I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while (blame my trig (AKA evil) teacher) I'll try to be better about updating.
Many thanks to my beta, Zippy Wings. You're the greatest!
Thanks so much to all of my reviewers! You all are so awesome!
BandGeek3891 - thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it. ( and that's awesome about Raoul)
DLM - Hope you like the continuation
liteswitch - I'm writing, writing, writing!
Glowing-ice - thanks for the tip, divider lines make it look nicer. And about the Avada Kedavera world … blame the Mayans. They're the ones who came up with the basic idea anyhow.
Zippy Wings - thanks. I am very grateful.
Disclaimer - Harry Potter is owned by JKR, not me. ( If I owned Harry Potter, would certain characters be dead at this point? No.)
Oh, yeah. Thank you to Charlie. You know who you are.
At dinner that evening there was a lot of catching up to do. Sirius, James and Lily talked for hours., and eventually James and Sirius got around to reminiscing about all the pranks they had pulled.
" … and that time in fifth year, you used that Levicorpus spell of Snape's on him? That was brilliant!" James and Sirius laughed even harder at the memory. Lily just gave an exasperated sigh.
"Honestly, it really wasn't that funny " she started,
" I wonder whatever happened to Snivelus" James said, half to himself.
" He started teaching potions when Professor Slughorn retired" Sirius said darkly.
" But why would Dumbledore hire him …" Lily said, shocked.
" He's not in Azkaban?" James asked, at the same moment.
" No, apparently, Dumbledore trusts him. I don't know why, he never explained why to anyone. I never did. Okay, given when he was fixing the Wolfsbane potion for Moony, he never purposely botched it up, but then he did tell about Moony's …"
" Furry little problem" James and Lily finished at the same time. Sirius nodded.
"Dumbledore has seriously cracked if he thinks that Snape would actually come back. He hated you and me and Lils so much that, heck, I was surprised that he didn't beg Moldy Voldy to let him come and finish Lils and I off…"
"That sounds more like the Snape we know than the Snape that's been hanging around teaching potions" said Sirius
Just then, the doorbell rang. Lily got up and went to answer the door. A minute later, she came back, smiling. "Sirius," she said, "I've got a surprise for you."
"What the…Lils? I've got all I need…my best friends are here with me…well, except Moony, of course…what more could I want?"
"Just come into the sitting room and see for yourself."
Sirius and James followed Lily, a little apprehensively, into the sitting room. A sudden squeal made Sirius jump and James smile.
"Sirius!"
"C-Camille? Is that you?"
"Who else would it be, you idiot?" the tall slender form of Sirius' former fiancée said, engulfing Sirius in a hug.
"C'mon, James," Lily said. "Come and help me clean up the kitchen." James followed obediently, knowing that his best friend needed to have some time with his fiancée.
" So how have you been Camille?" asked Sirius, suddenly feeling awkward and very much alone with someone he had longed for and missed since her death some 15 years earlier. "Oh, geez, what a STUPID question … She must think I'm the world's biggest prat, or git something" Sirius thought, mentally kicking himself.
"I've been okay, and you?" Camille answered "I'm so stupid, why do I have to be so bloody stupid?" Camille berated herself. It seemed they had everything and nothing to say to each other, after 15 years.
- FLASHBACK - (Sirius)
Sirius looked around the Hogwarts Express trying to find a compartment that wasn't full. Wandering up and down the train, he finally found an empty compartment, settled down and pulled out his copy of Druids. He hadn't gotten more than a few pages into the book when the door to the compartment opened, and another first year student came tentatively into the compartment.
"Hi" he said, grinning "Um, do you mind? Everywhere is full but here."
"Of course not" Sirius said, not able to keep from grinning himself. "I'm Sirius Black."
"James Potter."
Soon James and Sirius were deep in conversation, having discovered their mutual love for practical jokes, but they were interrupted a while later by someone coming into their compartment.
Hi," she said, "Have you seen …" her voice trailed off when she saw James. "Oh, there you are, James, I'd been looking for you … but I think I just interrupted something, so …" she turned to leave the compartment.
" It's okay" Sirius and James said at the same time. She grinned, and sat down next to James.
"I'm Sirius, and I see you already know James here…"
"Well, of course I know him, I'm his twin sister, Camille!" she said, pretending to be shocked and offended. This was too much, and all three of them started laughing, only stopping when the trolley came around.
- END SIRIUS' FLASHBACK -
- FLASHBACK - (Camille)
"Where has my infernal twin got to? If he doesn't turn up soon I swear I'm going to report him to mum…the prat…I guess I'll look in this compartment…it's the only one I haven't checked…" "Hello, have you seen…oh, there you are, James, I'd been looking for you … but I think I just interrupted something, so …" "I wonder who that boy over there next to James is…he really is good looking…the way his black hair falls around his face…"
"It's okay," James and the cute boy said at the same time.
"I'm Sirius, and I see you already know James here…" the cute boy said.
"Sirius…Sirius…what a nice name…Sirius…" "Well, of course I know him, I'm his twin sister, Camille!" I said, pretending to be shocked and offended. The three of us burst out laughing, and I noticed that Sirius had a very nice, open, hearty, not to mention cute, laugh…
- END CAMILLE'S FLASHBACK -
Sirius and Camille were silent for a few awkward seconds before Lily's seemingly brain-dead cat, Charlie, came bounding into the room playing with his favorite kitty toy. Camille's laughter at Charlie's playing broke the momentary tension. Sirius mentally thanked Charlie for his perfect timing as he joined in.
"I've missed you so much, Camille…'if you only knew how much'"
"I've missed you too, Sirius…'I thought I'd never see you again'…"
Okay, so how was it? Did you love it? Hate it? I can't improve it if you don't review … so review please. J It makes me happy, and makes me write faster, and it only takes a second.
