tumblr, ao3: thcorvi
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Previously…
"(...) With a sigh, she explained, "It's just some letters. M'not even sure if I should send it or not, but it's better than whatever we've tried before."
Better is an understatement; since the two times she'd tried to see her friends before… Well, 'well' wouldn't be the first adjective she would've used to describe it.(...)"
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The Chewmonkey and the Rubber Headshot PT.2
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With a grimace of his own, Sirius agreed. "Yeah, but you know what. I've got a feeling this is the big one! Or … you could just say a word and Ha—"
"I know," she cut him, mentally berating herself for how rude she was being.
Maia knew that even if she vaguely mentioned anything related to having changed her feelings over the matter with Sirius, he'd Apparate to Harry in no time, and the latter would get an International Portkey in less than two minutes to find her. They were great like that. But she wasn't ready, and she didn't know if she'd ever be. Maia clearly wasn't dealing with the aftermath of everything well, and she had created such a barrier to protect herself from those negative feelings she had whatever she saw them, that now, she felt she couldn't get through it even if she wanted to.
Sirius sighed, knowing already that'd be her answer, but feeling disappointed nonetheless. Wanting to get out of the little mood he'd created, he clapped his hands, perking up again. "Well, let's see. Who are the luck chosen ones?"
Taking a sip from his teacup, he ran his eyes over the sandy parchments. One name in particular caught his eye, causing him to choke on his drink, with a barely hidden chortle that he couldn't hold back in.
"Is that one for Teddy—our Teddy Lupin?"
No getting why the sudden laugh, she said defensively, "Yes, it is. So what? Sirius, I swear—stop laug—George!"
Sirius dodged the pens she kept throwing at him through the flames, now fully belly laughing.
"Dear Edw—," he could barely read with the amount of objects flying in his direction, "Dear Edwar—,"
"It's not funny, you tosser! Stop reading it!"
One shoe in particular, that hit him in the arm, made Sirius drop the letter with a cry.
"Ow, I yield, I yield!—Ow, Peanut, stop it!" He massaged the bruised spot. "Dammit, witch. What have you been doing this entire time? Lifting weights?"
"I did found a set of dumbbells inside of one of your old boxes last month," she said, eyeing him up and down, "I see you have dropped it awhile ago, though."
Before Sirius could think of a comeback, a loud chortle drew their attention to a tall ginger leaning on one of the walls of the living room.
"Damn, Badger. That was harsh." George grinned. "Who called my name?"
Sirius muttered a grumpy, "Getting abused in my own home, and she's not even here…"
"Morning, Weasley," Maia smiled sweetly in his direction.
If there was someone who everyone thought Maia would have had the hardest time actually seeing, they'd say George would be competing for the first place—even he, himself, thought that. With everything that had happened, and the way he was the spitting image of Fred, everyone thought, that just like them at the beginning, she even wouldn't be able to look at him for the majority of the time. But no, that's when Maia surprised them once more. The girl attached herself to him, just as quickly as she had done with Sirius and Remus, again.
"You've ruined my letter, Snuffles," she whined, seeing the state of the parchment on the floor.
Even though Sirius knew she wasn't really that upset, he felt a little guilty. "Sorry, Peanut. I'll fix it up."
"No, you'll read it!"
"Will not," he retorted, even though Sirius knew he totally would.
"Will too!"
George watched the scene unfold, with his own cuppa warm in his hands. Musing with a smile on his face, over the fact that he never thought he would be the most mature person in any room; at least one that didn't have his children, or his nephews, in it. With a fond shake of his head, George said, "Give me a sec, I'll be right back."
"I'll be down in five!" Sirius yelled, before returning his attention to the greenish face of the teenager in front of him. With a haughty voice, he couldn't help but add, "He hates being called Edward, FIY."
"What's FIY?… Oh, well… that's how he introduced himself to me. I thought it was—" Maia looked from the letter to Sirius, a little more unsure all of a sudden, "Do you think I should change it?"
He cocked his head to the side, feigning a thoughtful look.
"Depends… Was that how he seriously introduced himself to you?… Word for word?"
Maia nodded slowly, trying to understand what exactly was going on with the man today. As Sirius mouthed the words he had read on the parchment with a shake of his head, she finally got it, not helping herself and laughing soundlessly with him.
"Merlin, he's Remus' son, all right... Keep it, keep it. It's funny. Teddy is a funny bloke, he'll laugh it off—he has more sense of humour than Moons, that's for sure."
"No, Professor's sense of humour is to pretend he doesn't have one, so he can chastise us for his own amusement."
"She's on a strike today... I'm so telling on you tonight," Sirius teased her.
"You wouldn't!"
"There's only one way you can stop me… You could even deliver that letter yourself…"
Her face instantly morphed into an annoyed frown.
Sirius wished he had regretted bringing it up again, but he really didn't feel that bad. He knew Maia well enough to know how much he could actually push her until she snapped, for real. But he also didn't know how to make it better. Harry was right, Maia did look up to him like a younger sibling would, but he now didn't have any metaphorical kid he could steal a cookie to give it to her. He was a pathetic excuse for an older brother the first time, and by the looks of it, he was following the same path in his second chance.
"Hey, the Ashwinder eggs?" George's voice broke their silent.
Running a hand over his face, Sirius replied, "Sorry, mate, it's upstairs. I'll get it."
Watching Sirius run down the hall and climb up the stairs, George turned to Maia again, a twinkle shinning in his eyes.
"Heey, Badger, I can also deliver that letter for you... Be your own personal Owl for the day."
Maia narrowed her eyes, "Why? What do you want?"
The redhead put his hands up in a fake act of surrender, but the smirk on his lips didn't lie.
"Moi? Why would you think I'd want something from you? Maybe I've got a soft heart for romance. You never know."
"What does it has to do with anything? This is not that type of letter," she rolled her eyes, blushing nonetheless.
George's smile widened, "Ohhh, you so got a crush on little Teddy Lupin."
"Do not!" she retorted much too quickly. Why was she feeling so embarrassed all of a sudden? She knew, even George knew, that she didn't like the boy… So why was it always so nerve wrecking when someone accused you of fancying someone else? "I haven't even met, met him, you prat. I don't even remember how he looks like, Weasley. I'm just… thanking him."
"My sweet Badger, looks are not the problem. Teddy-Eddy can turn into whomever you want him to be," he wiggled his eyebrows, grin widening as an idea popped into his head. "Even like that burly little Quidditch player you used to fancy. Remind us, what was his name, aga—"
"I'll kill ya, Weasley!"
Maia started throwing the rest of the muggle supplies she didn't throw at Sirius, at him. George tried to dodge it with fake grunts of pain, that turned real in no time, before crunching down and starting to throw the markers back at her; creating a funny scene of objects coming and going through the green flames.
The two were in a fit of laughter when Sirius apparated right in the middle of the war zone, a rubber hitting right on the centre of his forehead—causing the little duo to double in their laughter, tears pooling in their eyes.
It was moments like these, that it was clear as the day to anyone who watched, why Maia in the end, had no choice but to fully attach herself to George's leg like a little girl. He's never made her feel out of place, or wrong; he never looked at her strangely. He, himself, knew well enough how it was to be on the other side of those looks, and its meanings. But most of all, George always made a safe space for her to be a teenager with him — and for him to regress, as well.
"Guys—" Sirius pouted, looking down at the rubber that had fallen to the floor. Before looking at the two of them giggling, around a mess of coloured muggle markers on the floor. "Was it the Teddy topic?"
"No!" she replied, at the same time George yelled, "Yes!"
The older man simply shook his head, with a fond smile, "I'll let the two girls gossip, while I put these in the lab."
Before he could leave with the card box in hand, Maia stopped him.
"Snuffles, is Ozzy home?"
"No, he hurt his left talon last night, didn't I tell ya? Why? You wanted him to deliver those for you? I thought I'd do it—"
"What? No… It's fine, it's fine," she flicked her wrist, "Go finish those, it's way more important than this. I'll think of something else."
"If you're certain…"
With the popping sound of his leaving, she started to clean up the mess of markers on the floor of her sister's house. Maia had two very bad options at the moment, which made her think that maybe should've just paid the International Owl fee… But doing so, the chances of her not delivering those letters at the last minute were large, but if she had Floo'ed them to Georgie first — as she had done —, she wouldn't be able to physically get them back. Not taking the fact, that both Sirius and George would send the letters regardless of her trying to chicken out at the last second… But she at least hoped it was done by Ozzy, a very smart owl who wasn't known for snooping her private matters.
Even without looking at him, Maia knew that George sported a Cheshire cat-like smile on his face.
"Well, well, well..."
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August
"Dear Edward, The Prefect,
Hello, I'm Maia... but I feel like you know that already, even if I didn't introduce myself that night. Sorry for being weird, I'm just winging it to be honest—those middle of the night kinda of thing, you know? Not that this isn't well thought, or that I don't actually mean anything that I'll say... OK, so I don't know how to be eloquent, and I feel like I'll only start digging my grave deeper at this point.
I've heard you've asked about my overall wellness, a few times. Thank you for your concern, I'm better now. Peachy, really, and you?
I ringed your doorbell last month, but Sirius said that you're spending the week at Mrs Tonks', and I didn't want to be any bother. Plus, you must have already heard that I'm a hermit now… At least that's what your dad called me last week; he said that I'm living the hermit life. He's not terribly wrong, I'm afraid, but don't tell him I said that.
I'm going to stop rambling now…: all I've been meaning to say is that I wanted to both thank you and apologize. I don't remember you very much, but I know of what you've done for me. And no words of gratitude is enough. So…
Thank you.
And most of all, I'm truly sorry for you had been the one to have found me… It must have been completely terrifying… The fighting, the blood… The whole everything.
You shouldn't feel obligated to answer this letter whatsoever, I just needed to say those things to you.
(I heard that you're having chocolate gâteau as one of the desserts this evening, so…)
Eat two mores for me,
Maia
And then, in a writing that looked like the basic Self-Writing Quill font, there were a few more scribbles.
P.S: Sorry for how crumpled the parchment is, I'm not sleazy. Sirius tried to read the letter, and I... tried to take it away from him.
P.P.S: Sorry again in advance for whatever dimness George will pull on you (—Hey! I will not—) (—Shh) Ozzy is at the Healer, poor thing hurt its talon last night, so Weasley coerced me (—Did not!) into letting him deliver this letter to you."
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"Nothing yet?"
Teddy shook his head, closing the letter and placing it next to the Muggle plastic gun on the headboard. By the amount of creases, you could see that that same parchment had already been opened and closed quite a few times since first opened.
And still no answer back.
Honestly, Ted couldn't fully understand a thing still. And that bothered him deeply, even if he liked to pretend it didn't.
Since that eventful night in May, the boy had got into his head that it had all been just a dream — a nightmare, if he were to be honest. Not even thinking or counting the macabre and bloody parts, the rest of the story seemed very fanciful; just like the fiction novels that were always displayed in front of bookshops in the wizarding streets. Travelling to the future, he chuckled through his nose, as if that was a possibility. It didn't go with the rules they had set about spacetime.
And if there was anyone who understood space-time these days, that someone was Teddy.
In a moment of piqued curiosity, the boy, who finished the last term of sixth-year before the July break, didn't think he would touch anything even remoted related to school for at least a month or so of his break.
Screw his dad's offhanded speech about how much smart it was for him to do all his readings first thing, so he'd have the rest of his holiday off; or his na's nagging. He needed some time to himself, to take some weight off the last few months of school... finally relax or something.
But then Maia Maverick happened.
She appeared on the floor of his school half-alive, half-dead and soon, pandemonium followed them everywhere. Apparently she'd done the impossible, she'd somehow travelled to the future, and now she was…here; living somewhere in this space-time, his space-time.
Which, in return, made Teddy sprint to every wizarding street he could think of, entering every bookshop he spotted in front of him, looking for answers. They didn't study time at school, other than a little comment on Professor Croaker's Law at Binns' class, but that was it; and the boy craved more.
Ted didn't know if it was just simply his curious nature, or if there was some psychological term that explained this sudden need—taking in consideration what he had seen. Perhaps Fleur could help him with that, but that was not the answer to the question he was looking for at the moment; Teddy actually wanted to know how Maia got on top of those stairs — and it's not like the Department of Mysteries was going to tell the public anything anytime soon; Harry probably knew something, or Sirius...
No, if Padfoot knew something, then his dad would it too in a few minutes — hence, him knowing it as well. So, what was left for Teddy was to get his head in the books.
Days went on with him like this; flung at any corner of grandma Dro's house, reading everything he could find about time travel, laws of space-time and half-told stories about the Department of Mysteries.
But in the end, his curiosity hadn't been as sated as he thought it'd be... Perhaps that's because he was going after answers that weren't compatible with the questions he was really asking.
Teddy had a mind full of data about the possibilities of time, but he still didn't have any answers about the girl. And that was what really piqued his interest. His dad was her teacher once, and had also lived with her for a while with Padfoot — as did Harry; her name was engraved in the Quidditch Trophy Room; she always had a space in the old family photo albums. Even his grandmother had kind words to say about the girl. But to Teddy, who had seen her face to face, she still looked like a faraway mirage; one of the agonising worthy stories from one of the novels he'd read.
A puzzling hues of blue inside an attic window, that despite always being opened, no soul ever passed by.
Who knows, what if he was properly loosing his marbles this time and his brain wasn't capable of handling that much information? Like those Unspeakables, who had to go to severe treatments after overstaying their travel time. Teddy couldn't pinpoint it, and he was getting tired of thinking about it; of listening about it; of overanalysing about it.
Maia Maverick was just someone, that by the way things were going, he wouldn't have as much contact as he thought he'd have before.
"We're going to be late, like this," Teddy huffed, getting up from the bed. "And we still have to Floo to George's."
"Why? Uncle George said we were free to 'watch those dorky muggle films by ourselves'," James Sirius rolled his eyes, ruffling his hair in front of the mirror.
"What? When? He didn't tell me that."
James Sirius tossed a brown vest towards Teddy, who caught it in mid-air.
"Yeah. He got a new sitter, so who cares? At least now we can watch all three, without having to leave early."
"Did you remember to get our changes?" Teddy asked, adjusting his belt.
"Yeah, it's with dad. He exchanged it on his way to work yesterday... Do you think I should let it go crazy or push it all back?"
Teddy looked at the frizzy mess his cousin had made of his hair, which was sticking in every direction — not that different from the usual, to be honest. "You know it's going to get covered by the onesie either way, right?"
"I'm not going to wear it all evening, it'll give me a headache."
Before Teddy could say anything, a voice came from the doorway of James Sirius' bedroom.
"Oh dear Godric, look at you two!" aunt Ginny exclaimed, and then yelled, "Harry, come upstairs and bring the camera with you!"
"Mum, stop it! Merlin, we're not kids any more."
Teddy exchanged an amused look with his aunt. His younger cousin was getting into that particular teenage phase, which everyone already knew exactly how each step would follow: James Sirius would grumble and make a whole scene, say over and over how they were so embarrassing, and then threaten that the next time they were going to get ready at Remus' house. But at the end, he would smile like a child who ate too much sugar when the flash went bright, and complain that his dad wasn't taking the photos correctly; then they would take about forty more of 'em, until the brat was satisfied—or until Teddy or Ginny lost their temper, and put an end to the whole shenanigan.
"Of course not, who do you take your mother for?" Ginny set her hands on her hips, "You're two very grown up versions of Chewmonkey and Hand Solo!"
"Oh, dear," his godfather chuckled under his breath, appearing behind her with a camera in hand. "Here we go..."
James Sirius groaned, pulling his hair up.
"Mum, you're saying it wrong! It's Chewbacca and Han Solo!"
Teddy couldn't hold back his laughter this time, tucking the toy gun into his belt holster. The movement of him lifting it off the headboard drew Harry's attention to the rest of the things on top of it, more specifically the letter and the name of the girl who had written it scribbled on the front. Teddy watched his godfather carefully study the crinkled parchment, ignoring his cousin and aunt argument.
"—I swear, next time we're going to go to Uncle Remus'—"
Harry's eyes met his a few seconds later, an odd expression plastered on them that Teddy couldn't quite read. Then, as if getting out of a trance, Harry shook his head and gave him a small smile. "C'mon, Chewmonkey and Hand Solo. You're going to be late."
Ted ran a hand through his hair distractedly. Did his godfather resent him for the letter? After all, who was Teddy to the girl among the sea of people who knew and missed her? What if he receiving it, in some bizarre way, was taking someone else's place?
"—And your hands, dad, watch out for your hands, cos the pictures always turns out shaky at the end and—"
He mentally rolled his eyes at his train of thought. What did he think this all was, some kind of competition? An auction? Who offers the most deserves to win something? Teddy was overthinking even things that weren't supposed to be overthought. She probably just meant what she said she meant: thanks. It didn't ask for an extra criminal investigation, or guilt over something he hadn't even done. And Teddy knew that Harry knew it too, but either way, he couldn't get all those confused feelings and thoughts out of his head.
"Say cheese!—Now boys, turn your backs to each other, yes, like that—Brill! Again, but now a serious one—"
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A/N: How are we feeling so far? I like softer, older Sirius, and how allowing him to actually *live* life as a free man could help him grow as a person. I like to think he'd want to have a similar relationship with Regulus as he has with Maia and Harry, if he could go back in time and all that.
I also giggle every time I read the Chewmonkey and Hand Solo part, EVERY TIME! And I've written it months ago, edited it, then edit it again, and again, and still... giggles every time.
Soooo, I don't know when the next part will be posted, I have laid out several blurbs and pieces I want the story to go, but I got a terrible writer's block at the moment.