Disclaimer:Neither Kagumi nor Bridget own anything related to the Harry Potter series, other than the stuff they've bought and the ideas they come up with, that is. Original characters and most of the situations presented, however, they do own.

Author's Notes: We've been terrible to all our readers, so I wrote a little one-shot as a… apology of sorts with Gumi's kind assistance. It takes place in Chapter Six: "Only One Choice" of Distinctus Inter Nos, so you might be just a tad bit confused if you haven't read the fic. And just a bit of a warning for language.

Timeline Placement: DIN, Chapter Six: Only One Choice. The aftermath of Sirius's storming off.

Truly Important:

"It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons." –Johann Schiller

The wind blew softly through the trees and the sun was bright as it sank beneath the hills stretching out on the Potters' property. Instead, Sirius wished that the wind were thrashing, that the sky were dark with black clouds and the earth soaked with freezing, bitter rain so he could be angry with something, anything other than his own proud stupidity and his prejudiced family and the damnable ways he seemed to screwed up everyone's lives, but it seemed that only some wishes came true.

"Sirius?"

He spun around to shout at James to leave him the fuck alone. If he wanted to share his bleeding feelings or whatever then he would go and do it himself. And who the hell did the girls think they were, running off to get— But he'd been so occupied with his brooding that he hadn't notice the slight tremor in the soft voice, or the fact that it was an octave or two higher than his best friend's.

Sirius knew how much his Black blood showed when he was upset, how frighteningly wild and uncontrolled he could seem. Normally only Remus or James were brave enough to chase after him when he got in a mood, but Bridget didn't seem scared at all, not like any of his previous (short-lived) girlfriends or even Peter. Her eyes were soft, but proud and the nervous tilt to her smile was off-set by the straight set of her spine and shoulders.

He watched, amazed into silence as she took stock of the situation with a quick glance of her sharp brown eyes and deemed it safe before she sat next to him on the bench, swinging her feet absent-mindedly like a child. She was a pretty little thing, the very image that came to mind when one thought of a "maiden": dark, soft hair curling around her fair, pretty face and down her back, brown eyes hopeful and innocent. She was precisely the sort of girl he shouldn't associate with; she was the sort of girl he broke.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I shouldn't have said— I mean, James has mentioned before that you stay here and I wasn't thinking. I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't upset you."

Bridget actually sounded sorry and perhaps just a bit tearful, so Sirius — unable to deal with crying girls without getting slapped or wet — said the first comforting thing that came to mind. "I'm not upset."

Unfortunately, it was a lie and a pretty obvious one, at that. She frowned up at him, confused and rather irate if he judged by the way her brow furrowed, and Sirius was suddenly reminded of Lily the time he'd found her after she'd learned of Snape's friendship with Mulciber. Maybe it wouldn't be so easy to break her, to hurt her irreparably.

"Yes, you are. Sirius, you…" Bridget blushed a little here and it made him wonder what she was about to say, "you get a little… forcefully broody when you're upset. I think the temperature dropped several degrees, but I'm so bloody cold already I can't be sure."

Several things went through his mind ("forcefully broody?") at a rate faster than he was honestly able to process and he settled on something concrete and obvious. "You're cold?"

"Gryffindors." She sighed, frustrated. "That is not the point, you ridiculous boy."

"It isn't?" Sirius could feel the laughter building in his chest. Absentmindedly, he wondered when this girl with the sharp tongue and kind eyes had distracted him enough to calm him down; he had a worrying feeling that it was when he'd first noticed her.

"No, it is—" Bridget's eyes narrowed and her frown deepened. "You're laughing at me." She made an adorably frustrated noise, like a kitten held in place by its tail, and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't understand why I'm so bleeding funny all the time. I come over here to be nice because I'd done something—"

"I'm not laughing at you," he interrupted, hoping that he at least didn't sound like he was about to burst into his rather obvious laugh. "Promise."

She examined him shrewdly, still frowning, and the entire thing just made Sirius want to smile wider. "Really?"

"I give you my most solemn vow." He grinned. "I solemnly swear that I am not laughing at you. How's that?"

She smiled then— a small, hesitant thing— and, blushing, looked back out towards the setting sun. Sirius relaxed; this was easy. The girl didn't seem to want anything from him except for, maybe, a bit of companionship (sometimes she felt a bit like Remus, just a little sad and lonely and proud but Sirius knew how to deal with that).

"I have brothers, you know," Bridget said suddenly, sounding a little sad. "Two little brothers— although, really, they're both taller than I am, so I suppose that's a ridiculous term. It's difficult to be the oldest, but I imagine it's even harder to be the namesake."

Sirius didn't know what to say to this sudden confession, didn't know how to handle the raw, familiar pain he could hear in her voice. James would never have told her how bad things had gotten at home before he left and, best friend or not, he didn't know how much Sirius sometimes missed his brother, but her speech seemed… pointed, sympathetic and it had Sirius's voice stuck in his throat.

"I know I have no idea what it's like to feel like you have to leave your home, your family, but I'm a strangely proud half-Hawaiian, half-Irish in a family, in a state, in a time where some believe that being Hawaiian is the only thing worthwhile. And—" her voice caught before she continued, "I'm pretty sure my baby brother hates me, but I'm hoping that's teenage angst."

Bridget stopped speaking and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin there as she regarded the twilight sky somberly. She looked so small and Sirius needed— he wanted to make her smile again. It was disarming to see someone usually so utterly cheerful, sad.

"I didn't want to leave," he said before he had quite agreed to make the confession, but once he started he couldn't bring himself to stop the words, describing thoughts he hadn't even mentioned to James— James with his perfect, proud parents and no little brother to watch over, before he turned away, too. "I wanted them to come after me. To stop me. I didn't really want to go."

She turned to him and Sirius had never been more grateful to not see pity on a pretty face. Bridget gave him a sad, sympathetic smile, but it wasn't pity so it was okay. Sirius thought he'd be able to like this girl.

"I think I would feel the same, to be honest," she said. She frowned thoughtfully, her eyes focusing on something far away again. "I know it might not make much sense," she continued, "but you do have a family, at least in the important ways."

"Pfft," Sirius muttered, raking one hand through his hair; the wind threw it back the other way, completely ruining the image he'd wanted to portray, and he could see the smile she was trying to fight as the strands found their way back in his eyes again. With an odd, embarrassed feeling he wasn't used to, he gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Miss Griffins, I don't have a family."

"Well, back home," she hesitated, "family, 'ohana, isn't only about blood or relatives. Although it is rather important, it's not the most important thing."

"Then what is it about?" he asked, trying not to look at her eyes; he knew that guilt would come crashing in on him the way it always did when he thought of how he'd failed his mother, his father, his line… and his brother.

"It's about love." Bridget paused, tentatively laying her hand over his and giving him a small, understanding smile. "You may have had to leave your parents and your brother, but you still have a family."

Sirius stared at her, his voice caught somewhere in his throat, but she kept speaking.

"James. Remus. Peter. That's what's truly important, you know. You still have love."

The sky was dark and the stars had begun to show as dusk faded away with the sun, wind blowing their hair in their faces in a way that was surprisingly comfortable. Sirius didn't want the heavens to storm down on him anymore; he just wanted the stars to shine, forever cast their light on her pretty, honest face.

Author's Notes: Okay, guys, hi. A DIN one shot. I know that we haven't given you guys a real chapter in a while, but life is really really crazy for both of us. I swear, we ARE working on it, and we will get it out to you when it's done and edited. I'm sorry it's taking so long. ~Gumi