Sunday morning was wet and gray. Reena packed her valise and put all
her paperwork in her messenger bag. She had a dreamless night, thanks to
one of Laura's fantastic potions.
"Reena? Are you awake yet?" Laura asked as she knocked on the bedroom door.
"Yeah, I'm up" was the quiet reply.
"Do you want something from Diagon Alley? I have to pick up some potion ingredients and I'm taking Kate with me. You'll be alone for some time if you don't come with me."
"Where's Steve and Jen?"
"Steve's at his Quidditch league practice. It's all day on Sundays.Jen tagged along."
"I'll stay here. I need to get some things from the village."
"All right. When are you apparating home?"
"Can I stay for dinner?"
"Of course. It won't be anything special. I'll see you around 5 then. Bye"
Reena stayed in bed until she heard the fire roaring and her niece and Laura were gone. Reena looked at her watch and saw it was nearly noon. She figured Laura had given her a combination of sleeping and dreamless potions. Reena had lied to Laura. She didn't have any shopping to do. The empty house gave Reena the perfect opportunity to look at some old photo albums.
Steven Delton had inherited the old photo albums from his parents. A tall bookcase in the study held the old albums on the top shelf. Most of the albums were from Steve and Reena's childhood. Reena found an electric blue album and summoned it from the top shelf. The bright blue album held three years of photographs from family vacations. Some of the photos showed 3 young children who were arguing while their parents were trying to split them apart. Another picture (taken in front of the Sphinx) revealed a mother trying to coax her son into the photo.
These pictures made Reena laugh, but they made her sad at the same time. Almost all the pictures were of Steve, Reena, their older sister Alise, and their parents. Only Reena and Steve had survived the Dark Times and were around to appreciate these old pictures.
Reena suddenly closed the album and felt very strange. She walked out of the house and took another walk. It was raining, but Reena felt a need to get out of the house. As Reena walked on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, she spotted the large black dog. The dog also saw Reena and ran to her.
"Hello dog. What are you doing out on a day like this?" Reena jokingly asked the dog.
The dog grabbed a mouthful of Reena's robe and led her towards the mountains outside of the village. As the rain continued to pour, the dog led Reena up a mountain and into a shallow cave.
"Thank you dog," Reena said, slightly surprised that the dog seemed to be trying to look after her.
Reena conjured up a chicken sandwich and gave it to the dog. The dog reminded Reena of someone from her past so strongly, that she burst out in tears. The dog was taken aback, but snuggled close to Reena to comfort her.
"I'm sorry. You remind me of someone I wish I could see right now," Reena apologige between racking sobs. "Mom, dad, Alise, Sirius, Lily, James, and Peter all left. Even the people who are still around avoid me. You know dog, you are the first thing that I've felt connected to in years. Now I may not be able to see you anymore because I have to go back home tonight and you'll probably go somewhere else."
Reena was so distraught as the memory of lost friends and family came back that she did not hear a soft pop in the cave.
"It's all right Reena. It's okay for you to cry," a deep voiced man comforted her as he stroked her thick black hair. "I won't leave you. I never wanted to, but I'm here right now."
It took Reena almost 10 minutes to realize that the dog was no longer with her and a tall, lanky man with black hair was in its place.
"Oh my God!" Reena gasped as the color drained from her face.
"Don't be scared Reena. It's only me," the man said, trying not to startle her more than he already had.
"Sirius, what are you doing here? Why are you here?" Reena questioned, her voice breaking from pure confusion.
"Calm down Reena. I only wanted to see you again" Sirius said carefully.
"You're an anigmus? You're not registered" Reena pointed out, dazed.
"I know I'm not registered. That's how I got out of Azkaban," Sirius replied.
Reena was overcome by a fresh wave of tears. She was sincerely praying that this was not another dream. She put her head on Sirius' shoulder and cried quietly. Reena's professional manner soon got the better of her and she tried to compose herself.
"You don't have to put a façade on. It's all right to show emotion," Sirius said trying to comfort Reena. He was an old pro at that.
"Do you know what I have been doing for the last 14 years?" Reena asked shakily.
"Making your work your life. Trying to escape the past for starters," Sirius replied.
"How do you know that?" Reena asked, thrown off guard.
"I know you Reena. You don't love a person for years and then just forget about them when you're carted away. Did you know I've been trying find out as much as I could about you after I escaped?"
"I didn't hear from you after you got out. I didn't know what to think. I concluded that it was your way of saying that you didn't want to see me anymore,"
"I can't hurt you like that," Sirius said gently.
"Are you hungry?" Reena asked the question quickly because she was ashamed that she had doubted Sirius for the slightest second.
"Only if it's chicken sandwiches and pumpkin juice," Sirius said with a grin. The two of them sat in relative silence as Sirius ate the sandwiches.
"I didn't owl you because I didn't want to get you into trouble if it was intercepted. You don't need me to cause you any more trouble," Sirius commented seriously.
"I understand," Reena responded. "What are you going to do now?"
"Pray that you don't turn me in" Sirius joked. Seeing the horrified look on Reena's face, he hastily added, "I know you would never do that. I actually have responsibilities to tend to now that I'm out of prison. On top of that, I have to keep ahead of the dementors and aurors."
"I don't think the dementors will be a problem for you in a little while. I'm trying to get them replace," Reena informed the jaw-dropped Sirius.
"How? They're very powerful" he reminded her.
"Have you really been following what I do? I'm in the ministry cabinet" Reena told Sirius.
Sirius, of course, knew that Reena was one of the members of the Ministry Cabinet. He was not aware that she could have the power to remove the dementors if she convinced her colleagues enough. As he thought of the prospect of not having to run from the dementors, he looked out of the opening of the cave.
"Do you have a watch Reena? It looks like it's getting late," Sirius observed.
'Oh God! It's almost 8. Steve is going to kill me!"
"Is he still the always overprotective brother?"
"Yep, that's Steve"
"Come on, I'll walk you back to his house"
With a small pop, Sirius became a big black dog. It had stopped raining and the warm June evening was surrounded with the sound of crickets and the freshness that the rain gives. As they reached Steve and Laura's house, Sirius (in his dog form) stood at the end of the walkway and watched Reena enter the house. Reena entered the house and walked into the kitchen.
"Steve's in the study," Laura said quietly, "He wants to talk to you."
Reena strolled into the study. Steve was sitting behind the desk flipping through the electric blue album.
"Hey Reena" he said softly.
"Hi Ste. What's up?" Reena asked, hoping he wouldn't be angry.
"Where'd you go?" he asked, in the same gentle voice.
Reena hesitated for a minute before answering his question.
"I had to get some fresh air. I thought I could handle going into the past."
"I'm guessing your 'trip into the past' didn't go very well."
"You guessed right. I needed some time alone."
"Are you all right now?" Steve asked, concerned about his sister.
"I'm fine. Thanks for asking."
"If you're hungry, Laura can conjure something up."
Steve said the last sentence very faintly as he returned to looking at the photographs. Reena knew her brother rarely looked at the old pictures. The difference between the siblings was that when she looked at the photographs, she cried. When he looked at the photographs, he simply forgot that the present existed.
An hour later, Reena said good bye to her family and apparated back to her London flat. She went to bed feeling happier than she had in a long time and wished that this certain feeling could last forever.
Tell me what you think!!!
"Reena? Are you awake yet?" Laura asked as she knocked on the bedroom door.
"Yeah, I'm up" was the quiet reply.
"Do you want something from Diagon Alley? I have to pick up some potion ingredients and I'm taking Kate with me. You'll be alone for some time if you don't come with me."
"Where's Steve and Jen?"
"Steve's at his Quidditch league practice. It's all day on Sundays.Jen tagged along."
"I'll stay here. I need to get some things from the village."
"All right. When are you apparating home?"
"Can I stay for dinner?"
"Of course. It won't be anything special. I'll see you around 5 then. Bye"
Reena stayed in bed until she heard the fire roaring and her niece and Laura were gone. Reena looked at her watch and saw it was nearly noon. She figured Laura had given her a combination of sleeping and dreamless potions. Reena had lied to Laura. She didn't have any shopping to do. The empty house gave Reena the perfect opportunity to look at some old photo albums.
Steven Delton had inherited the old photo albums from his parents. A tall bookcase in the study held the old albums on the top shelf. Most of the albums were from Steve and Reena's childhood. Reena found an electric blue album and summoned it from the top shelf. The bright blue album held three years of photographs from family vacations. Some of the photos showed 3 young children who were arguing while their parents were trying to split them apart. Another picture (taken in front of the Sphinx) revealed a mother trying to coax her son into the photo.
These pictures made Reena laugh, but they made her sad at the same time. Almost all the pictures were of Steve, Reena, their older sister Alise, and their parents. Only Reena and Steve had survived the Dark Times and were around to appreciate these old pictures.
Reena suddenly closed the album and felt very strange. She walked out of the house and took another walk. It was raining, but Reena felt a need to get out of the house. As Reena walked on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, she spotted the large black dog. The dog also saw Reena and ran to her.
"Hello dog. What are you doing out on a day like this?" Reena jokingly asked the dog.
The dog grabbed a mouthful of Reena's robe and led her towards the mountains outside of the village. As the rain continued to pour, the dog led Reena up a mountain and into a shallow cave.
"Thank you dog," Reena said, slightly surprised that the dog seemed to be trying to look after her.
Reena conjured up a chicken sandwich and gave it to the dog. The dog reminded Reena of someone from her past so strongly, that she burst out in tears. The dog was taken aback, but snuggled close to Reena to comfort her.
"I'm sorry. You remind me of someone I wish I could see right now," Reena apologige between racking sobs. "Mom, dad, Alise, Sirius, Lily, James, and Peter all left. Even the people who are still around avoid me. You know dog, you are the first thing that I've felt connected to in years. Now I may not be able to see you anymore because I have to go back home tonight and you'll probably go somewhere else."
Reena was so distraught as the memory of lost friends and family came back that she did not hear a soft pop in the cave.
"It's all right Reena. It's okay for you to cry," a deep voiced man comforted her as he stroked her thick black hair. "I won't leave you. I never wanted to, but I'm here right now."
It took Reena almost 10 minutes to realize that the dog was no longer with her and a tall, lanky man with black hair was in its place.
"Oh my God!" Reena gasped as the color drained from her face.
"Don't be scared Reena. It's only me," the man said, trying not to startle her more than he already had.
"Sirius, what are you doing here? Why are you here?" Reena questioned, her voice breaking from pure confusion.
"Calm down Reena. I only wanted to see you again" Sirius said carefully.
"You're an anigmus? You're not registered" Reena pointed out, dazed.
"I know I'm not registered. That's how I got out of Azkaban," Sirius replied.
Reena was overcome by a fresh wave of tears. She was sincerely praying that this was not another dream. She put her head on Sirius' shoulder and cried quietly. Reena's professional manner soon got the better of her and she tried to compose herself.
"You don't have to put a façade on. It's all right to show emotion," Sirius said trying to comfort Reena. He was an old pro at that.
"Do you know what I have been doing for the last 14 years?" Reena asked shakily.
"Making your work your life. Trying to escape the past for starters," Sirius replied.
"How do you know that?" Reena asked, thrown off guard.
"I know you Reena. You don't love a person for years and then just forget about them when you're carted away. Did you know I've been trying find out as much as I could about you after I escaped?"
"I didn't hear from you after you got out. I didn't know what to think. I concluded that it was your way of saying that you didn't want to see me anymore,"
"I can't hurt you like that," Sirius said gently.
"Are you hungry?" Reena asked the question quickly because she was ashamed that she had doubted Sirius for the slightest second.
"Only if it's chicken sandwiches and pumpkin juice," Sirius said with a grin. The two of them sat in relative silence as Sirius ate the sandwiches.
"I didn't owl you because I didn't want to get you into trouble if it was intercepted. You don't need me to cause you any more trouble," Sirius commented seriously.
"I understand," Reena responded. "What are you going to do now?"
"Pray that you don't turn me in" Sirius joked. Seeing the horrified look on Reena's face, he hastily added, "I know you would never do that. I actually have responsibilities to tend to now that I'm out of prison. On top of that, I have to keep ahead of the dementors and aurors."
"I don't think the dementors will be a problem for you in a little while. I'm trying to get them replace," Reena informed the jaw-dropped Sirius.
"How? They're very powerful" he reminded her.
"Have you really been following what I do? I'm in the ministry cabinet" Reena told Sirius.
Sirius, of course, knew that Reena was one of the members of the Ministry Cabinet. He was not aware that she could have the power to remove the dementors if she convinced her colleagues enough. As he thought of the prospect of not having to run from the dementors, he looked out of the opening of the cave.
"Do you have a watch Reena? It looks like it's getting late," Sirius observed.
'Oh God! It's almost 8. Steve is going to kill me!"
"Is he still the always overprotective brother?"
"Yep, that's Steve"
"Come on, I'll walk you back to his house"
With a small pop, Sirius became a big black dog. It had stopped raining and the warm June evening was surrounded with the sound of crickets and the freshness that the rain gives. As they reached Steve and Laura's house, Sirius (in his dog form) stood at the end of the walkway and watched Reena enter the house. Reena entered the house and walked into the kitchen.
"Steve's in the study," Laura said quietly, "He wants to talk to you."
Reena strolled into the study. Steve was sitting behind the desk flipping through the electric blue album.
"Hey Reena" he said softly.
"Hi Ste. What's up?" Reena asked, hoping he wouldn't be angry.
"Where'd you go?" he asked, in the same gentle voice.
Reena hesitated for a minute before answering his question.
"I had to get some fresh air. I thought I could handle going into the past."
"I'm guessing your 'trip into the past' didn't go very well."
"You guessed right. I needed some time alone."
"Are you all right now?" Steve asked, concerned about his sister.
"I'm fine. Thanks for asking."
"If you're hungry, Laura can conjure something up."
Steve said the last sentence very faintly as he returned to looking at the photographs. Reena knew her brother rarely looked at the old pictures. The difference between the siblings was that when she looked at the photographs, she cried. When he looked at the photographs, he simply forgot that the present existed.
An hour later, Reena said good bye to her family and apparated back to her London flat. She went to bed feeling happier than she had in a long time and wished that this certain feeling could last forever.
Tell me what you think!!!