Author's Note:
I don't think I have Sirius' character part down quite well, do tell me if there's anything I should improve on. Thank you! ^_^ Please review, and thanks for reading!
Chapter 10 – Returning As an Old Friend
His eyes were distant, looking out the large open window to some place far, far away. He'd been doing that a lot lately, looking out the window and dreaming of the day when he could walk freely out under the golden sunlight. As Sirius' grey eyes moved from the vermillion skyline to the sun's warm reflection in the river, he sighed wistfully, again imagining a day he'd be declared a free man. From where he was, hiding out under his cousin's protection, that day suddenly seemed so far away. He sighed again. He'd been doing that a whole lot lately, ever since Evelyn came over for dinner. Her fondness of Snuffles had led him to see just how much he'd lost from twelve wrongful years spent in Azkaban.
"Padfoot," his cousin's voice called. With his attention so far away out the window, Sirius hadn't even heard when Alexis returned home.
"Lexi, home early today," he smiled.
She immediately noticed that there was something not quite right about his smile and kept her eyes on him as she pushed the front door to a close. "I finished all my cases today and thought I'd go home rather than sit there and be bored."
He smiled again, and she noticed it again that his smile wasn't quite right. It didn't meet his eyes and his grey eyes even seemed sad. "That's great then. Now I have someone to talk to."
"Where are Remus and Tonks?"
"The lovebirds," he teased, sticking his tongue out with mock disgust. But once again, Alexis noticed that the way he was acting didn't seem quite honest. It was as if his mirth was simply a façade. "They went to St. Mungo's for Tonks' check up and get a report on the baby girl's health. Left the house bickering about a name," he chuckled.
She came up closer to him, facing him as they stood beside the long leather sofa looking out the open window. She glanced at it once and thought maybe Sirius had been feeling sentimental when he was all alone. But the look on his face was a sad look. "Padfoot, all right?" she asked softly, setting her work robes down on the sofa.
A small smile flitted across his face and he nodded. "I'm fine."
She made a face and said, "I know you're sad. Sorry I can't be of anymore help."
He shook his head and walked over to sit beside her on the homely leather sofa. "You've helped me so much. No man who'd escaped Azkaban could've asked for anymore kindness."
"No one's escaped Azkaban before except you," she smiled. "And you're family."
"I don't hear you saying the same to Bellatrix or even Narcissa," he scoffed.
"They're not who I consider family."
"Then I'm glad I'm family," he smiled and placed an arm around her frail shoulders.
"Hey Padfoot…what would make you really happy right now?" she asked, wanting to cheer him up and see his mischievous grin reach his eyes again.
It may not be obvious, but she and Tonks alike both care for him deeply. Over the past week, she'd been discreetly watching him. She'd seen how he'd act happy and mirthful around them like not a thing was wrong with the world. Then she'd seen how he acted when he was alone, truly like the shell of a once eccentric man that he was. He'd sigh often and he would have a distant look in his haunted grey eyes. She could only guess what he was thinking. Alexis worried for him, worried about how much longer he could last in his position. He was a free man, but he was not really free, and she understood the concept that to have something halfway is more painful than to not have it at all.
The lanky man with haunted grey eyes and raven black hair sighed again, wistfully. "What would make me really happy is to walk the streets as a free man. I want to go see my brilliant cousin at one of her trials. I want to accompany Moony to buy stuff for the baby. I want to walk with Tonks to St. Mungo's and see her grin when the nurse tells her about her baby girl. I want to do all of these things…in person, rather than just hear about it."
"And you will soon…"
"But not soon enough, to be honest," Sirius sighed. "You've heard Moony's story about my past with Evelyn Stronghold. I can't stand seeing her…through the eyes of a dog. I know I shouldn't ask for much, but really, you all have fallen in love. You know how it feels or at least have somewhat of an understanding of how it feels…"
"It's miserable," Alexis sighed, having a basis of understanding. She and Tonks both did, since they all have fallen in love before. "Padfoot…"
"And what am I to do? I understand perfectly that right now, I can't look at her through any other way besides being in the form of a dog. But you know…sometimes you can't help but ask for a little bit more."
She didn't know what to say. All she could do was place her hand over his apologetically while wishing they could turn back time. "You'll be a free man again Padfoot," she told him but she didn't dare to promise him when. "Dumbledore knows you're innocent and he won't let you remain Pettigrew's scapegoat forever," she spoke softly. She wanted to help him, but looking at him, she couldn't think of anything else she could possible do.
He smiled wanly. His weary smile showed more of the haunting past he'd lived than ever before. "I can tell that you, Tonks, and Moony alike are all trying to help me. I don't want you to be troubled over me. You have work and Tonks and Remus have the baby to worry about…"
"It's no trouble at all. Know that Padfoot. Worrying is just a part of being a family. We want to see you happy. Truly happy," she added when Sirius opened his mouth and was just about to say something. "Not putting up a mirthful façade."
He looked at her for a moment, reminding himself that only his cousins knew him best, she and Tonks and even Andromeda. Of course Alexis would be able to see through his façade. Even Remus could. "Alright cuz," he sighed, not wanting to be of any more trouble. "You know what would really make me happy right now?"
Alexis smirked. She knew Sirius too well. "Firewhiskey is bad for you."
"Firewhiskey is a necessity of life. Drinking is in our blood my dear Alexis."
"Fine, one bottle," she sighed. "But you're sharing it with me."
"Well that's no fun. You'll drink most of it," he smirked. He knew Alexis too well.
"Would you rather have nothing at all or live with one bottle?" she retorted.
"Alright fine," he huffed. "Bring forth the whiskey."
She managed a small smirk on her face, hesitating for a moment but she ended up apparating into her secret stash to grab a bottle of firewhiskey. One moment she saw Sirius' wan and weary smile looking up at her. Another moment she was facing a wall stacked high of firewhiskey in a room with no doors or windows. Alexis sighed and leaned back, glancing up at her stash of alcohol. She knew she shouldn't support him drinking. Once she brought the bottle of firewhiskey into Sirius' sight, her cousin would no doubt drink it all up.
"Well I guess I could trick him," she thought, looking for the part of special bottles with significantly less alcohol than a normal bottle of whiskey.
Once again Alexis sighed and glanced up at her vast collection of the finest drinks. Just when one problem came to an end, another opened up. When Tonks' pregnancy finally found calm tides, Sirius suddenly began sailing on rougher winds. She gripped the bottle tight and disapparated back to her living room. One moment she saw the tall, closed off store room. Within the blink of an eye and the crack of apparition, she was now back in her living room.
Never before in her life would she ever think about being where she was at the moment. Tonks was sitting on the rows of waiting chairs in the hallway of St. Mungo's hospital, waiting for the nurse to come out with the most recent health report of her baby girl. At her side was Remus, his one hand around her waist, placed over her stomach protectively while his other hand was smoothing out her shoulder length bubblegum pink hair. When she turned to steal a glance at him, she found him smiling. Looking at his genuinely mirthful grin with a subtle resemblance to the gentle and protecting werewolf he was, Tonks found herself smiling as well. Their eyes met and their hearts felt flustered. The feelings never faded for them and even then, they still get butterflies in their stomachs. Even after several months, they still blushed because of each other and were as if they'd just fallen in love all over again.
"We still must settle on a name," Remus told her with a young, lopsided grin.
"I liked the idea you brought up a few days ago of naming the baby girl in honor of someone," she replied. There was a soft smile that seemed permanently plastered on her face because there she was, sitting with her lover, a man she wouldn't trade for the world. They were thinking up baby names and discussing a future with a mutually understood underlying meaning that they would spend it together.
"We obviously can't name her in honor of Padfoot," Remus chuckled.
"Yes. Poor Snuffles will be so disappointed," she smiled while watching his own smile.
"How about Nymphadora in honor of her lovely mother?" he smiled sweetly.
"No!" She responded by playfully pushing him.
"But it's such a beautiful name."
"Remus John Lupin, you are asking for a hex."
"It really is," he told her sincerely.
"If I can't stand it, surely my daughter won't be able to either."
"How about Dora then?" he smirked.
"No."
"And why not?" he retorted and chuckled, simply because he was happy with how his life had surprisingly turned out. He'd never thought he'd live a day like that.
"I don't know but I have a feeling we shouldn't name her Dora, just because."
"Oi, you're so picky," Remus sighed. "Nymph-"
"Finish it and I'll hex you into the middle of next week."
He laughed. "Dora."
As Tonks scowled at her lover, a nurse exited from a set of fancy double doors and approached them. She had a kind smile on her face as she came up to speak with the matching couple and soon to be parents. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin?" she asked in a soft and airy voice.
Remus' lips quirked upwards and formed into a wide lopsided grin. He nodded and replied before Tonks could react. "Yes we are."
"I have the report for your baby's health right here. She's developing faster than average but it's nothing to worry about. At six and a half months, she's coming along well and there are no health problems at all. You are also very healthy Mrs. Lupin and so the child has nothing to worry about." The nurse smiled warmly.
The grin on Remus' face widened and he beamed significantly when Tonks smiled as well. "Do you know when she would be expecting?" he asked in a warm and gentle voice.
"Most likely around mid-February," she nodded and smiled.
"When would our next checkup be?" Remus asked again, being the doting lover.
"In about two weeks I'd say," the kind nurse replied. "And by the way, I've seen on your profile that you are an auror Mrs. Lupin, did you hand in your maternity leave yet because auror work could be a real strain on the pregnancy."
"Yes I've handed in my papers for maternity leave just a few days ago."
"And, and there would be nothing to worry about?" Remus asked again to be sure.
"Of course Mr. Lupin," the nurse smiled. "It's always such a beautiful sights seeing new family like yours come in for checkups. When you are due, you can simply come straight in here. One of us will be here to help you right away. Since you are in good health and the baby is in good health and with Mr. Lupin here you are in good hands, there is absolutely nothing to worry about," she reassured them with a twinkle in her eyes similar to Dumbledore's.
After the nurse finished, she bid the couple yet another smile and then turned to leave, returning to the set of fancy double doors where she came from. Two smiling faces were left in her wake Remus and Tonks with a protective hand over Tonks' stomach and permanent smiles plastered on their faces. They turned and faced each other as their smiles turned into grins. Had it been just several months earlier, never would either have thought they would ever stand there, together, smiling like that without any fear or restrictions.
"Did you hear what the nurse said?" Tonks asked while her complexion glowed.
"What did she say?" Remus replied, feigning innocence as he tried to contain his mirth.
"She said that I'm in good hands with you. I guess that settles any arguments about you not being able to take care of me doesn't it?"
"And it also eliminates one of my reasons on why you are too good for me."
"Remus John Lupin, you are more than worthy of anyone. But I'm glad you chose me," she told him in a soft voice with an air of seriousness to it, telling him that she was unchanging and will always be unchanging in her decision that he was a good man.
He smirked at her. Every second he spent with her, it was like he was falling in love all over again, every single day, again and again. It was such a good feeling to him, to be in love over and over with the same wonderful woman that he knew would never turn away from him. He held her in his arms, her pregnant belly in between them and inside was a being that he happily called their child, tying Tonks and him together.
"Did you hear what the nurse called you?" Remus asked, blushing.
"What'd she call-"Tonks began but abruptly stopped when the title Mrs. Lupin replayed within her mind. She blushed intensely and bit her lips, her hair turning to a hue of baby blue. It was the same shade it would turn when she was embarrassed but happy at the same time. Looking into Remus' eyes, she saw the same feelings in him, and her heart melted at the realization that he was finally her lover.
While they were teasing each other, Tonks noticed a familiar face approaching them. Her pale, pretty face was framed by sharp brown curls while an amused smile was spread across her thin lips. Her face was marred by dirt however and her clothes were dirty with a large tear. Tonks could only guess that the auror had just returned from a rather exciting mission.
"Hello lovebirds," Evelyn teased.
As Tonks responded to her friend, Remus simply chuckled. "What happened on your mission Eve?" she asked, closely examining the scorch marks on Evelyn's auror robes.
"We just chased down a supposedly dark wizard through a corn field and Dawlish, my partner, got hexed. He's being treated by the nurse right now," she laughed. "I had a bet with Deacon that I'd go to St. Mungo's today because of him."
"Dawlish is always at St. Mungo's," Tonks laughed.
"Dora, he's almost as bad as you," Remus added, causing Evelyn to laugh hysterically.
"Leave it to the doting lover to tell you the awful truth," Evelyn laughed.
"Oi, I am not that bad! And Dawlish is different from me. We shouldn't even be compared," Tonks defended herself while sticking her tongue out at Remus' innocent grin.
"Yes Tonks, you and him are so different," Eve continued to laugh. "Dawlish actually waits for someone to put him in St. Mungo's while you just wound up here all by yourself."
"Great, let's all pick on Tonks," the pink haired auror huffed.
"It's nothing Nymphadora," Remus smiled and patted her.
Tonks grunted and scowled at both her lover and her friend. She opened her mouth and was about to retort but a nurse had called Evelyn over and they quickly bid farewell. They waved to the amused auror together, then turned and walked away together. Remus continued to chuckle softly as Tonks continued to scowl at him, but they were still hand in hand and happier than ever before.
She threw a quick glance behind her, seeing the backs of the happy couple that walked away from her. Though the man wore shabby clothes and looked more weary as the moon grew full and the woman was a jumping ball of life with bright, eccentric colors, they matched each other perfectly. Watching them walk away, Evelyn turned back and sighed to herself. She would always be that way, for as long as she could remember. Every time she saw a happy couple around her, she would wish to be just like them one day, someday, to care not about the strife of the world but to only see as far as her lover's eyes.
"Auror Stronghold," the nurse called and that caught her attention. "Your partner will have to stay overnight since his stinging hex is reacting badly."
"That'll be fine. If there's nothing else, I'll go then. Oh and please tell him he has a report due on our boss's desk tomorrow morning," Evelyn added with a pleasant smile.
"Will do Auror Stronghold," the middle aged nurse replied as both women turned around, walking in the opposite direction.
Evelyn walked slowly while taking off her scorched and torn work robes. The corridor suddenly grew quiet around that time and she could hear two women conversing, one being the nurse who she'd just spoken to, and another being a different voice. She couldn't help but listen in as they were making no secret of whatever it was they were saying.
The unfamiliar voice sighed. "I forgot to give them the papers of the report."
"Merlin Cindy, you're so forgetful," said the familiar voice of the middle aged nurse.
"What am I supposed to do? They left already. And I thought today was a good day."
"Go to the main desk and ask to mail the papers to Mr. and Mrs. Lupin you silly girl."
She suddenly paused. "Mr. and Mrs. Lupin," she mumbled to herself. "They must be talking about Remus and Tonks." She didn't understand why but she suddenly turned around and hurried back to the two nurses conversing. "Pardon, I'm sorry but I overheard your conversation. You need to hand this to Mr. and Mrs. Lupin? I'm a friend of theirs, I can take it over to them right now and save you the trouble," she smiled kindly, revealing faint dimples framing her lips.
"Oh Auror Stronghold, that would be too much to ask," the familiar nurse replied.
"It's fine really. Your name is Cindy correct? I'll take the papers to them no worries."
"Thank you, thank you so much Auror Stronghold," the nurse named Cindy replied gratefully while handing her the thin packet of papers.
"See you then," Evelyn waved as they walked off, giving her another grateful smile. She knew that as long as Dawlish was her partner, she would be seeing the nurses again. He always got hurt at work, every single mission he went on. It soon turned into a joke at the auror office, many people even betting on how long Dawlish would stay at St. Mungo's each time.
Only when she turned back with the folder in her hand did Evelyn suddenly realize that she offered to help so eagerly was because it would mean she had an excuse to pay a visit to Alexis' lovely home and play with their dog Snuffles a little bit. She bit her lip and smiled as she walked, wondering why she loved that dog so much. He was so obedient and so wonderful. She only met him once and already she was looking for excuses to spend time with him. And oddly, she'd also noticed that even though she was an auror, around Snuffles she felt more protected. Evelyn allowed a small smile to appear on her thin pink lips. Hopefully the two girls and Remus wouldn't mind her dropping by to play with the wonderful dog known as Snuffles.
"Wait, bugger Tonks and Remus must not be home yet, it's not even late," she mumbled to herself inaudible to others. Mumbling was a habit of hers with unknown reasons why. "But Alexis would be home and she wouldn't mind me dropping by," she spoke again in an almost inaudible voice and snapped her fingers.
Remus hadn't been there in a long time. He'd only roam the streets of Diagon Alley, never the streets of muggle London. He couldn't even remember when the last time he'd been there was. As he walked and looked around, everything seemed new to him. He didn't remember much about muggle London, but he knew one thing for sure. The last time he was there, he wasn't a happy man walking hand in hand with a brilliant and colorful auror, the girl with pink hair. The last time he was there, he remembered he was depressed and tired of life. Looking back, things definitely had changed since then.
He turned his eyes away from the busy muggle streets of London to look at Tonks. She was grinning beside him, her eyes excitedly darting from one place to another, one direction to another. Watching her, he felt so happy and complete. His eyes glanced down at her pregnant belly she wore proudly, and he felt even happier. Though the baby inside wasn't his biological child, it wasn't something he cared about. He just knew that he was going to act as a father for the baby, and so he was well on his way creating a family of his own.
"When was the last time you've been here?" Remus asked her.
"A few months actually," Tonks replied and held his hand tighter. "You?"
"The last time I was here, I was with Padfoot and Prongs," Remus told her with a smirk.
"What? You mean for more than ten years you've never stepped foot into muggle London?" she asked, her voice growing a bit louder.
"I didn't see any point in coming here before," he defended. "We were going to buy Harry his first Halloween costume, something Lily said we Marauders should do," he explained to her, yet another memory he shared with his closest friends, closer than brothers. "Padfoot was going to get Harry a giant pumpkin costume while Prongs wanted to get Harry one of those old looking wizard costumes," Remus chuckled.
Seeing him smile at his reminiscent, Tonks couldn't help but grin as well. "I don't think poor Harry Potter would enjoy being dressed up as a giant pumpkin or a muggle's interpretation of a wizard," she told him and shook her head. "What did you want to dress him up as?"
"I was just there to babysit the two kids," Remus teased with a lopsided smirk.
"Remus-" she spoke, knowing he was hiding something by the look on his face.
"I wanted to get him a little green dragon costume," he replied guiltily.
Tonks cracked up laughing, imagining Harry Potter, the famous boy who lived, in a little green dragon costume. "And what did the three Marauders settle on?"
"Nothing," Remus laughed. "We each bought what we want and were going to make Harry choose on Halloween night." He suddenly grew sad. "Halloween of that year…"
As if on cue, Tonks immediately held his him closer, walking with her side against his. She reminded herself that she needed to watch what kind of conversations she and Remus walked in to. She didn't want him to grow sad because of his past again much like a certain cousin of hers always would lately, thinking about everything he'd lost on that one faithful Halloween night. They definitely got tricks instead of treats, and the tricks changed their lives.
"Padfoot hadn't been here in years. I want him to be able to walk freely on the streets…
"We all do Remus," Tonks told him and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked.
"He suffered the most from that night. He lost James. He lost Lily. He lost his freedom. He lost me…and Peter. He lost you and Alexis, and Andromeda too. And…he lost Evelyn…"
"We're here now Remus," Tonks sighed, thinking about her cousin now and growing sad as well. It didn't have anything to do with her, it shouldn't. But with him being her cousin and with the word cousin meaning the world to her, she felt saddened with Sirius' burden as well.
"Dora, being with you…has made me realize something," Remus began softly.
"What is that Remus?"
"Love isn't impossible," he told her with certainty. "I never thought I'd be here…but here I am today, walking with you," he smiled, a sincere and honest smile of joy, love, and comfort. "As for Padfoot…one day Evelyn will come back to him. I know I'm making an assumption based on nothing here, but seeing the way she interacted with Snuffles, it's enough to know that there are still some subtle feelings left between them."
"I think so too," Tonks smiled. "One day Padfoot will get everything back, his freedom, Evelyn, and until that day comes, we're still here to help him."
Remus placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tighter to him as they walked on the busy streets, the day turning to the evening as the sun began to set and the air grew cold. "I just wish he'd tell us more about what he's thinking. I know he's hiding his sorrows."
"That's people from the Black family to ya," Tonks sighed. "When he's ready he'll tell. Trust me. He'll sit us down and talk to us about it openly, but only when he's ready. It's usually a lengthy process with these people. The Black family passes on so many similar genes," she sighed again, drawing a smile from him with her own. They continued walking, their arms wrapped around each other with soft and subtle smiles on their charming faces.
Whenever the house was quiet, he suddenly felt more alone than ever. Remus and Tonks had gone strolling out somewhere in London and won't be back till late. Alexis was upstairs taking a shower to relax herself after a tense and stressful day. As for him, he was left there on the first landing, pacing trenches all over the house as he searched for something to do, something, anything at all. Sirius had even tried cleaning and standing still, his eyes turned back to the feather duster and he was seriously debating whether or not to clean a third time.
"Blimey I'm going mental and stir crazy," Sirius grumbled to himself, walking over to the large window in the shining room that was scattered with setting sunlight.
Once again he found himself staring out the partially open window, looking to a place somewhere far off in the distance. His eyes lingered at the spot on the darkening skyline where the sky touched the earth. It was a beautiful sight, seeing the golden sun begin to set and its color turning from luminous gold to a warming vermillion. He sighed again, wishing that one day he'd be able to journey outside freely to anywhere he pleased, as a free man. Sirius crossed his arms and watched the sunset while dreaming of a day where he was entirely a free man.
A knock on the door pulled his attention away from the sunset. He quirked a bemused eyebrow as he glanced at the direction of the door. From where he stood, he couldn't see the door, but he still knew that they weren't expecting anyone over that day. Remus and Tonks wouldn't knock and enemies would just break the door down. Sirius was about to ponder deeper into the curious thought of who was at the door, but his curiosity demanded answers immediately and so Sirius waved a hand towards the direction of the door, using wandless magic to unlock the front doors. He didn't turn around however and simply stood there, returning to his gazing.
With the silence so loud and thunderous, he could hear the visitor's footsteps. They belonged to a girl. He knew that, because no man ever walked that softly no matter how light-footed he was. Sirius was about to turn around.
He could hear the female visitor take several steps closer to him and he thought it would be rude not to greet her back. Without thinking about much, Sirius turned around and grinned at the woman, smiling warmly.
Suddenly, his smile vanished and his fleeting feeling of mirth turned to fears and insecurity. The visitor gasped and her eyes widened at him as she quickly took in his appearance. Sirius wanted to face-palm himself, but he decided not to, enjoying being able to see Evelyn Stronghold through his human eyes again
She was no stranger to him. His heartbeat rose a little higher as his body felt a little tenser and his stomach jumped a little bit more. His throat felt dry and his mind was raided by memories of the long forgotten past, happy memories he never dared to think about in Azkaban for fear that they were all a dream. But looking at her, he knew they weren't dreams. They were real memories, real moments of his life. She stood there in front of him, like an old friend. She who was once his lover, now returned to him as an old friend, seeking an explanation no doubt.
"Evelyn-" he began softly at the same time as Evelyn.
"Sirius-"
She was tempted to take another step closer to him, but her auror mind reminded her that she was standing in the face of an Azkaban escapee, a dangerous man with a million tricks and schemes in his dark mind. She swallowed hard and whipped out her wand. Sirius was quick and within the blink of an eye, they both had their wands out, pointed at each other's hearts.
"What are you-get down, now!" she suddenly ordered.
"And what are you going to do with me?" he asked casually, teasing her.
"You're a dark wizard!" she replied, her voice raised as her wand pointed threateningly.
"Evelyn, put the wand down," Sirius told her, holding up both hands in front of her.
"Don't expect me to trust you…Black," she replied, feeling odd when she called him by his surname. "I know the story. If you could betray your own friends, you can betray me without a second thought. After all, who am I to you?"
Sirius huffed and looked up at her with deep, meaningful eyes. "Evelyn, listen to me."
"No! I'm not falling for your tricks!" she replied. Perhaps it was her fear overtaking her, fear that if they spoke softly to each other she would succumb to her innermost desire and hug him, hold him tight. Even after all those long years with him gone, Evelyn realized that there were still fragments of what they've shared left within her, memories she wanted gone.
"Eve!" Sirius raised his voice to get her attention.
"Stupefy!" she called, sending a stunner straight at him.
It didn't surprise her when Sirius swatted it away like nothing more than an annoying nat. She wasn't focused and her stunner was weak. And obviously, if Sirius was Lord Voldemort's most loyal servant, he would be a skilled dark duelist as well.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Alexis' voice sounded as she quickly stumbled down the stairs, her hair still wet but untangled and her clothes on her bag dripping with water from her hastily dried body after her shower.
"Alexis," Evelyn sighed. "Sirius Black is in your house!"
Sirius looked at Alexis and Alexis looked at Sirius. The woman with black and blonde hair dripping with water swallowed hard and took a breath as she turned to face Evelyn, her friend. "Eve…I know," she said.
An expression of shock and surprise fell on Evelyn's face. "You knew? And…"
"And I let him stay here, yes," she told her honestly. "He's my cousin Eve, what am I to do? Besides, he's an innocent man. He wasn't the one who divulged information of the Potter's location to Voldemort. It was Peter Pettigrew," she added quickly.
"You're not making any sense. You have an escaped criminal in your house!"
"He is my cousin," Alexis replied, her voice rising.
"He caused the death of Lily and James Potter. He killed Peter Pettigrew."
"Peter is not dead," Sirius spoke up. "Peter was James and Lily's secret keeper, not me."
"You're lying," Evelyn spoke while her eyes shifted from Sirius to Alexis, back and forth between the two cousins that she now finally realized had a strong resemblance to one another and the rest of the Black family. "You were Voldemort's most loyal servant. He must've taught you a few tricks and you're messing with Alexis' head…"
"I'm not messing with anyone's head," Sirius cut her off with a familiar tone he'd always use whenever they were arguing. Suddenly, Evelyn found herself lowering her wand and she listened to him. "I did not sell my best friends out. I would have rather died. But Peter thought differently. Peter wanted protection from the war and he was the traitor. For twelve years he'd been hiding as a rat in the Weasley family. We only found him in June and Remus brought me here to live with my cousins for now." He bit his lips, watching her.
Evelyn parted her lips and was about to speak when Alexis suddenly threw her arms up in the air. "If we tell her bits and pieces, it's not going to make sense. Eve, put the wand down and we'll talk. It'd be better if you get the whole story." She turned and faced Sirius with a look that made him mentally understand that he would have to be the one to retell the story.
"I'm an auror. I can't…"
"Work hours are over, you are Evelyn Stronghold," Alexis replied. She was picking out the minor details and enlarging them, a thing all lawyers seem to enjoy doing.
"I won't hurt you…Eve," Sirius told her in a soft, sincere voice.
Her knees went weak and if she hadn't been standing with her hand placed on the white leather sofa, Evelyn would have fallen over. She'd missed him so much and seeing him again, so unexpectedly, was definitely a surprise. She saw that he was the same man but different. There was a haunted look in his eyes, a look caused by years being in a nut house like Azkaban. He was skinnier and more frail than before. He looked tired and worn. But when she looked closer, she saw that he was still the same, darkly handsome Sirius Black with his silly, rebellious nature but kind and loyal spirit. She looked a bit closer and saw that he was still the same Sirius Black that she'd fallen in love with. She never wanted to admit it, but even when he left her that night thirteen years ago, she'd never fallen out of love with him. Some feelings still remained…
"Please trust me," Sirius spoke. That was his voice of plea, she recognized.
Evelyn was quiet for a moment. Her eyes turned to Alexis and saw her stoic expression. She knew though Alexis enjoys loafing around, she would never joke during a situation like such. And she knew that Alexis Black wasn't a fool. If Alexis could trust Sirius, Evelyn didn't see why she couldn't. After all, they had once been lovers and she was once ready to devote the rest of her life to him, to him and only him.
"Tell me everything," she told him in a soft voice and lowered her wand entirely as she took a seat. Logically, she didn't know why she did that. She was facing an escaped criminal, the most wanted man in England. She was an auror and it was her duty to catch him. So logically she was wondering why she didn't and why instead she was sitting down and listening to his story. That was all logic. But putting all logic aside, Evelyn knew exactly the reason why. She was afraid to admit it, but she still felt something for him…longing, want, curiosity…love?
He was more than happy when she sat down. She was giving him a chance. Sirius didn't waste a second of it as he leaped over the armchair opposing her and sat down hastily. He drew a small smile from her face, sneaking through her stoic expression. He'd always hated retelling the awful story, but for her, he could tell it to her a million times, as long as it brought her closer to forgiving him for leaving her. He told her everything from the very beginning, from when the Marauders began to doubt and become skeptical of each other. He told her how he felt about her as well, spilling out the truth whether they were good or bad. Sirius wasn't looking to impress her with twisted reality. He was looking to receive her trust and forgiveness, and he'd learned that total honesty was always the best way to go with it.
Everyone knew the story, but that was only the story the Ministry decided to publish. Not many people knew Sirius' side of the story, and when Evelyn heard it, it was as if the puzzle had been completed. Before she always thought there were many holes in the story, but never did she dare to look deeper for fear of her feelings for him returning him. But once she saw him and realized that her feelings never left to begin with, she acknowledge all these holes and hearing Sirius' story, was like filling in all the missing pieces. Suddenly everything made sense and by the time Sirius finished, she found her guard completely lowered. If it was his plan to lower her guard and then attack her, he'd succeeded.
Right when Sirius finished his last word, the front doors suddenly opened. In walked Remus and Tonks with soft, subtle smiles on their faces, hand in hand. At first they were oblivious to the three people watching. They were too busy smiling at each other. But when they looked up, the mirth on their faces faded and in its place a new feeling of fear and worry was apparent. Tonks looked at the scene, seeing Evelyn, an auror, seated across from her two cousins, one of them being an escaped criminal and her old flame.
"Evelyn, you've met Sirius," Remus spoke in a shockingly calm voice but his expression on his face said the complete opposite. Looking at the auror, he was afraid she would take his best friend away from him, take Sirius away, again.
Tonks was quiet. She could only watch as Eve nodded.
"We told her everything," Alexis spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper.
Dead silence rang through the room. For a while, no one spoke. They all stared at each other, waiting to see what would happen next. Tonks was ready to push herself in between Eve and Sirius if necessary, because the word cousin meant so much to her. Alexis was ready to grab Sirius and disapparate right out of there if something was to happen. Remus was ready to raise his wand against the kind auror, because his best friend was like a brother to him and he couldn't let him be taken away a second time. Sirius was ready to accept whatever fate gives him, because seeing how much Tonks, Alexis, and Remus still cared for him, he knew he would never be alone. As for Evelyn, she wasn't ready for the decision she soon had to make.
"Do you trust me?" Sirius asked, breaking the dead silence. His four words were not only heavy on her, they also had the underlying message that if she did trust him she would have to keep everything she'd learned a complete secret from everyone else she knew. She'd have to go against her code as an auror, and she'd be going against her logical mindset. But that was only if she trusted him…