch a stupid movie or something," she said, wiping a tear off her cheek.
"All we have is vodka and champagne. My parents keep all the good stuff locked up in a cabinet for when they have company," he apologized, pulling off his heathered gray sweatshirt over his head and giving Serena a slight heart attack at the sight of his bare, tanned stomach.
"I'm sure we can make do," she said cheekily, and then beckoning for him to follow her out of the kitchen and upstairs into master suite. If anyone was a master at changing the mood, it was Serena. That was one thing he loved about her. "I'll show you a good time." she added goofily.
She always did.
The Black's vast bedroom had been decorated by Sirius' mother in the style of Slytherin, with a giant gilt mirror hanging over the headboard of the enormous green-and-silver-toile four-poster bed, and heavy silver curtains in the windows. The walls were adorned with green-and-silver fluer-de-lys wallpaper and renderings of the Black families' ancestry.
"Merlin's Beard? Marilyn Hall? Or Blazing Brooms?" Serena asked, flipping through the collection of films a house elf had just brought in. "Or I could just watch you practice Quidditch, which is always hot. Naked of course." She joked, although she kind of meant it. She sat down and bounced up and down on the edge of the luxurious bed.
"Okay, but you'll have to play with me" he responded boldly, sitting down next to her.
Serena turned her attention back to the films. Not that she was really interested in them. She just needed a distraction from the overwhelming urge to tackle Sirius and rip his clothes off. He was so goddamned attractive it made her feel like she was going to explode. Merlin, she loved him.
There had never been a time when she didn't love him. She'd loved the stupid shorts he would wear over to her house when her dad's would have meetings, back when they were what- five? She loved the way his whole head reflected the sunlight, glowing black. She loved his stormy gray eyes-eyes that were almost too pretty for a boy. She loved him. Oh, how she loved him.
She picked up a film and turned it over, "Dinner at Kaitlin's. I've never seen it, but she's so beautiful." She held up the film so Sirius could see the actress with her beautiful gold hair and long black dress with stunning pearls.
"She looks like you." Sirius observed, cocking his head and studying Serena in such an adorable way that she had to close her eyes to keep from falling off the bed.
"You think?" She asked, studying the picture on the film again. "Maybe a little," she agreed and put the movie on. She got up and mixed martinis on top of the vintage hammered steel wet bar in the adjoining library. This involved pouring Bombay Sapphire into chilled martini glasses and stirring it with a letter opener.
"There." Serena announced, as if she had put the finishing touches on a very complicated recipe. She handed Sirius a glass. "To us. Because we're worth it."
"To us!" Sirius cheered, glass raised.
Bottoms up!
"Isn't life just perfect?" Serena wondered aloud as she puffed on a newly rolled joint she'd brought along with her.
"Hmm," he noted drunkenly from his spot beside her, his stormy gray eyes closed.
The two were both lying on their backs on Sirius' parent's bed, watching the stars come out through the round skylight overhead.
Serena turned her head slightly to look at Sirius. His black eyelashes curled so dramatically they looked fake. It as almost painful to be this close to him and not actually touch him. She put down the blunt she had been smoking in an empty martini glass, unbuttoned her still-wet Earl jeans and slithered out of them. Then she rolled over, slipping one long, always-tanned, perfect leg around one of Sirius' jean-clad knees. He was just a great big yummy teddy bear, perfect for snuggling. And one day she would get up the courage to slip her hands under his shirt and kiss him, really kiss him.
"Let's stay like this forever," Serena murmured sleepily, burrowing her nose into Sirius' warm neck. Then she remembered she was leaving in a matter of weeks. She squeezed her enormous navy blue eyes shut, but no longer felt tired. Her long, nearly black eyelashes fluttered against Sirius' neck when she opened them again. His breathing slowed as he drifted into dreamland. Serena lifted her head to look at him, fast asleep, in an adorable cozy heap, like a puppy that had been playing to hard. She bent down and kissed Sirius' cheek lightly, breathing in the wonderful scent of him and dampening his skin with tears. She was crying because she loved him, and she was never happier with him. How could she leave her best friend?
How could she leave her best friend because of another guy?