Chapter 4
Hours passed as Sirius lay in the bed that had been conjured in Harry's room. Ron was snoring loudly but he could tell that Harry was still awake. He waited till he could not stand it before finally speaking out loud.
"Harry," Sirius began, "I know you have questions."
"'Bout what?" he replied.
"Her, you know Aurora," he said quietly. "I just thought that you might wonder."
"I do but I don't know that it is any of my business," Harry explained.
"She's really pretty," a muffled voice said from under the covers.
"Yeah, you could have done a lot worse back in the day," a voice said as someone apparated into the room.
"Remus, this is not a male slumber party," Sirius groaned.
"What is it with you two?" Harry asked. "Why do you hate each other?"
"At one time, they loved each other," Remus said quietly. Even in the dark, Harry and Ron could feel the glare that Sirius was giving Lupin.
"Why on earth did you have to go and bring that up?" Sirius growled.
"Because everyone is going to hear it sooner or later," he replied. "Harry should know. He keeps hearing her mention James and Lily. But you and I both know that he won't ask her. She hurt, too, Padfoot. Remember that."
"Well, poor poor Aurora," Sirius said. "Pity her and she didn't even have to go to prison and live through what I did."
"But she imprisoned herself," Remus told him. "She left after that day in court. She cried the whole time in the hearing. She never wanted to believe what they were saying. I remember right after you were taken away by the dementors, after you turned and looked at her, once you were through the door, she broke down. I had to help her walk out of the building. She couldn't stand on her own. She apparated back to her flat and the she was gone. We didn't know where. She never left a note. And both Dumbledore and I knew that she didn't want to be found. I should have looked for her but I didn't. I guess I was hurt and wanted to run as much as everyone else."
"It's not your fault, Remus," Sirius told him.
"The point is that it is no one's fault," Remus explained. "It wasn't yours, it wasn't Rori's, it wasn't mine. If it is anyone's fault it's Peter's. And Voldemort." Ron flinched at the use of the Dark Lord's name but everyone ignored his usual reaction. "We have to move on and forgive everyone. You forgave me and I believed that you were the Secret-Keeper. Why not forgive her?"
Sirius remained silent, unable to explain why he couldn't let her have forgiveness. Perhaps admitting that he couldn't forgive her would force him to admit that the he had cared for her more than anyone else. "I will talk to her, Remus. I just need time. I walked into this house and found her today. I had no idea that she was going to be here. It was a shock for me, too."
"She was our friend, Sirius," Lupin remarked. "We have lost so many that it might be nice to reclaim some."
"Like Ron said, she is very pretty," Harry remarked. "How did you meet her?"
"Hogwarts. She was two years behind us. One of the boys until I started to notice that she had those lovely blond curls and forget-me-not colored eyes. She was fourteen and I was sixteen when I made that realization. And then I couldn't get her off my mind. So, I asked her to the Valentine's dance."
"And?" asked Ron who was very awake at this time. "What, I want to know? Unlike Hermione believes, I am not the most unromantic prat to ever exist."
"I walked her back to the Gryffindor tower that night and as I said goodnight, I leaned down and kissed her. And that was it. We were together from that moment on. I went from Hogwarts biggest lady's man to Hogwarts most devoted boyfriend. I never regretted it, either. I always thought Aurora was so special," Sirius sighed.
"She still is," Remus noted.
"I always thought that things would be so different. You know, before Lily and James died, before I was arrested, when we were still young. I remember James making a comment once that we needed to enjoy the time we had to be young. I never realized how true his words were till recently," Sirius reflected. "I will talk to her, Moony. I promise."
"Forgive her, Sirius, if for no other reason than to have peace amongst those of us who are left," Remus asked of his friend. Sirius nodded his assent quietly. "Excellent," Remus said as he rose to leave. "Because, you know, Harry and Ron are correct. Aurora is quite pretty." Then, with a pop, he vanished.
Hours passed as Sirius lay in the bed that had been conjured in Harry's room. Ron was snoring loudly but he could tell that Harry was still awake. He waited till he could not stand it before finally speaking out loud.
"Harry," Sirius began, "I know you have questions."
"'Bout what?" he replied.
"Her, you know Aurora," he said quietly. "I just thought that you might wonder."
"I do but I don't know that it is any of my business," Harry explained.
"She's really pretty," a muffled voice said from under the covers.
"Yeah, you could have done a lot worse back in the day," a voice said as someone apparated into the room.
"Remus, this is not a male slumber party," Sirius groaned.
"What is it with you two?" Harry asked. "Why do you hate each other?"
"At one time, they loved each other," Remus said quietly. Even in the dark, Harry and Ron could feel the glare that Sirius was giving Lupin.
"Why on earth did you have to go and bring that up?" Sirius growled.
"Because everyone is going to hear it sooner or later," he replied. "Harry should know. He keeps hearing her mention James and Lily. But you and I both know that he won't ask her. She hurt, too, Padfoot. Remember that."
"Well, poor poor Aurora," Sirius said. "Pity her and she didn't even have to go to prison and live through what I did."
"But she imprisoned herself," Remus told him. "She left after that day in court. She cried the whole time in the hearing. She never wanted to believe what they were saying. I remember right after you were taken away by the dementors, after you turned and looked at her, once you were through the door, she broke down. I had to help her walk out of the building. She couldn't stand on her own. She apparated back to her flat and the she was gone. We didn't know where. She never left a note. And both Dumbledore and I knew that she didn't want to be found. I should have looked for her but I didn't. I guess I was hurt and wanted to run as much as everyone else."
"It's not your fault, Remus," Sirius told him.
"The point is that it is no one's fault," Remus explained. "It wasn't yours, it wasn't Rori's, it wasn't mine. If it is anyone's fault it's Peter's. And Voldemort." Ron flinched at the use of the Dark Lord's name but everyone ignored his usual reaction. "We have to move on and forgive everyone. You forgave me and I believed that you were the Secret-Keeper. Why not forgive her?"
Sirius remained silent, unable to explain why he couldn't let her have forgiveness. Perhaps admitting that he couldn't forgive her would force him to admit that the he had cared for her more than anyone else. "I will talk to her, Remus. I just need time. I walked into this house and found her today. I had no idea that she was going to be here. It was a shock for me, too."
"She was our friend, Sirius," Lupin remarked. "We have lost so many that it might be nice to reclaim some."
"Like Ron said, she is very pretty," Harry remarked. "How did you meet her?"
"Hogwarts. She was two years behind us. One of the boys until I started to notice that she had those lovely blond curls and forget-me-not colored eyes. She was fourteen and I was sixteen when I made that realization. And then I couldn't get her off my mind. So, I asked her to the Valentine's dance."
"And?" asked Ron who was very awake at this time. "What, I want to know? Unlike Hermione believes, I am not the most unromantic prat to ever exist."
"I walked her back to the Gryffindor tower that night and as I said goodnight, I leaned down and kissed her. And that was it. We were together from that moment on. I went from Hogwarts biggest lady's man to Hogwarts most devoted boyfriend. I never regretted it, either. I always thought Aurora was so special," Sirius sighed.
"She still is," Remus noted.
"I always thought that things would be so different. You know, before Lily and James died, before I was arrested, when we were still young. I remember James making a comment once that we needed to enjoy the time we had to be young. I never realized how true his words were till recently," Sirius reflected. "I will talk to her, Moony. I promise."
"Forgive her, Sirius, if for no other reason than to have peace amongst those of us who are left," Remus asked of his friend. Sirius nodded his assent quietly. "Excellent," Remus said as he rose to leave. "Because, you know, Harry and Ron are correct. Aurora is quite pretty." Then, with a pop, he vanished.