Sirius was a bit excited to see Sephora's house. Dozens of images flashed through his head, but he had no idea on what it would be like. He walked off to the river and washed the dirt off his face and hands. He didn't know how he would get to her house without being seen. Perhaps a small spell would do the trick. He pulled out his wand and preformed a appearence changing spell, which did the trick nicely and started his way to Sephora's house. So far so good. He did get a few unusaly looks, like they knew, but he was spazzing. He hadn't been in society in quite a long time.
He picked his way through crowds, and alleys until he came the Minstry. Being this close to the building gave him the creeps. Wizards and Witches were leaving and going in, to start their shifts, or catch up on work. He pulled the directions out of his pocket and read them carefully, then turned out of the alley and headed east, towards a house, where he would be able to take an nice, warm shower, and eat nice, warm meals, and see Sephora every day. Sirius rolled his eyes. There were the annoying thoughts again. How many times did he have to tell himself that he didn't like her, nothing more than a possible friend. He didn't have time, his plot didn't allow it, and he pushed the thoughts from his mind.
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Sephora paced around her kitchen, she had just taken dinner out of the oven, baked chicken. She hoped he liked it. And she was vervous. Should she really have invited Jessa? It's not that she couldn't be trusted, but she wanted to talk with Sirius, alone, and let him get used to the house, and her. After all, they had just met a couple days ago. But it was too late now, and Jessa would be able to break the ice. She was way more outgoing that Sephora. The chicken was cooling on the counter and she peeked out the window, and saw a man coming down the lane. It wasn't Sirius, but who was it? The oven dinged again, signaling the corn was done, and it made her jump. She pulled it out and set it on the counter next to the chicken.
Sirius was walking up the rather long driveway, and wondered if Sephora saw him. He smiled to himself and walked up to the door and knocked twice. The house was made of dark bricks, and was a two story. It had blue shutters and white curtains on the inside. It was so like Sephora, it just fit her. It was on the outskirts and sat on a hill. It was sorrounded by trees, and was hard to see through them from the road, but he knew he better just change his looks while inside. It would be safer that way. Then Sephora came to the door, and looked surprised and flushed. Warm scents of chicken floated through the open door.
"Sephora, it's me. I changed my looks, no need to be alarmed." He said in a Sirius-like voice. Then she realized it was him, and egerly let him in. She wondered what he would think of her house. She hoped he liked it. Sirius changed back as soon as she shut the door. He turned around and smiled at her. "Thanks again for leting me live with you." He said, Sirius meant it. He didn't know how much longer he could live in that little hut. He felt a bit awkward just standing there. He didn't know what to do. It's not like he was used to situations like this one. He barely had any human contact at all through his whole life. Well, he did a bit when he was littler, but he hadn't for a long time. Faking your death can take a tole on a man.
"No problem." Sephora said smiling. She could tell he meant what he said. Sirius really wasn't the type to say things he didn't mean, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you looked at it. She still couldn't believe that he had accepted her offer. "Here. I can show you to your room. I think there might be some clothes from when my brother stayed for a couple years." Then memories of her brother, Eric, came flooding back. They had attended Howart's together. They had most of the same classes, and Eric wanted nothing more than to be an accomplished wizard, and to pass school. He just wanted the simple things in life, a nice family, a nice house. At one time he had all of those things. Then the memories clouded and she could feel the tears well up in her eyes. It had been five years since the accident and she was still over emotional about it. It probably didn't help that they had been really close. Sirius noticed Sephora was almost crying, had something happened? He knew this wasn't the time to pry so he grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. His had was big and mangy and hers was small and dainty.
Sephora felt Sirius's hand take hers. She looked at him, trying to muster up a smile and then wiped away her tears. "Sorry. I always get emotional when I think of..." Sirius cut her off. "No need to explain to me. I know my fair share of tradgedy." He said smiling, then gently dropped her hand. Once again, thoughts of love raced through his head. Just as before, he quickly banished them. He didn't like to see her upset, it just wasn't her, and he could tell that something bad had happened, but he didn't know what. If Sephora wanted to talk to him about it, then she should do it when she felt like it. Sirius hated when people interrogated him. There are something things people should just leave alone, like sharing painful memoires. He couldn't even begin to count how many people had asked him about Lilly and James, two people he still missed dearly. It was like looking at James and Lilly every time he looked at Harry. He should probably send him a letter tomorrow. Letting him know about his whereabouts. And he figured Sephora would want to meet him. Then Harry would probably wonder what Sirius was doing with a woman. Harry was a smart lad, and he knew he would understand, and wouldn't ask questions.
Sephora smiled and nodded and motioned for Sirius to follow her. They came to a large stair case, one which Sephora had walked up and down many times. The carpet was worn, and the wood railing needed a good polishing. It was an old house, but Sephora loved it dearly. She just didn't have the time to fix it up. Maybe she should make time when she was off for break from the Ministry. Then again, she had said this for the longest time, and nothing ever came of it. Sephora liked the way it looked, worn and homey, just like and old house should. She did keep it clean and neat though, and made repairs when needed. She never let the house's upkeep faill, and when her neighbors came over for one reason or the other, they always complemented her for that.
Sirius followed closely behind, looking at the detailed woodwork, the brass knobs on the doors. He loved old houses, there was just a certain appeal about them. And he had to admit, Sephora definitely kept the place clean. Then they came up the third door on the left. Sephora hesitated before opening it. She turned the knob and pushed open the door. She looked at him with eyes glistening with tears. "This will be your room. Help yourself to any clothes or anything. Um...please excuse me." She said trying to smile. It broke Sirius' heart to see her like this. Now he was getting all soft. She quickly exited the room, her tears finally spilling over. Sirius went and sat on the bed. He really hoped Sephora was okay. Maybe he should go check on her or something. But he really needed to get changed first. He opened the drawers and found some clothes that fit, then went into the bathroom and brushed his hair and shaved. He smiled, glad to see himself clean again.
He walked through the room, and back into the hallway. He heard someone milling about in a room down the hall. Sephora was the only one who was here, Sirius hadn't seen anyone else. He carefully made his way down the hall and knocked on the door. He wondered if he was being rude. Since when did Sirius worry about manners though? Then Sephora opened the door, her eyes red from crying. "Sephora. I'm so sorry." Sirius said, enveloping Sephora in his strong arms. Spehora wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder. She sobbed and cried. It actually felt good to just let it out. After she finished crying she pulled back and looked up at Sirius. And his shirt was now soaked. "Sorry. I didn't mean to drown you." She said, looking down at the ground. She was supposed to be strong. Now who knows what Sirius thought of her. "It's alright. No need to appologize. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Sirius said, not really meaning for the last bit to come out. But it had, and he meant it. Sephora was shocked. Had Sirius Black just told her he wanted to make sure she was alright?
"Thanks. It means a lot to me." Sephora said smiling, looking in his eyes. "Anytime. And I mean that Sephora. Don't hesitate to ask me to talk or anything." Sirius babbled. How could one woman out of a million make him act like this? It was weird, something Sirius hadn't felt before. It couldnt' be love, but a crush? He didn't really mind crush, less severe than love. Sephora nodded, her heart pounded when he said her name. It was her name, but the way he said it sounded so...wonderful. Then the doorbell rang and interrupted their moment. They both secretly wished it could go on a while longer. "I guess I should get that." Sephora said smiling and walking out into the hall, with Sirius following behind. He was hungry and the chicken had smelled scrumption when he first came in. Sephora knew it would be Jessa. She opened the door and her friend strode in, smiling. Sirius hung back in the shadow of the stair, out of sight from the two women.
"Well..." Jessa started, thenSephora cut her off and her eyes darted to the stairs. Sirius thought this was kind of odd, but didn't really pay attentiong. This other woman, must be a friend of Sephora, probably from the Ministry. Maybe not. They didn't look anything alike, so they couldn't be realated. Then Jessa spoke. "How are you doing?" She asked smoothly as if nothing had happened. Spehora nodded, then motioned for her to the kitchen, which was out of hearing range for Sirius, who cursed under his breath. He really wanted to know what they were talking about. Then before he could think of what to do Sephora came to the stairs, looking at the ground. "Ah!" She shrieked, which caught Sirius off guard. He stumbled down the stairs, and tackled Sephora. They lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, with a loud thud. This made Jessa come running around the corner. What a sight. Sirius was laying on top of poor Spehora, who had an arm around his back. Who knows what Jessa was thinking. She was frozen in a state of shock off to the side. Once Sirius and Sephora realized what happened, and where they were, the scrambled up, then began laughing.
Then Jessa finally realized who had fallen on Sephora. She moved a bit closer to Sirius. "Oh...my...god. You're...you're...Sirius Black." She muttered. Of course Sephora had told her, but she hadn't really believed her. Sirius was taken aback. He hadn't ment for this woman to find out who he was. Now his plan had come to a crashing halt. Could this woman be trusted, or had Sephora warned her who was staying with her. If this was a friend of Sephora then she might be able to be trusted. Key word: might.
