*HP*SB*

1937.

Sirius Black arrived at New Orleans tired and annoyed. He had just moved here from England as he had finally been hired on a ship. He still had to grasp the name of said ship but he was sure that he would manage to remember it eventually. Sirius Black was a sailor, an unemployed sailor but a sailor nonetheless. He had had trouble finding work in England and so he had started looking for it abroad.

He had decided to move in New Orleans after realizing that it would have been quite unpractical to remain in England for the ship he was supposed to work on was only travelling from America to France and that it never docked in a British port. There was nothing to hold him back in London anyway so he knew that he would never second guess his decision.

He sighed in relief when he finally reached the little flat he had bought in the city. It was not far from the port but not too close either. He was actually living in the French Quarter, he had lived in worse. He had been able to afford such a flat thanks to his parents' fortune, what with them and his brother being dead, he had been left as the only heir. He had never cared much for them anyway, they were a bunch of stupid and ignorant people. But he couldn't quite refuse to take the money just because they were morons, right?

Sirius didn't even take time to admire his new flat as he let go of his suitcase and let himself fall onto his bed. He only had time to notice that the flat was actually quite fancy and sophisticated. Yet again, he wasn't very surprised, what with the amount of money he had put into it. He briefly considered taking a short nap but then noticed that it was getting quite dark outside. He then considered calling it a night but he heard a few yells coming from the street and couldn't help but go and look at what had caused people to yell.

He sighed once again and reluctantly got to his feet. He walked to the only window in his bedroom and opened it. It opened on a tiny balcony, overlooking Bourbon Street. It was quite the sight actually, with all the shops and windows which were beginning to lighten up. He looked down and his eyes fell on the ones he assumed had yelled, a group of five young men. They looked to be no older than twenty which in Sirius's opinion was way too young to be in the streets so late.

"Are you going tonight?" One of them asked.

"'Course, I wouldn't miss it for the world." Another replied and Sirius couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about.

"You know he's there every night, right?"

"'Course I know, that's why I go every night." Sirius noticed that he was a bit drunk.

He was intrigued now. He wanted to know what they were talking about. He had to know what they were talking about. Well, it seemed that he wouldn't call it a night just yet then. He briefly took a look at himself into the mirror next to his bed and considered shaving. He was arboring a three days old beard and he hated it. But then, he pushed the idea aside, he didn't need to shave just yet, it could wait tomorrow.

He quickly checked that he had some cigarettes in his pocket and then took off, not even bothering with locking his door. He didn't care anyway. He prayed that the boys he had seen in the streets were still there so he could somehow follow them to wherever it was they were going. They obviously were going to have some fun and he couldn't quite miss that.

Luckily, they had only reached the end of the street, allowing Sirius to catch up with them, almost. It would be creepy if they noticed that he was following them and he didn't want them to think that he was some kind of creepy old stalker. Sure, he was only twenty-seven, but still.

He cursed when he noticed that they were getting into a car. It looked like he wouldn't be able to follow them then. He was about to go back to his flat when a car stopped next to him. "Want a ride, mate?" A man asked him with an awfully American accent.

Sirius frowned. "You don't even know where I'm going."

The man laughed. "Everyone is going there, mate. Just like every night. So, fancy a ride?"

Sirius shrugged carelessly. What had he to lose anyway? The worst that could happen to him was that this man and the young men from earlier weren't actually talking about the same place and that he would never get to see what or who it was that they were talking about. He got in the car, mumbling his thanks to the man.

"Foreigner, right?" The man asked as he started driving.

"Yes." Sirius replied. He didn't want to be civil. He was still tired from his trip and didn't want to make any efforts.

"Figured. England, right?"

"Yes."

"Obvious. You British people have such a weird way of talking." The man laughed as though he had heard the best joke ever and Sirius didn't bother replying. Surely the man would shut up if he got no answer. How wrong he was.

"So it's your first time then?" He didn't even let Sirius time to answer, not that he was planning on doing it anyway. "You gonna love it, mate. That boy..." He trailed off as if lost in thought. "You gonna love it. Best show you'll ever see."

Sirius frowned in confusion. People were going there , wherever there was, to see a boy. American people were so messed up. But Sirius was no judgmental person and so he vowed that he would wait to actually see that boy before judging anyone.

The rest of the way to wherever it was they were going was filled with the man's restless chatter, which Sirius didn't even bother to listen to. He realized that they were going toward the port and he found it strange. What were they going to do in the port?

"Here we are." The man said cheerfully as he parked next to a small tavern. It looked old, the wood was rotten and the whole construction looked like it might crumble any moment. A few barrels filled with God knows what were stacked next to the entrance and were covered with green fishing nets. Foam was gathering at the junction between the floor and the tavern's wall. Sirius could only describe it all as disgusting. He got out of the car anyway. There was no going back now.

"Enjoy." The man told him, laughing again. Sirius wanted nothing more than to sew his mouth just so that he wouldn't have to hear that horrible laugh ever again.

He took a deep breath which he regretted immediately as his nostrils were filled with a disgusting smell. Rotten fish. He quickly entered the tavern, wanting to get away from that smell as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the smell inside was no better. It smelt like sweat, rain, seawater and dirt with a hint of beer, tabacco and weed. He looked around, only to notice that it was full. All of the tables were already taken as well as every seat at the bar. He noticed a tiny stage at the far end of the tavern but paid no attention to it, trying to find some place to stay while waiting for whatever that was about to happen.

The light dimmed slightly as he reached the left wall where he could stay, he leaned against the wall and waited as everyone cheered, spilling some of their beer either on the floor, the table or the bar.

Two men who were standing on the stage started playing their guitar. Sirius couldn't deny that their music was catchy and he found himself humming along with it. Then, it happened, he happened, and all hell broke lose. Men yelled, cheered, whistled, bumped into each other and even fell from their seat as a boy entered the stage, dancing.

He looked young, really young, so much so that Sirius doubted that he could be called a man. He was pale and had black hair that fell to the end of his back. He was small and feminine. He could easily be mistaken for a woman. He was thin, dramatically so. Sirius couldn't help but think that if he were to hold him, he would surely break him. He was wearing black harem pants along with a light top which looked more like a veil than anything and a light black veil that was covering him from cheekbones to chin. His face was flawless, unblemished. He had dark eyelashes which fell on his high cheekbones, a thin nose and thin red lips that Sirius could barely see through the veil. But what surprised Sirius the most was his emerald green eyes. He had never seen eyes so green before. He swore that he would be able to look at them for years on end.

The boy's gaze met Sirius's for half a second and he was lost. He wanted those eyes back on him again and to never look away. He could now understand why all those men kept coming back. The boy was irresistible. Sirius himself wondered if he would be able to go back home once the night was over. He felt like he had been hit by a spell and his mind was not his own anymore. He couldn't think about anything other than this perfection dancing before him.

Sirius shook his head and blinked a few times, trying to clear his thoughts. "What's his name?" He eventually asked a man who was standing beside him. He looked old with grayish hair and Sirius wondered what he was doing here. Didn't he have a wife and kids to go home to?

The man shrugged. "Never knew his real name. But people call him Fay."

*HP*SB*