5. Earthquakes, back and forth

Kitchen at the Potter's house

Emilia's POV:

I had never, ever, been angrier than I was right now. The nerve of some people. How could you possibly mistreat your children to that extent and still feel like it was justified? I mean, the Cruciatus is illegal. Why did they ever feel the need to exert that on their own son? How does Sirius even manage to go through this stuff, I wondered, eyeing him across the dining table.

And why had he told me? He obviously didn't mean to, but then why had he. Why had he engaged in conversation and apologised? It didn't make any sense to me and clashed so horribly with the image of Sirius I had in my head. I couldn't sit still- my leg was bouncing up and down and I was stabbing my peas rather aggressively.

"Can you maybe not? Makes me feel like I'm eating in the eye of an earthquake," James said.

"An earthquake doesn't have an eye," I said. "It has a focus or an epicentre. If you're gonna pick on people, at least get your facts right," I bit back.

He looked taken aback. I would usually not react when he got started, but I was too riled up now.

"You're one to talk. Remember when you so confidently messed up the descriptions of all your potion ingredients in front of the entire class?"

I couldn't believe he was bringing up one of my most embarrassing moments so casually. I was about to retaliate when- "Oww, what?"

Sirius had kicked him under the table. He met my eyes with somewhat of an apologetic smile. I narrowed my eyes. Since when does Sirius apologise for James?

James must've picked up on it too. "Umm, what am I missing here?" He waved his fork between Sirius and I.

"Nothing," Sirius replied.

"No, you've been sneaking looks at each other all evening," he said. Wait, what?

"Well, he's prettier than you are," I said, before I could stop myself. Well, I wasn't wrong. There was no denying that Sirius Black was gorgeous.

Sirius pressed his lips together like he was about to burst out laughing and Dad was actually laughing. Even Mum was smiling at me. I just looked down at my plate, smiling sneakily, desperately trying to not blush (and secretly impressed that Sirius hadn't tried to embarrass me further).

"Yeah right," James said, mostly to himself.

I was putting finishing touches to Sirius' door when he came up the stairs.

"This is incredible," he said, voice full of awe.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said as he plopped down in front of me, mimicking his stance from before.

Why was he sitting down? He kept wanting to talk to me. He was making this whole thing really hard. I mean I just admitted in front of my whole family that I thought he was pretty, for Merlin's sake. I was slipping.

"You don't have to pretend to be nice just because I know something," I said bluntly, the words leaving a bad taste in my mouth. But I had to.

"I'm not."

"Well, we've never really talked before."

"I think that's got more to do with you than me."

I narrowed my eyes. He was partly right. "What do you mean?" I asked anyways.

"I mean you're the one who's got some kind of problem with me. I love everyone in your family but I barely know you."

I said nothing.

"I'm painting your door, aren't I?"

"Only because you feel bad for me." He was right again, and it irked me. But there was something else, but it was gone before I could put my finger on it.

"Can't we just go back to what we were?"

"Why?"

I sighed, getting up. I could finish this tomorrow.

"Good night, Sirius."