LOVE LOST? A SIRIUS FIC
CHAPTER ONE: REMEMBERING.
Sirius Black took another sip of tea as he sat down on a big green velvety chair in front of the fireplace. With the help of his old friend, Remus Lupin, they rebuilt James and Lily Potter's old house in Godric Hollow. Sirius and Remus had been living there since Sirius had been found innocent from charges of mass murder by the Ministry of Magic. They had caught the real culprit, Peter Pettigrew, who was once one of Sirius' best friends. Peter had been given the Dementor's Kiss, and had been locked up in Azkaban. And so now that Sirius was free, he took the liberty of pulling his godson, Harry Potter, out of the Muggle home that he was forced to live in since he was a year old.
Sirius smiled as he remembered the look on Harry's face when Sirius told him that he will be coming home to live with him and Remus when school let out for the summer. Harry's eyes went as big as they could go and he had let out a very loud "Whoop!" and was jumping around and shouting.
"I'm going to live with Sirius! I'm going to live with Sirius!"
He was acting like a little boy who was just given a new toy, rather than a young man of almost 16. Harry's best friends, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and his brothers and sister, Fred, George, and Ginny, were all happy for him. Sirius had invited all of them for the summer. And, neither he nor Harry could wait, even though summer was only two months away. Harry had just sent him an owl stating his excitement, and also asking for Sirius' advice. It seemed Harry had fallen for little Ginny Weasley.
Sirius had chuckled at Harry's letter. Harry wanted to know how he could tell Ron about his feelings for his sister without him getting beaten to a pulp. Sirius knew that that would never happen. He knew that Ron approved of Harry for his sister. He can't wait for the summer. Having everyone there would be very blissful.
Then Sirius' face became serious. He remembers falling in love at sixteen. In fact, he still is. To the same girl for almost twenty years. He felt the tears fill up his eyes. He got up and went to his room. He sat on his bed and just stared out the window into the starry night sky. Then, he turned to looked at his bedside table. Sighing, he leaned over and pulled the drawer open. He took out an old photo album. It was burgundy in color with the Hogwarts crest on the front, with his name embossed in gold lettering. He opened it up and smiled. The first picture was of him and his three best friends, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The picture was taken in their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And as always in the wizarding world, the images in the picture were moving. The Maurauders, as the name that they've given their little group, were all laughing and smiling with each other.
"Those were the good old days!" Sirius sighed. He flipped through the album and stopped around the middle. He felt tears filling up again.
"Edi," he whispered. The girl in the picture had long black hair with red tips that was being blown gently by the wind. She was smiling broadly at Sirius, blowing him kisses every so often. She had a tan complexion and dark brown eyes that were sparkling with happiness. Sirius caressed her face gently before putting the picture close to his face and planting a soft gentle kiss on it.
"I miss you!" he said, choking back tears. He layed down on the bed still looking at the picture. He then hugged it close to his chest and closed his eyes.
"I want you back, Edi! I love you so much!" he said. He opened his eyes and looked out the window again as he recalled the memories of his time and love for the girl in the picture. The only girl he ever loved. And still does.
~~~@@@~~~
It was the week before the start of term. Sirius had gone to Diagon Alley to meet his friends, James, Remus, and Peter, at the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop. They were all in the shop admiring the new Comet 200 broomstick, when they heard someone behind them.
"Excuse me! There are other people around here that would like to look at that!"
They all turned around to see who it was. It was a girl about their age with a round face, and slightly slanted eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a strand of hair loose on her face. She had her arms crossed on her chest, leaning on one leg, with the other crossed over it. She also had the look of annoyance on her face. The four boys all looked at each other and smiled.
"And you are?" James asked with a coy smile.
"Someone who had been waiting to see that broomstick!" the girl answered stiffly, not smiling back.
"Oooohhh!" the boys all said and started laughing.
"Real smooth there, James!" Sirius teased, as he looked at her again. He smiled at her, but she didn't return it. She stood her ground, getting more annoyed.
"We're sorry, miss," Remus said politely, bowing slightly. He moved aside, giving Sirius a push. "Go ahead!"
"About time!" the girl said uncrossing her arms and legs, walking through the four boys.
"Wow! She smells good!" Sirius said to himself, as she walked past him. He sized her up as he watched her admire the Comet. She ran her hand over the handle with such finesse that Sirius felt his heart thumping madly in his chest.
"So uh, you play Quidditch then?" he asked her. She turned around to look at him and actually smiled. Sirius felt his knees go weak. She had a great smile, and her face looked different now that she didn't look mad at them anymore. Apparently, Quidditch was a topic of interest for her.
"Actually, yes I do," she answered him, looking him straight in the eyes, still smiling. "I was captain and a chaser for my team back home."
"Captain?" James exclaimed. "Wow, you must be really good then!" The girl looked from Sirius to James, still with a smile.
"Thanks!" she beamed at him. "I do just fine I guess."
"Uh, you said 'back home'?" Peter quipped. "Where are you from?" The girl turned to look at him this time. Peter blushed as she smiled sweetly at him.
"I'm from the Philippines," she answered him. "I came from the 'Sisters of the Light Wicca School'."
"Hey! I've read about that school!" Remus exclaimed. "It's mostly an all girls' school, but they let boys in only if they pass a certain test, isn't that right, uh, er.what is your name?"
"Oh! I'm sorry! My name is Edi Lenizo" the girl answered, extending her hand to Remus. "And you are?"
"I'm Remus Lupin," he told her, shaking her hand. "And these are my best friends, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black.
"Nice to meet you, Edi," James said, shaking her hand.
"Welcome to England," Peter said shyly, extending his hand to her. She smiled at him again as she shook his hand, which made him blush.
"Er, hi!" was all Sirius said, extending his hand. Edi smiled at him as she took his hand in hers. As soon as their hands touched, something happened. Something that only Edi and Sirius noticed and felt. They both looked at each other puzzled, but didn't let go.
"Whoa!" Sirius muttered, still looking at Edi.
"No way!" Edi whispered, looking back at Sirius.
"What's up guys?" Remus asked puzzled. He, James, and Peter were looking at them with weird expressions.
"I think someone has a crush!" James whispered louder than he should have. Sirius let Edi's hand go, blushing as he glared at James. He looked at Edi. She was blushing too.
"Um, nice to meet you guys," she said. "Er, sorry about earlier."
"Don't worry about it," Remus said. "I guess we were kinda blocking everyone from looking at it." Edi laughed.
"Well, I have to go now," she told them. "I still have to find the book and the robes shops."
"Uh, I could show you where they are if you want," Sirius offered, not directly looking at her. "I have to go there anyway," he added quickly, blushing profusely.
James, Remus and Peter all looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Sirius had never been like this with any girl. He was always confident and flirtatious. But somehow, he's different with this girl.
"Thanks Sirius," Edi said smiling. "I'd really appreciate that!" Sirius blushed again.
"Um, well, er.James," Remus, realizing the moment. "We have to meet Lily and Christine, remember?" Sirius threw a grateful glance.
"Oh yeah!" James said, catching on. "We have to go. How about you joining us for lunch later, Edi?" He winked at Sirius. "We could meet at the Leaky Cauldron later."
"Oh,er.sure!" Edi said, turning to Sirius. "But I don't want to impose."
"No, not at all!" Sirius said hastily. He blushed again. His friends were trying hard not to laugh. "I mean, you could meet Lily and Christine and some other friends of ours as well."
"Okay then," Edi said. "Well, we'd better go. We only have an hour before lunch and I still have to go to the Apothecary."
"I can do the rest of my shopping at the same time," Sirius told her.
"Great!" Edi said smiling. Then she turned to the other three. "We'll see you three later, then."
"Okay, bye!" James, Remus, and Peter said at the same time. Sirius just nodded at them, then he and Edi headed out of the shop into the busy street of Diagon Alley.
"Is it me or is Sirius smitten with that girl?" James asked his friends, when Sirius and Edi walked out of the shop.
"I don't know James," Peter answered, putting his hands in his pockets. "I've never seen him act like this with any other girl though."
"You're right Peter," Remus agreed. "He's NEVER acted like that before!"
"Well, come on guys," James said. "Lily said to meet them at Eeylops." With that, the three exited the Quidditch shop and headed for the owl shop.
Sirius held the door open for Edi at Flourish and Blotts Bookshop.
"Thanks!" she said, looking at him and smiling, as she entered the shop before him. Sirius nodded and smiled back as he entered after her.
"What in blazes is wrong with me?" he asked himself. He shook the thought out of his head as he stood next to her by the staircase in the bookshop.
"So what year are you going to be in?" he asked her as he pulled his supplies list out of his robes pocket.
"Oh, sixth," she answered, looking up from her list. "How about you and your friends?"
"The same as you," Sirius answered, smiling broadly. "I hope you get sorted into Gryffindor House." Edi looked at him puzzled.
"Sorted? House?" she asked him, totally confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well all first years and transfers get sorted on the first day," Sirius said. "There are four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Which ever house you get sorted in is where you'll be staying and you'll be having classes with the other students who are in the same year as you. You help win points for your house. And at the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the House cup."
"Oh okay," Edi said, understanding. "It's like back home. Although we don't call them houses. We call them 'covens'. I was in the North Star Coven. It's were the most accomplished witches get put in."
Sirius smiled. He wondered just how much accomplished she was. He was about to ask her when he heard a voice from behind.
"Another plaything, Black?" drawled the sinister voice of Lucius Malfoy. Sirius glared at him and clenched his fists at his side, trying to control the urge of pounding Lucius' face. Edi turned to see who it was.
"Excuse me?" she said through gritted teeth. "I-AM-NOT-ANYONE'S- PLAYTHING." Lucius' mouth dropped down. He's never seen this girl before. He's never been TALKED to like THAT before, by a girl no less.
"And you are?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked at her intently, drinking in her looks. "Not bad looking at all," he thought to himself.
"I'm someone who don't like to waste my time with snobby, slimy punks like you," she told him. Then she turned to Sirius. "Something stinks in here! Let's get some fresh air."
Sirius just stared at her dumbfounded, but he followed her out of the shop. He turned to look at Lucius. He had a stricken look on his face that Sirius burst out laughing. When they got in the street Sirius reached for Edi's arm to stop her.
"Hey, that was great!" he told her, still laughing. But Edi wasn't. When Sirius saw that, he immediately stopped. Edi was eying him angrily.
"Er.what?" he asked nervously.
"What did he mean by that, Sirius?" she asked. Sirius shifted his feet uncomfortably. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and turned to look across the street.
"Well, I guess, it's because I date a lot of girls," he said. "But just for fun. Nothing ever happened." He turned to look at her again. Her face had softened up a bit, but Sirius could tell that she was still angry.
"Look, I'm sorry that happened," he apologized. "If I could change it I would."
"It's not your fault, Sirius," Edi told him, sighing. "I just hate it when people just insinuate on things. Especially when they think they know everything."
Sirius was glad that Edi wasn't mad at him. But, he was telling her the truth. He does go out with a lot of girls, but never gone too far with anyone.
"Why am I bothered about this?" he asked himself. "Why do I have to make sure that she knows the truth about what that git Lucius said?"
"Hey, let's go to the Apothecary," Edi said, breaking his thoughts. "We could come back here after lunch." She was smiling at him. He smiled back, happy that she's still talking to him.
They headed back to meet everyone at the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius and Edi saw James, Remus and Peter with a bunch of others at a table towards the back. James saw them and called them over.
"Yo Sirius! Over here!"
Sirius and Edi walked over to the group. Edi was getting nervous about meeting his friends, that her knees felt like they were going to buckle at any moment. She looked at Sirius and gave him a nervous smile.
"They'll love you!" he told her, giving her an encouraging smile. She nodded her head and looked at everyone when they reached the table.
"Hi Edi!" James greeted. "Did you get all your stuff?"
"Er." she didn't know what too say.
"Well, we kinda ran into Malfoy," Sirius said, his face twisting into a look of disgust.
"Oh no! What happened?" a girl with red hair and emerald green eyes asked. She was sitting next to James. There were two other girls there with her. One with long brown hair that was down her back and the other, with black hair that reached her shoulders. Remus and Peter were both looking at Edi and Sirius anxiously.
"Well, you know how he likes to start trouble with me," Sirius said with a shrug. "Well, Edi put him in place!"
"What?" the girl with brown hair asked, looking at Edi. "How did you do that?"
Edi didn't know what to say. She doesn't know these people and she doesn't want to think of her of some kind of mean person.
"I just kinda told him off, that's all," she said nervously, throwing a glance at Sirius.
"Really?" the red head said, eyebrows raised. "Do tell!"
Sirius told them what had happened, and when he was done, everyone burst out laughing.
"Oh my gosh!" the red head exclaimed. "No one's ever told Malfoy off like that!"
"Yeah! He always has the last word!" the brunette said.
"Edi these are Lily Evans, Christine Ingoldsby, and Maria Robledo," Sirius introduced, pointing to each girl respectively.
"Hi!" the three girls said to her. They were all smiling, still not believing what they had just heard.
"I wish I could have seen Malfoy's face when you called him a punk!" James snorted. "That would have been priceless!"
Edi was blushing from all this. But she was happy nonetheless. She was glad to have met all of them before school started. They all sat at the table just talking about their summers and asking Edi questions about her old school.
"So Edi. How do you like England so far?" Lily asked.
"Oh it's wonderful!" Edi gushed. "I've always wanted to come here!"
"Really?" Christine asked. "Why?"
"Well, I've always seen pictures of this country and loved it," Edi said. "This country has a great history, and I just love the beautiful scenery. I never thought that I'd be able to at least visit this place."
"So how did you end up coming here?" Maria asked.
"Oh, well, um." Edi stopped. She didn't know how to tell them. She doesn't want to tell them the truth. "I have to come up with something!" she thought to herself.
"Oh well, there was a contest at my old school. The price was a chance to go to Hogwarts for a year and study there if you won."
"Wow! What kind of contest?" Remus asked anxiously. "And obviously you won." Edi laughed, although she was nervous.
"Oh we just had to write an essay about England," she lied. "And well, since I've been reading on this for the longest time, the essay was a piece of cake!"
That seemed to have satisfied them, for they all congratulated her for winning.
"Well, I hope you get sorted into Gryffindor with us!" Lily said. Edi liked her and the others. She hoped that she will be too.
"Well, did everyone finish getting everything they needed?" James asked the group. He gave Sirius a knowing glance.
"Well, we didn't get to buy our books because of Malfoy," Sirius said, feeling his temper flaring up again.
"Oh so are you going to do that now then?" Remus asked. He looked at Christine and smiled.
"Remus, are you still going to go with me to the Apothecary?" Christine asked smiling. Edi could tell that she liked him, and him her. She smiled silently inside.
"Yes, of course!" Remus told Christine. "You want to go now?"
Everyone took that as their cue to get up.
"Nice to have met you Edi," Lily said. Edi gave her a grateful smile. She liked all her new friends, but she felt guilty about lying to them.
"Thanks!" she said. "I'm glad to have met all of you too."
"Well, Pete and I are going to the ice cream shop with James and Lily," Maria said. "You want to come along Edi?"
Sirius looked at Edi. He was hoping that she'd decline so that they could go back to the bookstore together. He still needs to finish his shopping, but he'd like to do it with her.
"What the heck?" he asked himself. "Why do I want to be with her so much? I just met her?"
When he looked at Edi again, he saw that she was staring at him. Then she turned to everyone else.
"Well, I'd really like to finish my shopping first," she told Maria. "But maybe we could do it again sometime?"
"Oh okay. Sure!" Maria said, smiling.
"Er, Sirius?" Edi said, turning to look up at him. "Could you still show me where the robes shop is located at?"
Sirius was shocked at this. But he was happy just the same.
"Yeah sure," he told her smiling. "I need to get a new set of robes anyway."
"What's wrong with your ol-" Peter started to say, but Remus nudged on the ribs with his elbow. "Oh er, okay then. We'll see you later."
Sirius rolled his eyes at him. He threw Remus a grateful look, which Remus returned with a wink.
"Well, if I don't see you again soon, I'll see you at Hogwarts, Edi," Lily said.
"Okay. Thanks for the lunch everyone!" Edi said happily. Everyone headed towards the door and went their separate ways, bidding each other goodbye.
Sirius and Edi walked silently towards the bookshop again.
"Er, Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks!" Edi gave him a thankful smile, which he returned. Sirius don't know why he wanted to be with her, but at the moment, he couldn't think of being anywhere or with anybody else.
Sirius and Edi spent the whole day together. They finished their shopping and met James, Lily, Remus, Christine, Peter, and Maria at the ice cream shop. Sirius was completely confused why he wanted to be with Edi. Sure he'd dated a lot of girls, but all just for fun. Nothing ever came out of those. But he was looking forward to be with her again.
"Why am I being like this?" he asked himself. "And what was that that I felt earlier with her? I know she felt it too!" He looked at her. He was watching her getting along with Lily, Christine, and Maria. She was laughing and talking with them like she'd known them for a long time. There's something about her that really captivated him. But he's not sure what.
"Hey Sirius?" James called. Sirius looked at him.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay, buddy?" James asked, brows creasing. Sirius could tell that James knew something was bothering him.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he said to him. Then he felt everyone looking at him. "What?" He was getting annoyed.
"Er.nothing," James said, shaking his head. Edi got up and gathered all her belongings. Sirius got up with her.
"Well, I had fun everybody," she said smiling. "But I'm really tired, so I'm going to go. I'll see all at school." As she started to leave, Sirius stopped her.
"Wait!" he said, suddenly blushing. "Er.would you like me to help you with those?" He could feel everyone staring at him again, making him blush more.
"Thanks Sirius!" Edi said, smiling broadly. "There are a lot of stuff here." Sirius smiled back at her as he grabbed for some of her things.
"No problem," he told her. "Where are you going anyway?"
"Oh not far," she said. "I'm staying upstairs in the Leaky Cauldron. I got a room there."
"You do?" he asked surprised. He thought she was going home to a house.
"Well, I'm here by myself, so I'm staying over there until school starts."
"Oh you're family's not with you?" Lily asked. Edi's face paled. "Er.no," she said, her voice quivering. "They didn't want to move." She didn't look at anyone when she said this. Sirius could tell that she wasn't telling the truth, but he just shrugged it off.
"Well, let's go," he said. Edi gave him a grateful smile. She bid everyone goodbye and lead the way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius mind was reeling with questions. But, he didn't say anything. He didn't want to make Edi tell him anything and scare her off. They walked in silence until they reached the pub.
"My room is upstairs. I can take all this by myself," she said to him, not looking at him.
"I'll help you," Sirius said. "Lead the way." Edi just nodded at him and started climbing the stairs. Behind her, Sirius was confused with her behavior. They stopped at the third door from the stairs. Edi opened it up and entered, followed by Sirius. She put her things on the bed. Sirius did the same.
"Thank you, Sirius," she said smiling. "For everything."
"You're welcome," he said, hesitating. "Um, what are you doing tomorrow?"
Edi looked at him confused.
"Well, since I'm done with everything that I needed, I guess nothing," she answered.
"Oh, er." Sirius started. "Um, would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?"
Edi smiled at him. Sirius looked at her hopefully as he put his hands in his pocket.
"Sure!" she finally said. Sirius' face lit up.
"Really?" he asked surprised. Edi laughed softly. "I mean, great!"
Sirius and Edi just stood there looking at each other silently, not wanting to move.
"Er, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Sirius said, finally breaking the silence. He really didn't want to go but he didn't want her to think anything by staying longer. Edi just merely nodded her head.
She walked him to the door, which was left open. Sirius stepped into the hallway and then turned to her.
"It was really nice meeting you Edi," he said. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
"Me too," she said, smiling. "And thanks again for all your help today."
"My pleasure," he said. Before he realized what he was doing, he reached for her hand and kissed it. "Until tomorrow?"
Edi, shocked at the gesture, just nodded. Sirius let go of her hand and turned to leave. When he reached the stairs, he looked back to see if she was still there. She was. He smiled and waved at her, which she returned. Then he climbed down the stairs slowly. Before he reached the landing, he heard her door shut closed. He stopped and leaned against the wall and sighed.
"What is wrong with you Black?" he muttered to himself. He smiled suddenly when he recalled the scene of him kissing her hand. She didn't get mad.
"And she smiled and waved at you!" he chuckled to himself. "And, you're having lunch with her tomorrow!" With that thought, he jumped the last few steps to the landing. He walked out of the pub smiling broadly and whistling with happiness.
Sirius went back to the ice cream shop to meet his friends again. He had a huge grin on his face and such twinkles in his eyes, that no one could help but notice. He seemed to be oblivious to the stares that his friends where giving him, for he just sat on the chair, scooted his bottom towards the edge, swung his hands over and leaned his head on them, and his legs where stretched outward with his feet crossed, without saying a word to anybody. He stayed in that position just looking up at the clear sky, watching the birds fly, with a very happy smile on his face. He didn't even noticed his friends looked at each other with their eyebrows raised, and smirking at him. He was in his own little world and the only thing in his mind right now was Edi.
"Hey Black!" someone shouted. Sirius was brought out of his reverie by the sound of his name. He turned to see James waving a hand on his face to get his attention. He pushed it away and straightened up on the chair. He looked at the rest of the group and found them all staring at him, smiling.
"Er, whatcha all lookin' at?" he asked, feeling himself getting hot. He realized why his friends were acting that way to him. But he wasn't about to let them dog him into telling them anything. Like there was much to tell to begin with.
James, Remus and Peter all looked at each other puzzled. They had never seen their friend act like this before. Sure he'd been with a lot of girls. But, he's never came out looking like he's in love, like he was at the moment.
"Uh, Sirius? You okay?" Remus asked. "You look like."
"Like what?" Sirius snapped, getting annoyed.
"Like you're in loooove!" James finished for Remus in a singsong voice that made everyone laugh. Sirius glared at him, and leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms on his chest and scowling. Lily, Christine, and Maria were all trying to hide their giggles, while the boys laughed openly.
"I am NOT in love, James Potter!" he said thru gritted teeth, which just made his friends laugh harder. Sirius was getting really annoyed with being the butt of the joke.
"She's just a girl, Potter," he said loudly to be heard over the laughter. "Not a potential marriage partner!" He felt a sudden jolt in his chest when he said that. He was startled by it for he sat up on his chair. But as soon as he had felt it, it was gone. He was puzzled but he just decided to ignore it.
"So when's the next date?" Peter asked trying to keep a straight face. So were James and Remus. The girls had decided to stay out of the confrontation and just leaned back to watch.
"As if I need to clear my schedule with you three!" Sirius snorted. "But if you must know, we are having lunch tomorrow."
"Oh really?" James said raising his eyebrows, as Remus and Peter bursted into a fit of laughter again.
"Okay, stop it!" Sirius said, angrily banging his fist on the table, making everyone jump and stare at him in silenced shock.
"I don't know why you three insist on making anything out of this but KNOCK IT OFF! SHE'S NOT LIKE ANY OTHER GIRL!" And we that, he stormed off and left his friends gaping after him.
Sirius entered the Leaky Cauldron again in a huff. He stopped when he saw the staircase. He felt his anger ebb away slowly as he thought of Edi once again. His face broke into a smile and started to walk to the stairs. He caught himself and abruptly turned towards the fireplace across the pub. "Black, get a hold of yourself!" he scolded himself. "You'll see her tomorrow!" He had a smile on his face as he reached for the pot of floo powder perched on the holder by the fireplace.
"Oh man!" he groaned. He had left all his stuff back at the ice cream shop with James and the others. He didn't want to go back there looking foolish. "I'm sure one of them will bring them to my house."
With that, he grabbed a handful of powder ands stepped into the fireplace. With one last look up towards the staircase, he threw the powder to the floor and called "The Blacks!" With a loud boom and a flash of green light, he had gone.
CHAPTER ONE: REMEMBERING.
Sirius Black took another sip of tea as he sat down on a big green velvety chair in front of the fireplace. With the help of his old friend, Remus Lupin, they rebuilt James and Lily Potter's old house in Godric Hollow. Sirius and Remus had been living there since Sirius had been found innocent from charges of mass murder by the Ministry of Magic. They had caught the real culprit, Peter Pettigrew, who was once one of Sirius' best friends. Peter had been given the Dementor's Kiss, and had been locked up in Azkaban. And so now that Sirius was free, he took the liberty of pulling his godson, Harry Potter, out of the Muggle home that he was forced to live in since he was a year old.
Sirius smiled as he remembered the look on Harry's face when Sirius told him that he will be coming home to live with him and Remus when school let out for the summer. Harry's eyes went as big as they could go and he had let out a very loud "Whoop!" and was jumping around and shouting.
"I'm going to live with Sirius! I'm going to live with Sirius!"
He was acting like a little boy who was just given a new toy, rather than a young man of almost 16. Harry's best friends, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and his brothers and sister, Fred, George, and Ginny, were all happy for him. Sirius had invited all of them for the summer. And, neither he nor Harry could wait, even though summer was only two months away. Harry had just sent him an owl stating his excitement, and also asking for Sirius' advice. It seemed Harry had fallen for little Ginny Weasley.
Sirius had chuckled at Harry's letter. Harry wanted to know how he could tell Ron about his feelings for his sister without him getting beaten to a pulp. Sirius knew that that would never happen. He knew that Ron approved of Harry for his sister. He can't wait for the summer. Having everyone there would be very blissful.
Then Sirius' face became serious. He remembers falling in love at sixteen. In fact, he still is. To the same girl for almost twenty years. He felt the tears fill up his eyes. He got up and went to his room. He sat on his bed and just stared out the window into the starry night sky. Then, he turned to looked at his bedside table. Sighing, he leaned over and pulled the drawer open. He took out an old photo album. It was burgundy in color with the Hogwarts crest on the front, with his name embossed in gold lettering. He opened it up and smiled. The first picture was of him and his three best friends, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The picture was taken in their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And as always in the wizarding world, the images in the picture were moving. The Maurauders, as the name that they've given their little group, were all laughing and smiling with each other.
"Those were the good old days!" Sirius sighed. He flipped through the album and stopped around the middle. He felt tears filling up again.
"Edi," he whispered. The girl in the picture had long black hair with red tips that was being blown gently by the wind. She was smiling broadly at Sirius, blowing him kisses every so often. She had a tan complexion and dark brown eyes that were sparkling with happiness. Sirius caressed her face gently before putting the picture close to his face and planting a soft gentle kiss on it.
"I miss you!" he said, choking back tears. He layed down on the bed still looking at the picture. He then hugged it close to his chest and closed his eyes.
"I want you back, Edi! I love you so much!" he said. He opened his eyes and looked out the window again as he recalled the memories of his time and love for the girl in the picture. The only girl he ever loved. And still does.
~~~@@@~~~
It was the week before the start of term. Sirius had gone to Diagon Alley to meet his friends, James, Remus, and Peter, at the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop. They were all in the shop admiring the new Comet 200 broomstick, when they heard someone behind them.
"Excuse me! There are other people around here that would like to look at that!"
They all turned around to see who it was. It was a girl about their age with a round face, and slightly slanted eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a strand of hair loose on her face. She had her arms crossed on her chest, leaning on one leg, with the other crossed over it. She also had the look of annoyance on her face. The four boys all looked at each other and smiled.
"And you are?" James asked with a coy smile.
"Someone who had been waiting to see that broomstick!" the girl answered stiffly, not smiling back.
"Oooohhh!" the boys all said and started laughing.
"Real smooth there, James!" Sirius teased, as he looked at her again. He smiled at her, but she didn't return it. She stood her ground, getting more annoyed.
"We're sorry, miss," Remus said politely, bowing slightly. He moved aside, giving Sirius a push. "Go ahead!"
"About time!" the girl said uncrossing her arms and legs, walking through the four boys.
"Wow! She smells good!" Sirius said to himself, as she walked past him. He sized her up as he watched her admire the Comet. She ran her hand over the handle with such finesse that Sirius felt his heart thumping madly in his chest.
"So uh, you play Quidditch then?" he asked her. She turned around to look at him and actually smiled. Sirius felt his knees go weak. She had a great smile, and her face looked different now that she didn't look mad at them anymore. Apparently, Quidditch was a topic of interest for her.
"Actually, yes I do," she answered him, looking him straight in the eyes, still smiling. "I was captain and a chaser for my team back home."
"Captain?" James exclaimed. "Wow, you must be really good then!" The girl looked from Sirius to James, still with a smile.
"Thanks!" she beamed at him. "I do just fine I guess."
"Uh, you said 'back home'?" Peter quipped. "Where are you from?" The girl turned to look at him this time. Peter blushed as she smiled sweetly at him.
"I'm from the Philippines," she answered him. "I came from the 'Sisters of the Light Wicca School'."
"Hey! I've read about that school!" Remus exclaimed. "It's mostly an all girls' school, but they let boys in only if they pass a certain test, isn't that right, uh, er.what is your name?"
"Oh! I'm sorry! My name is Edi Lenizo" the girl answered, extending her hand to Remus. "And you are?"
"I'm Remus Lupin," he told her, shaking her hand. "And these are my best friends, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black.
"Nice to meet you, Edi," James said, shaking her hand.
"Welcome to England," Peter said shyly, extending his hand to her. She smiled at him again as she shook his hand, which made him blush.
"Er, hi!" was all Sirius said, extending his hand. Edi smiled at him as she took his hand in hers. As soon as their hands touched, something happened. Something that only Edi and Sirius noticed and felt. They both looked at each other puzzled, but didn't let go.
"Whoa!" Sirius muttered, still looking at Edi.
"No way!" Edi whispered, looking back at Sirius.
"What's up guys?" Remus asked puzzled. He, James, and Peter were looking at them with weird expressions.
"I think someone has a crush!" James whispered louder than he should have. Sirius let Edi's hand go, blushing as he glared at James. He looked at Edi. She was blushing too.
"Um, nice to meet you guys," she said. "Er, sorry about earlier."
"Don't worry about it," Remus said. "I guess we were kinda blocking everyone from looking at it." Edi laughed.
"Well, I have to go now," she told them. "I still have to find the book and the robes shops."
"Uh, I could show you where they are if you want," Sirius offered, not directly looking at her. "I have to go there anyway," he added quickly, blushing profusely.
James, Remus and Peter all looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Sirius had never been like this with any girl. He was always confident and flirtatious. But somehow, he's different with this girl.
"Thanks Sirius," Edi said smiling. "I'd really appreciate that!" Sirius blushed again.
"Um, well, er.James," Remus, realizing the moment. "We have to meet Lily and Christine, remember?" Sirius threw a grateful glance.
"Oh yeah!" James said, catching on. "We have to go. How about you joining us for lunch later, Edi?" He winked at Sirius. "We could meet at the Leaky Cauldron later."
"Oh,er.sure!" Edi said, turning to Sirius. "But I don't want to impose."
"No, not at all!" Sirius said hastily. He blushed again. His friends were trying hard not to laugh. "I mean, you could meet Lily and Christine and some other friends of ours as well."
"Okay then," Edi said. "Well, we'd better go. We only have an hour before lunch and I still have to go to the Apothecary."
"I can do the rest of my shopping at the same time," Sirius told her.
"Great!" Edi said smiling. Then she turned to the other three. "We'll see you three later, then."
"Okay, bye!" James, Remus, and Peter said at the same time. Sirius just nodded at them, then he and Edi headed out of the shop into the busy street of Diagon Alley.
"Is it me or is Sirius smitten with that girl?" James asked his friends, when Sirius and Edi walked out of the shop.
"I don't know James," Peter answered, putting his hands in his pockets. "I've never seen him act like this with any other girl though."
"You're right Peter," Remus agreed. "He's NEVER acted like that before!"
"Well, come on guys," James said. "Lily said to meet them at Eeylops." With that, the three exited the Quidditch shop and headed for the owl shop.
Sirius held the door open for Edi at Flourish and Blotts Bookshop.
"Thanks!" she said, looking at him and smiling, as she entered the shop before him. Sirius nodded and smiled back as he entered after her.
"What in blazes is wrong with me?" he asked himself. He shook the thought out of his head as he stood next to her by the staircase in the bookshop.
"So what year are you going to be in?" he asked her as he pulled his supplies list out of his robes pocket.
"Oh, sixth," she answered, looking up from her list. "How about you and your friends?"
"The same as you," Sirius answered, smiling broadly. "I hope you get sorted into Gryffindor House." Edi looked at him puzzled.
"Sorted? House?" she asked him, totally confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well all first years and transfers get sorted on the first day," Sirius said. "There are four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Which ever house you get sorted in is where you'll be staying and you'll be having classes with the other students who are in the same year as you. You help win points for your house. And at the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the House cup."
"Oh okay," Edi said, understanding. "It's like back home. Although we don't call them houses. We call them 'covens'. I was in the North Star Coven. It's were the most accomplished witches get put in."
Sirius smiled. He wondered just how much accomplished she was. He was about to ask her when he heard a voice from behind.
"Another plaything, Black?" drawled the sinister voice of Lucius Malfoy. Sirius glared at him and clenched his fists at his side, trying to control the urge of pounding Lucius' face. Edi turned to see who it was.
"Excuse me?" she said through gritted teeth. "I-AM-NOT-ANYONE'S- PLAYTHING." Lucius' mouth dropped down. He's never seen this girl before. He's never been TALKED to like THAT before, by a girl no less.
"And you are?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked at her intently, drinking in her looks. "Not bad looking at all," he thought to himself.
"I'm someone who don't like to waste my time with snobby, slimy punks like you," she told him. Then she turned to Sirius. "Something stinks in here! Let's get some fresh air."
Sirius just stared at her dumbfounded, but he followed her out of the shop. He turned to look at Lucius. He had a stricken look on his face that Sirius burst out laughing. When they got in the street Sirius reached for Edi's arm to stop her.
"Hey, that was great!" he told her, still laughing. But Edi wasn't. When Sirius saw that, he immediately stopped. Edi was eying him angrily.
"Er.what?" he asked nervously.
"What did he mean by that, Sirius?" she asked. Sirius shifted his feet uncomfortably. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and turned to look across the street.
"Well, I guess, it's because I date a lot of girls," he said. "But just for fun. Nothing ever happened." He turned to look at her again. Her face had softened up a bit, but Sirius could tell that she was still angry.
"Look, I'm sorry that happened," he apologized. "If I could change it I would."
"It's not your fault, Sirius," Edi told him, sighing. "I just hate it when people just insinuate on things. Especially when they think they know everything."
Sirius was glad that Edi wasn't mad at him. But, he was telling her the truth. He does go out with a lot of girls, but never gone too far with anyone.
"Why am I bothered about this?" he asked himself. "Why do I have to make sure that she knows the truth about what that git Lucius said?"
"Hey, let's go to the Apothecary," Edi said, breaking his thoughts. "We could come back here after lunch." She was smiling at him. He smiled back, happy that she's still talking to him.
They headed back to meet everyone at the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius and Edi saw James, Remus and Peter with a bunch of others at a table towards the back. James saw them and called them over.
"Yo Sirius! Over here!"
Sirius and Edi walked over to the group. Edi was getting nervous about meeting his friends, that her knees felt like they were going to buckle at any moment. She looked at Sirius and gave him a nervous smile.
"They'll love you!" he told her, giving her an encouraging smile. She nodded her head and looked at everyone when they reached the table.
"Hi Edi!" James greeted. "Did you get all your stuff?"
"Er." she didn't know what too say.
"Well, we kinda ran into Malfoy," Sirius said, his face twisting into a look of disgust.
"Oh no! What happened?" a girl with red hair and emerald green eyes asked. She was sitting next to James. There were two other girls there with her. One with long brown hair that was down her back and the other, with black hair that reached her shoulders. Remus and Peter were both looking at Edi and Sirius anxiously.
"Well, you know how he likes to start trouble with me," Sirius said with a shrug. "Well, Edi put him in place!"
"What?" the girl with brown hair asked, looking at Edi. "How did you do that?"
Edi didn't know what to say. She doesn't know these people and she doesn't want to think of her of some kind of mean person.
"I just kinda told him off, that's all," she said nervously, throwing a glance at Sirius.
"Really?" the red head said, eyebrows raised. "Do tell!"
Sirius told them what had happened, and when he was done, everyone burst out laughing.
"Oh my gosh!" the red head exclaimed. "No one's ever told Malfoy off like that!"
"Yeah! He always has the last word!" the brunette said.
"Edi these are Lily Evans, Christine Ingoldsby, and Maria Robledo," Sirius introduced, pointing to each girl respectively.
"Hi!" the three girls said to her. They were all smiling, still not believing what they had just heard.
"I wish I could have seen Malfoy's face when you called him a punk!" James snorted. "That would have been priceless!"
Edi was blushing from all this. But she was happy nonetheless. She was glad to have met all of them before school started. They all sat at the table just talking about their summers and asking Edi questions about her old school.
"So Edi. How do you like England so far?" Lily asked.
"Oh it's wonderful!" Edi gushed. "I've always wanted to come here!"
"Really?" Christine asked. "Why?"
"Well, I've always seen pictures of this country and loved it," Edi said. "This country has a great history, and I just love the beautiful scenery. I never thought that I'd be able to at least visit this place."
"So how did you end up coming here?" Maria asked.
"Oh, well, um." Edi stopped. She didn't know how to tell them. She doesn't want to tell them the truth. "I have to come up with something!" she thought to herself.
"Oh well, there was a contest at my old school. The price was a chance to go to Hogwarts for a year and study there if you won."
"Wow! What kind of contest?" Remus asked anxiously. "And obviously you won." Edi laughed, although she was nervous.
"Oh we just had to write an essay about England," she lied. "And well, since I've been reading on this for the longest time, the essay was a piece of cake!"
That seemed to have satisfied them, for they all congratulated her for winning.
"Well, I hope you get sorted into Gryffindor with us!" Lily said. Edi liked her and the others. She hoped that she will be too.
"Well, did everyone finish getting everything they needed?" James asked the group. He gave Sirius a knowing glance.
"Well, we didn't get to buy our books because of Malfoy," Sirius said, feeling his temper flaring up again.
"Oh so are you going to do that now then?" Remus asked. He looked at Christine and smiled.
"Remus, are you still going to go with me to the Apothecary?" Christine asked smiling. Edi could tell that she liked him, and him her. She smiled silently inside.
"Yes, of course!" Remus told Christine. "You want to go now?"
Everyone took that as their cue to get up.
"Nice to have met you Edi," Lily said. Edi gave her a grateful smile. She liked all her new friends, but she felt guilty about lying to them.
"Thanks!" she said. "I'm glad to have met all of you too."
"Well, Pete and I are going to the ice cream shop with James and Lily," Maria said. "You want to come along Edi?"
Sirius looked at Edi. He was hoping that she'd decline so that they could go back to the bookstore together. He still needs to finish his shopping, but he'd like to do it with her.
"What the heck?" he asked himself. "Why do I want to be with her so much? I just met her?"
When he looked at Edi again, he saw that she was staring at him. Then she turned to everyone else.
"Well, I'd really like to finish my shopping first," she told Maria. "But maybe we could do it again sometime?"
"Oh okay. Sure!" Maria said, smiling.
"Er, Sirius?" Edi said, turning to look up at him. "Could you still show me where the robes shop is located at?"
Sirius was shocked at this. But he was happy just the same.
"Yeah sure," he told her smiling. "I need to get a new set of robes anyway."
"What's wrong with your ol-" Peter started to say, but Remus nudged on the ribs with his elbow. "Oh er, okay then. We'll see you later."
Sirius rolled his eyes at him. He threw Remus a grateful look, which Remus returned with a wink.
"Well, if I don't see you again soon, I'll see you at Hogwarts, Edi," Lily said.
"Okay. Thanks for the lunch everyone!" Edi said happily. Everyone headed towards the door and went their separate ways, bidding each other goodbye.
Sirius and Edi walked silently towards the bookshop again.
"Er, Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks!" Edi gave him a thankful smile, which he returned. Sirius don't know why he wanted to be with her, but at the moment, he couldn't think of being anywhere or with anybody else.
Sirius and Edi spent the whole day together. They finished their shopping and met James, Lily, Remus, Christine, Peter, and Maria at the ice cream shop. Sirius was completely confused why he wanted to be with Edi. Sure he'd dated a lot of girls, but all just for fun. Nothing ever came out of those. But he was looking forward to be with her again.
"Why am I being like this?" he asked himself. "And what was that that I felt earlier with her? I know she felt it too!" He looked at her. He was watching her getting along with Lily, Christine, and Maria. She was laughing and talking with them like she'd known them for a long time. There's something about her that really captivated him. But he's not sure what.
"Hey Sirius?" James called. Sirius looked at him.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay, buddy?" James asked, brows creasing. Sirius could tell that James knew something was bothering him.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he said to him. Then he felt everyone looking at him. "What?" He was getting annoyed.
"Er.nothing," James said, shaking his head. Edi got up and gathered all her belongings. Sirius got up with her.
"Well, I had fun everybody," she said smiling. "But I'm really tired, so I'm going to go. I'll see all at school." As she started to leave, Sirius stopped her.
"Wait!" he said, suddenly blushing. "Er.would you like me to help you with those?" He could feel everyone staring at him again, making him blush more.
"Thanks Sirius!" Edi said, smiling broadly. "There are a lot of stuff here." Sirius smiled back at her as he grabbed for some of her things.
"No problem," he told her. "Where are you going anyway?"
"Oh not far," she said. "I'm staying upstairs in the Leaky Cauldron. I got a room there."
"You do?" he asked surprised. He thought she was going home to a house.
"Well, I'm here by myself, so I'm staying over there until school starts."
"Oh you're family's not with you?" Lily asked. Edi's face paled. "Er.no," she said, her voice quivering. "They didn't want to move." She didn't look at anyone when she said this. Sirius could tell that she wasn't telling the truth, but he just shrugged it off.
"Well, let's go," he said. Edi gave him a grateful smile. She bid everyone goodbye and lead the way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius mind was reeling with questions. But, he didn't say anything. He didn't want to make Edi tell him anything and scare her off. They walked in silence until they reached the pub.
"My room is upstairs. I can take all this by myself," she said to him, not looking at him.
"I'll help you," Sirius said. "Lead the way." Edi just nodded at him and started climbing the stairs. Behind her, Sirius was confused with her behavior. They stopped at the third door from the stairs. Edi opened it up and entered, followed by Sirius. She put her things on the bed. Sirius did the same.
"Thank you, Sirius," she said smiling. "For everything."
"You're welcome," he said, hesitating. "Um, what are you doing tomorrow?"
Edi looked at him confused.
"Well, since I'm done with everything that I needed, I guess nothing," she answered.
"Oh, er." Sirius started. "Um, would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?"
Edi smiled at him. Sirius looked at her hopefully as he put his hands in his pocket.
"Sure!" she finally said. Sirius' face lit up.
"Really?" he asked surprised. Edi laughed softly. "I mean, great!"
Sirius and Edi just stood there looking at each other silently, not wanting to move.
"Er, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Sirius said, finally breaking the silence. He really didn't want to go but he didn't want her to think anything by staying longer. Edi just merely nodded her head.
She walked him to the door, which was left open. Sirius stepped into the hallway and then turned to her.
"It was really nice meeting you Edi," he said. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
"Me too," she said, smiling. "And thanks again for all your help today."
"My pleasure," he said. Before he realized what he was doing, he reached for her hand and kissed it. "Until tomorrow?"
Edi, shocked at the gesture, just nodded. Sirius let go of her hand and turned to leave. When he reached the stairs, he looked back to see if she was still there. She was. He smiled and waved at her, which she returned. Then he climbed down the stairs slowly. Before he reached the landing, he heard her door shut closed. He stopped and leaned against the wall and sighed.
"What is wrong with you Black?" he muttered to himself. He smiled suddenly when he recalled the scene of him kissing her hand. She didn't get mad.
"And she smiled and waved at you!" he chuckled to himself. "And, you're having lunch with her tomorrow!" With that thought, he jumped the last few steps to the landing. He walked out of the pub smiling broadly and whistling with happiness.
Sirius went back to the ice cream shop to meet his friends again. He had a huge grin on his face and such twinkles in his eyes, that no one could help but notice. He seemed to be oblivious to the stares that his friends where giving him, for he just sat on the chair, scooted his bottom towards the edge, swung his hands over and leaned his head on them, and his legs where stretched outward with his feet crossed, without saying a word to anybody. He stayed in that position just looking up at the clear sky, watching the birds fly, with a very happy smile on his face. He didn't even noticed his friends looked at each other with their eyebrows raised, and smirking at him. He was in his own little world and the only thing in his mind right now was Edi.
"Hey Black!" someone shouted. Sirius was brought out of his reverie by the sound of his name. He turned to see James waving a hand on his face to get his attention. He pushed it away and straightened up on the chair. He looked at the rest of the group and found them all staring at him, smiling.
"Er, whatcha all lookin' at?" he asked, feeling himself getting hot. He realized why his friends were acting that way to him. But he wasn't about to let them dog him into telling them anything. Like there was much to tell to begin with.
James, Remus and Peter all looked at each other puzzled. They had never seen their friend act like this before. Sure he'd been with a lot of girls. But, he's never came out looking like he's in love, like he was at the moment.
"Uh, Sirius? You okay?" Remus asked. "You look like."
"Like what?" Sirius snapped, getting annoyed.
"Like you're in loooove!" James finished for Remus in a singsong voice that made everyone laugh. Sirius glared at him, and leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms on his chest and scowling. Lily, Christine, and Maria were all trying to hide their giggles, while the boys laughed openly.
"I am NOT in love, James Potter!" he said thru gritted teeth, which just made his friends laugh harder. Sirius was getting really annoyed with being the butt of the joke.
"She's just a girl, Potter," he said loudly to be heard over the laughter. "Not a potential marriage partner!" He felt a sudden jolt in his chest when he said that. He was startled by it for he sat up on his chair. But as soon as he had felt it, it was gone. He was puzzled but he just decided to ignore it.
"So when's the next date?" Peter asked trying to keep a straight face. So were James and Remus. The girls had decided to stay out of the confrontation and just leaned back to watch.
"As if I need to clear my schedule with you three!" Sirius snorted. "But if you must know, we are having lunch tomorrow."
"Oh really?" James said raising his eyebrows, as Remus and Peter bursted into a fit of laughter again.
"Okay, stop it!" Sirius said, angrily banging his fist on the table, making everyone jump and stare at him in silenced shock.
"I don't know why you three insist on making anything out of this but KNOCK IT OFF! SHE'S NOT LIKE ANY OTHER GIRL!" And we that, he stormed off and left his friends gaping after him.
Sirius entered the Leaky Cauldron again in a huff. He stopped when he saw the staircase. He felt his anger ebb away slowly as he thought of Edi once again. His face broke into a smile and started to walk to the stairs. He caught himself and abruptly turned towards the fireplace across the pub. "Black, get a hold of yourself!" he scolded himself. "You'll see her tomorrow!" He had a smile on his face as he reached for the pot of floo powder perched on the holder by the fireplace.
"Oh man!" he groaned. He had left all his stuff back at the ice cream shop with James and the others. He didn't want to go back there looking foolish. "I'm sure one of them will bring them to my house."
With that, he grabbed a handful of powder ands stepped into the fireplace. With one last look up towards the staircase, he threw the powder to the floor and called "The Blacks!" With a loud boom and a flash of green light, he had gone.