Breakfast and Memories
The next day, Sirius woke up to the smell of bacon and pancakes. He jumped out of Ray's bed, and was just rubbing his eyes when Ray walked into the room, drying her hair with a towel. She saw the excited look on his face, smiled and shook her head. "Oh, go ahead without me. Tell everyone I'll be down in a minute." Sirius practically flew out of the room and down the hall. He quickly descended the stairs and found himself in the huge kitchen.
There was a squeal from the table, and suddenly, Sirius was wrapped in a tight hug. He looked down to see Ray's youngest sister, Aleena, wrapped around his middle. "Siri!" She squealed, not letting him go. "Hey, Leelee," Sirius said, unwrapping himself from her grip and mussing her hair.
"Morning, Sirius." Ray's mother said, pulling out a chair for him. "Good morning, Mrs. Whittier" Sirius said, hugging her and taking his seat. She immediately started filling his plate and pouring him orange juice and milk, making sure he got as much food as would fit in his stomach.
Just as Sirius was starting in on his toast, Ray's other three sisters came giggling into the kitchen. Sannia was 11 and would soon be starting her first year at Hogwarts. Thalia and Tayana were twins and were both fifteen. Thalia spotted Sirius and immediately sprang into the spot next to him. Batting her lashes, she pulled her chair closer to him and smiled. "Sirius, where have you been? I've really missed you." She said, grabbing his arm.
Thalia had always been very taken with Sirius, and had no trouble showing it. She flirted shamelessly with him every chance she got. Tayana was the exact opposite. She was quiet and reserved, and attention towards her earned red cheeks and a mumbled response.
Sirius managed to wrench his arm from Thalia, and turned to Sannia, who had taken a seat across from him. "Ready for Hogwarts, Sannia?" He asked. "Of course," Sannia said, rolling her eyes. "I've already got my trunk packed and I can't wait to see all my friends and stuff and I just can't wait to make a whole bunch of new friends, and I'm sure there are tons of things to do there, not like here, it's so boring here I just can't wait to get out of here and find something else to do and Merlin I can't wait to-" Sannia had a habit of going on and on for hours, just babbling on until whoever she was talking to either walked away, or finally got a word in.This time, what stopped her was Ray's entrance.
"Merlin, Sanni, take a breath." Ray laughed, sitting on Sirius' other side. Sannia looked scandalized, and she moodily stabbed at the food on her plate. Ray started shoveling food into her mouth at breakneck speed.
"Reagan Anise! Did you leave your homework until the last minute again?" Mrs. Whittier said and scowled at her oldest daughter. "Mum, I..." Ray said, but she couldn't think of anything to say, so she just resumed eating. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you young lady." Mrs. Whittier said, shaking her head. "Sirius, did you finish your homework?" She asked. Sirius laughed. "Finished it about a week into vacation."
"If only Reagan could have your attitude. She has potential, just no ambition." Mrs. Whittier said, expertly buttering toast and pouring juice at the same time. Ray rolled her eyes, and swallowed. "Well, why don't you just trade me for Sirius?" Ray said. Thalia scoffed. "But then Sirius would be my brother! And that'd just be gross!"
Ray rolled her eyes again. "Hey, Sirius, did I tell you Tayana is a prefect now?" She said, stuffing a slice of bacon in her mouth. Sirius turned toward the end of the table and smiled at Tayana, who looked furiously at Ray, her face growing redder by the second. "Prefect huh? Congrats." Sirius said, "I could never have been prefect, I cause too much trouble." Sirius laughed. Thalia laughed a high, false laugh and again grasped Sirius' arm.
"Well, I'm done. I gotta go finish my homework." Ray said, getting up and depositing her plate in the sink. She walked out of the kitchen and back upstairs to her room. Sirius, looking for an escape from Thalia, put his own dish in the sink and announced, "I think I'll go help Ray with her homework." Mrs. Whittier gave him a quick hug before he went. "Don't stay away so long next time, Sirius. You're welcome here anytime you wish." Sirius smiled at her and went upstairs to join Ray.
Ray was just coming out of the closet when Sirius walked in, her broom over her shoulder. "Homework, huh?" Sirius said, laughing. Ray rolled her eyes. "I'll finish it later." She said, moving towards the door. "The guys are playing quidditch up by the warehouse." Sirius put on a mock stern expression. "Young lady, homework comes first." He said, shaking his finger at her.
"Shut up, you sound like my mother." Ray said, but laughed. "Well? Are you coming or not? Or are you going to go help my mum weed the garden?" Sirius laughed and went to the closet, where Ray's spare broom was. He didn't much feel like going home to get his. He pulled the broom out of the cluttered closet, but just as he thought he was safe from being hit by some unknown object, a shoebox fell from a top shelf and hit him in the head. The contents spilled all over Ray's floor. Sirius began to pick up the pictures, and Ray moved to help him. Ray was in the middle of pouring a pile of pictures into the box when she stopped, staring at the picture on top.
"Ray?" Sirius said, then looked at the picture. It was a picture of Reagan's older brother and father, outside the ministry of magic. It had been taken on the day Reagan's brother graduated from the Auror Academy, and both of them were grinning and waving. Reagan's brother, Taylor, had been four years older than Ray, and Ray had worshipped him. He had been a great student, Head Boy in his day. Just a few months after he'd graduated the Auror Academy, he and his father, also an auror, had been captured and killed by Voldemort. Ray had taken the loss of both her Idol and her father very hard, and had still not gotten over it.
As tears welled up in Ray's eyes, Sirius wrenched the picture out of her hand, and pulled her into a hug. Ray pushed him away. "Let's go." She said, kicking the box to the closet and walking out of her room.
The next day, Sirius woke up to the smell of bacon and pancakes. He jumped out of Ray's bed, and was just rubbing his eyes when Ray walked into the room, drying her hair with a towel. She saw the excited look on his face, smiled and shook her head. "Oh, go ahead without me. Tell everyone I'll be down in a minute." Sirius practically flew out of the room and down the hall. He quickly descended the stairs and found himself in the huge kitchen.
There was a squeal from the table, and suddenly, Sirius was wrapped in a tight hug. He looked down to see Ray's youngest sister, Aleena, wrapped around his middle. "Siri!" She squealed, not letting him go. "Hey, Leelee," Sirius said, unwrapping himself from her grip and mussing her hair.
"Morning, Sirius." Ray's mother said, pulling out a chair for him. "Good morning, Mrs. Whittier" Sirius said, hugging her and taking his seat. She immediately started filling his plate and pouring him orange juice and milk, making sure he got as much food as would fit in his stomach.
Just as Sirius was starting in on his toast, Ray's other three sisters came giggling into the kitchen. Sannia was 11 and would soon be starting her first year at Hogwarts. Thalia and Tayana were twins and were both fifteen. Thalia spotted Sirius and immediately sprang into the spot next to him. Batting her lashes, she pulled her chair closer to him and smiled. "Sirius, where have you been? I've really missed you." She said, grabbing his arm.
Thalia had always been very taken with Sirius, and had no trouble showing it. She flirted shamelessly with him every chance she got. Tayana was the exact opposite. She was quiet and reserved, and attention towards her earned red cheeks and a mumbled response.
Sirius managed to wrench his arm from Thalia, and turned to Sannia, who had taken a seat across from him. "Ready for Hogwarts, Sannia?" He asked. "Of course," Sannia said, rolling her eyes. "I've already got my trunk packed and I can't wait to see all my friends and stuff and I just can't wait to make a whole bunch of new friends, and I'm sure there are tons of things to do there, not like here, it's so boring here I just can't wait to get out of here and find something else to do and Merlin I can't wait to-" Sannia had a habit of going on and on for hours, just babbling on until whoever she was talking to either walked away, or finally got a word in.This time, what stopped her was Ray's entrance.
"Merlin, Sanni, take a breath." Ray laughed, sitting on Sirius' other side. Sannia looked scandalized, and she moodily stabbed at the food on her plate. Ray started shoveling food into her mouth at breakneck speed.
"Reagan Anise! Did you leave your homework until the last minute again?" Mrs. Whittier said and scowled at her oldest daughter. "Mum, I..." Ray said, but she couldn't think of anything to say, so she just resumed eating. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you young lady." Mrs. Whittier said, shaking her head. "Sirius, did you finish your homework?" She asked. Sirius laughed. "Finished it about a week into vacation."
"If only Reagan could have your attitude. She has potential, just no ambition." Mrs. Whittier said, expertly buttering toast and pouring juice at the same time. Ray rolled her eyes, and swallowed. "Well, why don't you just trade me for Sirius?" Ray said. Thalia scoffed. "But then Sirius would be my brother! And that'd just be gross!"
Ray rolled her eyes again. "Hey, Sirius, did I tell you Tayana is a prefect now?" She said, stuffing a slice of bacon in her mouth. Sirius turned toward the end of the table and smiled at Tayana, who looked furiously at Ray, her face growing redder by the second. "Prefect huh? Congrats." Sirius said, "I could never have been prefect, I cause too much trouble." Sirius laughed. Thalia laughed a high, false laugh and again grasped Sirius' arm.
"Well, I'm done. I gotta go finish my homework." Ray said, getting up and depositing her plate in the sink. She walked out of the kitchen and back upstairs to her room. Sirius, looking for an escape from Thalia, put his own dish in the sink and announced, "I think I'll go help Ray with her homework." Mrs. Whittier gave him a quick hug before he went. "Don't stay away so long next time, Sirius. You're welcome here anytime you wish." Sirius smiled at her and went upstairs to join Ray.
Ray was just coming out of the closet when Sirius walked in, her broom over her shoulder. "Homework, huh?" Sirius said, laughing. Ray rolled her eyes. "I'll finish it later." She said, moving towards the door. "The guys are playing quidditch up by the warehouse." Sirius put on a mock stern expression. "Young lady, homework comes first." He said, shaking his finger at her.
"Shut up, you sound like my mother." Ray said, but laughed. "Well? Are you coming or not? Or are you going to go help my mum weed the garden?" Sirius laughed and went to the closet, where Ray's spare broom was. He didn't much feel like going home to get his. He pulled the broom out of the cluttered closet, but just as he thought he was safe from being hit by some unknown object, a shoebox fell from a top shelf and hit him in the head. The contents spilled all over Ray's floor. Sirius began to pick up the pictures, and Ray moved to help him. Ray was in the middle of pouring a pile of pictures into the box when she stopped, staring at the picture on top.
"Ray?" Sirius said, then looked at the picture. It was a picture of Reagan's older brother and father, outside the ministry of magic. It had been taken on the day Reagan's brother graduated from the Auror Academy, and both of them were grinning and waving. Reagan's brother, Taylor, had been four years older than Ray, and Ray had worshipped him. He had been a great student, Head Boy in his day. Just a few months after he'd graduated the Auror Academy, he and his father, also an auror, had been captured and killed by Voldemort. Ray had taken the loss of both her Idol and her father very hard, and had still not gotten over it.
As tears welled up in Ray's eyes, Sirius wrenched the picture out of her hand, and pulled her into a hug. Ray pushed him away. "Let's go." She said, kicking the box to the closet and walking out of her room.
