Anything But Ordinary

Chapter 3-Everybody's Fool

Kelsey's newfound friendship with Sirius Black was unexpected to all and slightly empowering. She was no longer just a blank face in the hallway. As she walked beside Sirius, people noticed her. People saw her. She was a person and it felt good.

Their friendship was timid of course, seeing as the two of them actually didn't know much about the other. Yet, nearly every night, they sat up late talking on the sill of the Astronomy Tower. Sometimes, they didn't need to talk to express their words. They were happy just being in the presence of one another.

Kelsey sometimes had to wonder if the Marauders were breaking up. Sirius hardly ever spent any time with them anymore. He spent most of his free time with her. She couldn't explain it, but she knew she didn't want to. She was content with just learning more about him.

The funny thing was that she was normally very reserved and very quiet. Yet, now that she had a friend in Sirius, she couldn't find a reason to stop talking. She had so many new thoughts, so many ideas, that were just waiting to be shared with him.

Professor Slughorn had been right about one thing. The two of them did make a remarkable pair. Their potion was usually satisfactorily completed by the end of class.

The first Hogsmeade weekend was turning up soon and Kelsey was actually excited for once. She wouldn't have to spend it alone. She figured Sirius would hang out with her there. Normally, she roamed around the streets by herself. Sometimes, she skipped it altogether. Dorcas either had a date or was surrounded by a large group of friends, making it near impossible to spend time with her.

"Hogsmeade weekend," Lily said quietly one morning over breakfast to Jena Smith. "Who're you going with?"

"I was thinking about asking Amos Diggory," Jena mused, taking a sip of her freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Amos Diggory? You do realize that last year he asked me how to spell parchment?" Lily reminded her friend.

"An honest mistake," Jena insisted, brushing strands of her honey colored hair from her eyes. "More importantly, who're you going with?"

"Nobody," Lily told her. "I, unlike you, don't need someone to take me to Hogsmeade. I am perfectly content going dateless."

"Or," her friend decided. "You're waiting for someone to ask you." Her brown eyes glanced past Kelsey and over to James Potter, who was chatting merrily with Peter Pettigrew.

"That's none of your business," Lily insisted. Her face had indeed flushed red, Kelsey noticed.

Kelsey knew James Potter would love nothing more than being able to have a date with Lily in Hogsmeade. She smiled in Lily's direction and for the first time, the red headed girl actually grinned back.

.X.

The morning of Hogsmeade came quickly and Kelsey hopped out of bed enthusiastically. She took her time to make sure her clothes were perfect, her hair was flawless, and that her skin hadn't developed any recent blemishes.

She even took the time to put a bit of blush on and to apply the smallest drop of perfume behind her ear. Her reflection was surprisingly shocking. She looked much better than she normally did.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Dorcas asked, putting an earring on as she walked out of the bathroom.

"Just happy today," Kelsey explained, dashing down the stairs. As she reached the Great Hall, she couldn't find Sirius anywhere. She figured she'd see him as soon as they reached the village, so she simply walked along with the group until then.

I hope I find Sirius soon, Kelsey thought to herself. She was already feeling slightly jealous of the numerous number of groups surrounding her, their merry chatter filling her ears.

She spotted Lily, walking with a group of Ravenclaws in their year. Of course, Lily was a very popular girl. She was well-liked by almost everyone, excluding the Slytherins. A stab of envy hit Kelsey hard in the chest. She wished she could be so well-liked. She had no idea what was wrong with her.

As the envy grew, she frantically tried looking for Sirius. She managed to see James, Remus, and Peter, but Sirius wasn't with them. She watched as James bitterly glanced at Lily from afar. She could feel his pain. She had always noticed how much he had been in awe of Lily. Kelsey knew what it was like to want something so bad, but to never be able to receive it.

Her brown eyes scanned the streets of Hogsmeade, but she couldn't find him. She had been looking forward to spending the day with him and now, those hopes were shattered. He hadn't come. That was the only possible explanation. He was sick. Maybe he had injured himself. The possibilities were rolling through her mind, one by one.

And yet, the real explanation was far more heart wrenching. Just as she had given up hope of not seeing Sirius, she spotted him walking back from a dark alley, a tall, blonde seventh year attached to his hand. The two of them were trying to compose themselves, straightening their clothes and wiping their mouths.

Kelsey felt her eyes sting furiously. She wouldn't let her tears fall; not yet anyways. Sirius probably wouldn't have even talked to her if he hadn't of run right into her. She stumbled back a bit, her eyes obviously hurt.

"Kelsey!" he said cheerfully. "Why're you all dressed up? Big date?"

She paused for a moment, absolutely appalled by his behavior. He sounded drunk to her, his words slurring. He had probably stumbled right into her.

"You could say that," she told him coolly, walking away.

She heard the blonde ask Sirius, "Who was that?"

His reply was simply, "Some broad in my Potions class."

She crossed her arms over her chest and the cold tears poured down her face. She couldn't believe she'd even considered being friends with such a jerk.

She walked all the way back to the school, her eyes still pouring out the tears. Hateful thoughts rummaged through her mind. Yet, she wasn't as mad at Sirius as she was at herself.

How could you even think someone like Sirius would actually be friends with you?

She was no longer a face in the halls. She was back to being invisible. No one bothered to stop her. No one bothered to ask what was wrong. The crying seventh year girl was merely there for decoration.

She walked back through the castle doors and up to the Gryffindor tower. As soon as she reached her dorm, she slammed herself upon her bed and cried in shame, falling asleep shortly after.

.X.

Kelsey felt someone shaking her awake, but refused to get up. As the shaking only increased, she slowly opened her brown eyes. Dorcas was looking down at her.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked her sister. "What happened?"

Kelsey shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Did Sirius do something to you?" Dorcas demanded angrily.

"I don't want to talk about Sirius ever again," Kelsey insisted.

"Then you don't have to," Dorcas assured her.

.X.

The next evening, Kelsey sat in the common room, Dorcas chatting on next to her. The common room buzzed with chatter, last minute homework being done. She watched as Sirius eyed her from across the room. She refused to catch his eye.

She felt her muscles tighten up as he walked over to her. Dorcas eyed him coldly.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Kelsey?" he asked her. She could barely look up at him. When she finally mustered up the courage to, she saw his sad, gray eyes looking down at her.

"Kelsey doesn't want to talk to you," Dorcas told him. "She doesn't need hateful people like you in her life."

Kelsey had never been more proud of Dorcas in her life because at that moment, her sister had found all the words that Kelsey wasn't brave enough to say.

A/N: Short, but eventful. Leave me a review please. Thanks.