This chapter is named after the Maine's "Whoever She Is"
"Dromeda, over here." Sirius muttered from the darkest corner of the Leaky Cauldron, beckoning to his confused cousin. "Ah, didn't see you there. My apologies for being late, I've only just gotten away from Dolohov." She rolled her eyes and disgust colored her face.
"Oh that bugger. I'm sure he just wanted to play kissy face." Smirked Sirius.
"You know that's not funny. That boy simply won't leave me alone! I finally invented some excuse about catching up on some reading, which obviously he took no interest in. Anyhow, why are we here? What's going on Sirius?" she casually leaned back in her uncomfortable wooden chair, waiting for Sirius to explain what was so dire.
"I've met a girl. And not just any girl. She's amazing, and her eyes glitter and she seems to be quite rebellious, but poised at the same time, and I've never quite met anyone so mysterious…." He trailed off, thoughts of the possibilities of their later meeting clouding his mind.
"Sounds like I'm not the one who's been playing kissy face," It was Andromeda's turn to smirk. "What's her name?"
"Erm, well, see, that's part of her mystery. She wouldn't say. She told me to meet her again tonight and then she'd tell me." Sirius realized how lame and made-up his story sounded, but plowed on anyways.
"Well, I suppose if you want to do this the right way, you'll have to bring her home to your mum, and of course Bella will want to put her through all sorts of rigorous tests to prove she's worthy. My mum and Cissy won't care of course-"
"I can't do that, Dromeda." Sirius interrupted, impatient to get to the point that had been worrying him all day. "She's a Muggle."
"Sirius, oh no. You can't drag this poor girl into our family issues. And you would be causing so much trouble for yourself! A Muggle is worse than a Mudblood-"
Again Sirius interrupted her. "Don't use that language around me, Andromeda." His piercing glare and fierce tone quieted Andromeda at once.
"I didn't…I only meant…." She trailed off and stared sheepishly at the knots in the wood table.
"I really like this girl. She's brilliant in so many ways. I even…well….I even considered telling her what I am." It was Sirius's turn to trace the knotholes.
"Come now, Sirius. It's one thing to become involved, but it's another completely risk the exposure of our world. You can't tell her you're a wizard." Andromeda stated it as fact, rather than opinion.
"She's different, Dromeda. She'd understand." Andromeda stared at her cousin, shocked by his out-of-character seriousness. This girl must mean a lot to him. "Have you told James?"
"Not yet, I haven't spoken to him in ages. Mum checks the post, or rather she makes that useless git Kreacher check it. How I'd like to give that thing a kick." He kicked the wooden table leg and Andromeda giggled. "Did you say you were meeting her at six? You'd better go or you'll be late, as usual." She fixed him with a pointed stare.
"Nah, love I'm always fashionably late and everyone else is just early." He winked at her and stood. "Thanks for the vent session, Dromeda. Ah look, there's Dolohov." He chuckled as she ducked for cover. "Only kidding cuz! See ya!" And with that, he found himself staring about the clearing he had just visited yesterday. He was clearly alone and he sank down on the compacted dirt, still pondering whether or not to be honest with this girl.
The bushes rustled and Sirius instinctively grasped his wand. But it was only her, emerging from the bushes, a vision of his wildest dreams in her simple white tank top, denim shorts and brown boots. She's trouble in a tank top, Sirius thought to himself. Today, her golden hair was pin straight and pulled back into a messy ponytail which only added to her rebellious aura. In addition, her bright eyes were heavily contrasted with smoky dark blue shadow, lined sharply at the edges and with a hint of sparkle. He drank her appearance in, momentarily stuck for conversation.
"Your late," He pointed out the obvious, but complimented the blunt statement with a charming smile.
"No, I'm always on time. You're early." She replied coolly, sinking down next to him. "Alright, I did all the talking yesterday. It's your turn, Mr. Sirius. Tell me about yourself." She cocked her head to the side and rays of fading sun framed her face.
"Not so fast Miss Mystery. I don't even know your name. You first."
She merely bit her lip and shook her head. "Don't think so. It's your night."
"Twenty questions?" He tried. She consented to the compromise. Without waiting to be asked a question, she interrogated him. "What's your last name?"
"Black. What's your name? Full name." He clarified.
"Black. Hm, common name I suppose. Funny, I haven't heard of you. My name's Auriola Commissi. Don't laugh, I'm Italian." She answered his raised eyebrows. "Where are you from?"
"Over there a ways," Sirius vaguely chose a direction. "Neither here nor there, it's a matter of lesser importance. Now Auriola," He stopped there, turning her name over on his tongue, enjoying how it sounded.
"Yes?" She prompted. It was comical to see such a petite girl so impatient. He laughed his bark-like laugh and continued, "Why do you want to get away from your family?"
"Well, it's difficult to put into words but basically, I'm sick of their expectations. I'm sick of not being able to live my life the way I choose to and not being able to embrace who I truly am and be my own person. My family is against anything that I believe in. They put me down without even realizing it…They don't see what they've done…" She trailed off, a hard, blazing look in her eyes. "But no matter, I will become my own person, in spite of them. What about you, why do you feel the need to rush off on your own? "
Sirius had been waiting for this moment. "Let me ask you something, do you have any family ties? Are they important to you in any way?" He waited for her answer patiently while she thought it over. "Well yes, I suppose so. They are my family after all. Like it or not, they love me and they are important to me."
"And if it came choosing your family or doing what is right, how would you go about deciding?" His question posed, he waited with bated breath.
"I don't follow," her voice held an unfamiliar delicate tone. "It would depend on the situation. The severity, I guess you could say. Are we talking about stealing a box of plastic spoons or murdering puppies? On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the situation?"
Surprised by her reaction, Sirius answered instantly. "Four hundred and twelve."
"Well, then I would must definitely choose doing what is right. No family is worth that." She laid back on the soil, apparently not caring about the stains that would result from it. Night had fallen and the sky was blazing with stars. "The stars are really pretty, don't you think? Don't you ever wish the sky could just swallow you up? It's so huge, so infinite. I just want to be infinite. Sirius?"
"I could get lost in a voice like yours, dear. Yes?" He hadn't intended to verbally state his thoughts quite so baldly, but he decided he didn't care. "Nothing, I just like saying your name. So tell me something interesting about yourself."