11. Nicknames, kicks and stairs

Emilia's room

Sirius' POV:

"Emilia?" I asked.

"Emilia?"

"Mili?" I asked, louder this time. She snapped out of her reverie.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" She asked sweetly.

"That's the second time you've that. I just called you Mili and you didn't even notice."

"I like Mili," she said absent-mindedly.

I grinned, "Noted. But as I was saying, for the tenth time, I bought your paints." I extended the box.

She opened it, perusing it carefully. She then smiled, "Thanks."

"You better be thankful. I got teased incessantly for buying something for you," I said.

"Teased?" she giggled. "By who?"

"Marlene, mostly. James just sulked."

She grinned. "Did you like it?"

My eyes widened. Was Emilia Potter flirting with me?

"Maybe a little," I winked at her. She blushed deeply, and held my gaze. Her eyes stared into mine and she bit her lip slightly.

"So how come you go went out with Marlene?" she asked suddenly, breaking the moment.

"Umm," I took a second to get my brain working again. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated. "Isn't she more on- Lily's side of things?"

I smiled at her tact. "Well, yeah. But I've known her forever. She's pureblood, and we were sort of thrown together a lot, at parties and stuff."

She frowned, "You mean like betrothed?"

"What? I- no," I sputtered. "Mili, we were kids. But yeah, I suppose they were trying to set it up for later."

She nodded.

"It's different now, though."

She nodded again.

A silence followed her acknowledgement, as she started putting her stuff away.

I cleared my throat. "I don't think I've ever been in a shop that colourful."

She smiled, "Oh, yeah. I love that shop. Every time I go there, I just want to buy the whole thing."

I smiled.

"And I mean Madame Pudifoot's pretty monochrome- so this must've been a new experience for you," she added slyly.

My eyebrows shot up. "Oh yeah? Well then, I guess we'll have to do our date at the art store," I said. Wait, hold up, what? My smile dropped. Why do I never think before I open my mouth? I looked over to Emilia to see that her smile had morphed into one of awkwardness, and she was staring at her feet.

Damn it.

"I think I hear your Mum calling," I say lamely and leave her room.

What is going on with me? I thought as I reached my bedroom. I looked around the room like a lost puppy. Deciding that it was far too constricting, I walked downstairs and out the front door.

The stairs.

The trees looked very different in the light- livelier, and colourful.

I sat down, mimicking my position from that night. We'd started over, and since then I'd spent a lot of time with her. Like almost as much as I did with James. She was amazing. But did I like her? Like I wanted to date her? Probably not, right? I couldn't. She was James' younger sister and I was living with them- it was a bit weird. I was just starting to get to know her.

Why then, had I just asked her out? I hadn't meant to, but I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt when she didn't say anything. I would love to talk to someone right now, but James was out of question and I couldn't possibly have this conversation in a letter. We were just about a week away from start of term, it would have to wait.

No, I told myself. I don't like her. She was just incredibly easy to be around. Our conversations flowed easily, and I'd gotten carried away. I was just used to flirting with girls, that's all. And Emilia was really pretty, but it wasn't like I wanted to kiss her or something. At the very most I'd felt like hugging her.

I won't let myself slip up again. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"What were you doing out on the stairs earlier?" James asked me at dinner time.

None of your fucking business, I want to tell him- but his parents are here. "Umm, just thinking," I said instead.

"Thinking? You?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I can think."

"You just prefer not to?" Emilia asked. I narrowed my eyes at her as James sniggered. Was that a dig about earlier or was she just teasing me as per usual?

"Are you kids ready for school?" Mr. Potter interrupted my train of thought. "Or are you going to make us run for something last minute?" He directed that part at James.

He grinned sheepishly, "I think I'm in the clear, Dad."

"You mean I am." Mr. Potter replied.

I smiled.

"Sirius?" he asked. I nodded, "Yeah, I'm all set."

"Emilia?" She didn't reply. She seemed to be drowning in her own thoughts, absent-mindedly pushing her food around in her plate.

"Emilia?" Mr. Potter asked again. She was completely spaced out, again, just like earlier. I frowned and tapped her foot with mine under the table.

"Oww," she yelped, loudly.

"Okay I didn't hit you nearly that hard," I said, bewildered.

"Yeah, but I did," James smirked. I grinned at him.

"What?" Emilia asked, looking around the table.

"Where've you been?" Mr. Potter smiled at her. "I was just asking you if you had everything for school."

"Yeah, I think I do. Can't wait to see Sadie."

"You saw her like yesterday," James said.

"Made me realise how much I missed her," she shrugged.

"I don't get why you like her so much," he said. "She's so up in the clouds."

Emilia frowned at him.

"Wait, Sadie like Sadie Jones, right?" I asked. "Your year, red hair?" She nodded. Yep, she was a little up in the clouds.

Emilia assumed my silence to be affirmation that I agreed with James. She scoffed, "She's great, okay? And you're both assholes."

"Language," Mrs. Potter warned. Emilia huffed and went back to her food.

James and I looked at each other, but didn't take the conversation further. She was riled up; it won't end well.

I wondered if it was because of what happened earlier. But there was no way I was revisiting or explaining that- she would just have to deal with it.