As the meeting ended and people were slowly filtered out of
conference room, Reena quickly went back to her own office. Maggie had
sorted her mail while she was gone and now Reena had to sort through what
was left of it. Most of the letters were from member of the Department of
Control of Magical Creatures asking how the audit had gone. Maggie walked
in the office, holding a very decorative piece of card stock.
"There's a dinner tonight," Maggie said, her voice filled with sympathy.
Reena groaned. She hated work dinners. They were supposed to serve as a time when could complete work in a social-friendly environment. However, most people attended so that they could just get drunk. Yet appearances were necessary in the slim chance that something important was discussed and decided. The printed invitation said that guests should arrive at 7:30. Reena decided to go home at 7, then go to the dinner.
At 7 on the dot, Reena left the office. At her flat, she made some toast and relished every bite. She knew dinner would be served late and did not want to be put in a social situation being hungry. She then decided to change her robes. To work, Reena always wore black robes over a pantsuit. She kept her pantsuit on, but was having a hard time deciding between the dark gray and dark blue robes. She put away blue the one. As she slipped the dark ash colored robe on, she heard a voice from behind her.
"I don't think that one looks as nice as some of the others."
Reena spun around to find Sirius sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood up, walked to the closet, and started looking through it.
"Jesus Christ! Do you have anything in here besides black, dark blue, and gray?"
"I don't know, but I suppose you're going to find our for me."
Sirius found a light purple dress that had been pushed to the very back of the closet. He took it out and showed it to Reena.
"Do you remember this one?" he asked.
"Yeah, I do. Sirius, what are you doing here?" she asked in return.
"I need a place to stay. I thought this was the best place," he answered.
"This is still your place," she stated, "I can't stay right now. I have to go to a bloody office dinner."
"That's okay. I can only crash for a couple of days max," he said.
While Reena did her hair, Sirius walked around the tiny flat. He saw that little had changed from it since he was arrested. He smiled at the photograph Reena had put on the wall when she first moved in. It was taken at Reena's graduation. They smiled and waved while people strolled around in the background. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He found lots of plastic containers with food. Any Muggle could have walked into the flat and thought the only strange thing about it was that there was a moving photograph. Reena and Sirius didn't mind appearing to be Muggles to all their neighbors, doing that was the only way to ensure their privacy. It also allowed Sirius to integrate better with Muggles when he worked as an auror. He knew Reena could cook much better the Muggle way then conjuring food, and wanted to taste her recent creations. He popped a container labeled "stir fry" into the microwave and waited for it. Reena walked into the kitchen.
"I really have to go now. I hope I can be back before 11," she said.
"Okay. Thanks for letting me stay," he said very thankfully.
"It is still your home," she said before disapparating.
Sirius ate the stir-fry quietly. He found a pair of scissors, cut his hair, and carefully swept up the clippings. Sirius wanted to change into some clean clothes, but he wasn't sure if Reena had kept his things. He strolled into the bedroom and opened some drawers in the bureau. Sure enough, he found his clothes, just as he had left them years ago. He found his favorite pair of pajamas and took them to change into after a shower. He was aware that the building was home to a few other wizards, so he tried to keep his noise and movement down to a minimum.
* Reena found an empty corner and sat down. She hated these parties and would have much rather been at home.
"Is anyone sitting here?" a voice asked Reena in the middle of her thoughts. Reena looked up to see Remus Lupin.
It's just me in the corner," Reena said as Remus pulled up a chair.
Reena hadn't seen Remus very often in the last 14 years. Although the 2 had been friends at school, but they had kept their distance from each other after Sirius' imprisonment. Reena had wanted to forget the past and Remus needed time and space to pick up the pieces of his shattered world. The awkwardness that they felt with each other after Sirius had gone to Azkaban had faded with time.
"How are you?" Remus asked as he sat down.
"Very well thanks. What are you doing here?" Reena answered and asked.
"Favor to Dumbledore. I've joined LAV, League against Voldmort," he answered.
"Really? I'm working on something similar at work," she said.
"Dumbledore said we had the Cabinet's support, so I guess that means you're also part of LAV. Do you know what you're working on?" he said enthusiastically.
"I have no idea. You?"
"Not yet."
Their conversation continued through the evening and dinner. The 2 of them sat together, isolated from the rest of the guests. After they had finished dinner, Remus directed the conversation away from work.
"I've had contact with Sirius," he said quietly.
"So have I," she said, much to Remus' surprise.
"When?" he asked, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice.
"Recently," she answered.
"You know he is innocent. Our first mission should be to clear his name and find who really betrayed Lily and James," he said, his voice unusually hard at the second part of the mission.
"I know he didn't do it. The trouble is trying to convince everyone else. In order to clear his name, we have to find the real culprit. Fudge and the Daily Prophet went out of their way to convince the entire wizarding population that Sirius did it," she said bitterly.
I know. But I also know who betrayed them. And that person is nursing You- know-who back to health. I need your help to find that person," he explained.
"Of course I'll help you. But how do I start? I don't even know who I'm supposed to be looking for," She said.
"Don't worry about who you are trying to look for. You'll find out in due time. We'll figure a way to get Sirius' name cleared. "
The party ended as the witches and wizards began leaving around 10:30. Reena was one of first to leave. The apartment was dead silent when she came home. All the lights were turned of and there was no sign that Sirius was even there. Reena tiptoed into the bedroom to find Sirius fast asleep in bed. Reena smiled to herself and got ready for bed. She slowly drifted to sleep to Sirius' soft breathing.
I'd love to know what you think.
"There's a dinner tonight," Maggie said, her voice filled with sympathy.
Reena groaned. She hated work dinners. They were supposed to serve as a time when could complete work in a social-friendly environment. However, most people attended so that they could just get drunk. Yet appearances were necessary in the slim chance that something important was discussed and decided. The printed invitation said that guests should arrive at 7:30. Reena decided to go home at 7, then go to the dinner.
At 7 on the dot, Reena left the office. At her flat, she made some toast and relished every bite. She knew dinner would be served late and did not want to be put in a social situation being hungry. She then decided to change her robes. To work, Reena always wore black robes over a pantsuit. She kept her pantsuit on, but was having a hard time deciding between the dark gray and dark blue robes. She put away blue the one. As she slipped the dark ash colored robe on, she heard a voice from behind her.
"I don't think that one looks as nice as some of the others."
Reena spun around to find Sirius sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood up, walked to the closet, and started looking through it.
"Jesus Christ! Do you have anything in here besides black, dark blue, and gray?"
"I don't know, but I suppose you're going to find our for me."
Sirius found a light purple dress that had been pushed to the very back of the closet. He took it out and showed it to Reena.
"Do you remember this one?" he asked.
"Yeah, I do. Sirius, what are you doing here?" she asked in return.
"I need a place to stay. I thought this was the best place," he answered.
"This is still your place," she stated, "I can't stay right now. I have to go to a bloody office dinner."
"That's okay. I can only crash for a couple of days max," he said.
While Reena did her hair, Sirius walked around the tiny flat. He saw that little had changed from it since he was arrested. He smiled at the photograph Reena had put on the wall when she first moved in. It was taken at Reena's graduation. They smiled and waved while people strolled around in the background. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He found lots of plastic containers with food. Any Muggle could have walked into the flat and thought the only strange thing about it was that there was a moving photograph. Reena and Sirius didn't mind appearing to be Muggles to all their neighbors, doing that was the only way to ensure their privacy. It also allowed Sirius to integrate better with Muggles when he worked as an auror. He knew Reena could cook much better the Muggle way then conjuring food, and wanted to taste her recent creations. He popped a container labeled "stir fry" into the microwave and waited for it. Reena walked into the kitchen.
"I really have to go now. I hope I can be back before 11," she said.
"Okay. Thanks for letting me stay," he said very thankfully.
"It is still your home," she said before disapparating.
Sirius ate the stir-fry quietly. He found a pair of scissors, cut his hair, and carefully swept up the clippings. Sirius wanted to change into some clean clothes, but he wasn't sure if Reena had kept his things. He strolled into the bedroom and opened some drawers in the bureau. Sure enough, he found his clothes, just as he had left them years ago. He found his favorite pair of pajamas and took them to change into after a shower. He was aware that the building was home to a few other wizards, so he tried to keep his noise and movement down to a minimum.
* Reena found an empty corner and sat down. She hated these parties and would have much rather been at home.
"Is anyone sitting here?" a voice asked Reena in the middle of her thoughts. Reena looked up to see Remus Lupin.
It's just me in the corner," Reena said as Remus pulled up a chair.
Reena hadn't seen Remus very often in the last 14 years. Although the 2 had been friends at school, but they had kept their distance from each other after Sirius' imprisonment. Reena had wanted to forget the past and Remus needed time and space to pick up the pieces of his shattered world. The awkwardness that they felt with each other after Sirius had gone to Azkaban had faded with time.
"How are you?" Remus asked as he sat down.
"Very well thanks. What are you doing here?" Reena answered and asked.
"Favor to Dumbledore. I've joined LAV, League against Voldmort," he answered.
"Really? I'm working on something similar at work," she said.
"Dumbledore said we had the Cabinet's support, so I guess that means you're also part of LAV. Do you know what you're working on?" he said enthusiastically.
"I have no idea. You?"
"Not yet."
Their conversation continued through the evening and dinner. The 2 of them sat together, isolated from the rest of the guests. After they had finished dinner, Remus directed the conversation away from work.
"I've had contact with Sirius," he said quietly.
"So have I," she said, much to Remus' surprise.
"When?" he asked, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice.
"Recently," she answered.
"You know he is innocent. Our first mission should be to clear his name and find who really betrayed Lily and James," he said, his voice unusually hard at the second part of the mission.
"I know he didn't do it. The trouble is trying to convince everyone else. In order to clear his name, we have to find the real culprit. Fudge and the Daily Prophet went out of their way to convince the entire wizarding population that Sirius did it," she said bitterly.
I know. But I also know who betrayed them. And that person is nursing You- know-who back to health. I need your help to find that person," he explained.
"Of course I'll help you. But how do I start? I don't even know who I'm supposed to be looking for," She said.
"Don't worry about who you are trying to look for. You'll find out in due time. We'll figure a way to get Sirius' name cleared. "
The party ended as the witches and wizards began leaving around 10:30. Reena was one of first to leave. The apartment was dead silent when she came home. All the lights were turned of and there was no sign that Sirius was even there. Reena tiptoed into the bedroom to find Sirius fast asleep in bed. Reena smiled to herself and got ready for bed. She slowly drifted to sleep to Sirius' soft breathing.
I'd love to know what you think.