Sunday Morning

Sappy pathetic little me

That was the girl I used to be

You had me on my knees

I'd trade you places any day

I'd never thought you could be that way

But you looked like me on Sunday

You came in with the breeze

On Sunday Morning

You sure have changed since yesterday

Without any warning

Vala had fallen asleep on Sirius' couch as she so often did when she stayed over. Her back ached something terrible, and it was all to blame on the uncomfortable couch.

"Doesn't take much to please a dog, does it," she grumbled to herself. Because she had began to look upon Sirius as a dog, and for this she had many reasons. Every time he came in from swimming he had a distinct Wet Dog scent about him, which was odd considering he didn't even own a dog. Whenever Sirius ate, he ate like it was his last meal, shoveling large amounts at a time into his mouth. And on the rare occasion when Sirius was angry, he growled much like a dog would. He had the instincts of a dog and always seemed to sense when a storm was brewing or mischief was about; he had unusually good hearing and a sensitive nose. He also didn't mind lumpy and old beaten furniture because as he always put it, It's better than lying on the floor. Not that she could ever really figure out why Sirius would sleep on the floor.

Vala stretched with a groan, and sat up straight. She turned on the Wizarding Wireless Network, hoping to hear "Witchy Woman" by the Eagles, who were actually more popular to the Muggle world than the Wizarding. Instead, she received some unexpected news.

"Last night in Godric's Hollow the Dark Lord met his ending. Some debate whether He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has actually died or gone into hiding-"

Vala turning the volume up, grinning a bit. She didn't even catch the mention of Godric's Hollow, the street the Potters lived on.

"The powerful leader met his ending when he attempted to take on a one year old boy by the name of Harry Potter. It is unknown what exactly happened. Unfortunately, Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter, were slain in the incident. Apparently, the Potter's Secret Keeper, Sirius Black, had betrayed them and…"

Vala stared at the radio. "What? Impossible…" But the reporter wasn't finished.

"Also, just in… A young wizard by the name of Peter Pettigrew was after Black to avenge his friends…" The reporter paused, but continued reluctantly. "Muggle reports have told us that on a busy London street Pettigrew had accused Black of murdering his friends, but Black killed him with a curse that slaughtered twelve Muggles as well. Shortly later, a highly skilled team working for the Ministry of Magic wiped the Muggle's minds, and swept Sirius off to Azkaban where he's expected to spend the rest of his life. In other news-"

Vala clicked off the news, she couldn't listen anymore. Then it all hit her: Sirius was in Azkaban, helped Voldemort kill the Potters, and murdered Peter (along with twelve Muggles). She bolted to her feet; she had to get out of his house. She shoved her crossword puzzle book in her hip pocket, and slid her feet into her shoes. My wand, my wand, she repeated silently, looking about drastically, pushing things off tables and scattering The Daily Prophet across the floor. Vala had never paid much attention to it before, but Sirius was a pack rat. Small knickknacks and small scraps of papers to newspapers covered every flat surface. He was always afraid he'd need something later on, keeping documents for months. And because of this no one could ever find anything in his house, except Sirius who always seemed to know where everything was.

Vala found her wand under a Daily Prophet issue dating back to January, and sprinted to the front door. Just as she was reaching for the doorknob someone Apparated unto Sirius' front doorstep. Her breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she backed away. It was a man, but not even she could distinguish by the silhouette if she knew him or not. She guessed it must be a Death Eater, coming to clear the dark arts evidence from the flat. Or perhaps it was a member of the Ministry of Magic coming to search what else Sirius may have been hiding. Vala guessed the former; the Ministry must be up to its elbows in work. Before her mind could dart in another direction, and before she had a chance to hide herself, the door opened.

"Vala!" Remus greeted, quietly closing the door behind him. He wore a bright smile, which momentarily hid his weariness. There was a new sadness in his eyes, glazed over by surprise and joy.

Her eyes welled up with tears and she couldn't hold back any longer. "Oh, Remus!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. She shook uncontrollably and tightened her grip on him.

"I was so worried," he breathed, trying to comfort her by rubbing her back. Carefully, he pulled back to look into her eyes. "Sirius is in Azkaban."

Thick tears rolled down Vala's face and she pulled him back into her. "James and Lily," she whimpered. "Peter too… he never stood a chance. Why, Remus why…"

"I don't know," he sighed, smoothing back her hair. "There's so many questions."

~+~+~+~

"It truly is beautiful," a man whispered, close to her side. Vala glanced down the length of the Hogwarts Express. Beautiful? She wasn't so sure. This train, this bright red train with its golden rails and padded seats, led her straight to Hogwarts. This train, in all its glory and all its might, was the cause of her stress; her recent cause of anorexia and insomnia.

Remus had wanted to come, but she refused. She reminded him Voldemort had been destroyed and all his followers found. She assured him she was old enough to take care of herself, and that she'd owl him once she arrived at Hogwarts. It wasn't that she didn't want Remus to come with her, because she did, but he had been up over his head. He needed a break, and he definitely didn't need the pressure of arriving on time.

"Voldemort," she hissed under her breath, "Damn him…" Unlike most witches, Vala was not afraid to say Voldemort's name aloud. She used to be, but times had changed. She had changed. The name was no longer a source of fear, but rather a well-patted down anger; anger that had grown considerably over the last months.

The whistle tore through the station. Sighing deeply, she pushed her trolley towards the door, but just as she was about to get on the train she realized something dreadful: she wasn't strong enough to pick up her trunk. She tried not to panic as she searched for her wand, thinking hard of a spell to lighten her load.

"Nothing fails like physical strength, eh?"

She glanced up, shock written over her face, and saw a man with messy, sandy blonde hair. He was tall and thin and looked about her age. It was quite possible that they were in the same grade; it was damn near impossible to be acquainted with everyone. The whistle blew again, resounding throughout the station and shattering her thoughts.

"Formal greetings will just have to wait," he said, grabbing one brass handle of her trunk. She nodded and grabbed the other.

Grant helped her find a seat and pack away her trunk before he even bothered to introduce himself. "The name's Grant O'Neil. I'm Irish and drink too much." Vala hadn't expected such forwardness, and she tilted her head forward in an effort to hide a smile. She hadn't smiled in a long time and she was embarrassed that a stranger had broken the spell. "And who might you be?"

"Vala," she answered quietly

"No last name?" he pressed gently.

She looked up slowly. "Amoureux."

~+~+~+~

In his introduction he had forgotten to mention he talked too much. Vala tried to listen politely, but she spent most of her time staring glassy-eyed out the window. She wasn't ready to make friends. Once she got comfortable with a few they were ripped away from her. She didn't want anymore ties than she already had. A werewolf and a convicted murderer were enough.

She blinked slowly; the trial had been horrible, and Vala only understood a third of what Remus was going through. She'd only known the Marauders for a couple years, Remus had known them for most of his life.

Both Remus and Vala refused to testify against Sirius. Instead they sat in the crowd, holding hands like two frightened children. She wasn't necessarily angry with Sirius, but rather disappointed; as if she had expected more from him. You think you know a guy…

"And that's why I hate porcupines."

Vala's eyes flashed to Grant. "Huh? Oh… um, yeah. I've never been partial to them myself." What were we talking about?

"And if you think that was interesting wait until you hear about the time I…"

Vala sighed. Does this kid ever shut up?