Anything But Ordinary

Chapter 6-Take Me Away

At first, Kelsey and Sirius' relationship was kept quiet and almost seemed non-existent. He would act polite and friendly around her, yet not affectionate in the least nor chivalric. It was as if they were merely acquaintances. The only time the two of them spent quality time together was when they were alone in the Astronomy Tower.

Kelsey had first thought that maybe Sirius just wasn't comfortable with public displays of affection, yet she recalled the nameless blonde he had been snogging at the beginning of the year. Obviously, that was not the issue at hand.

Then, as the typical couple behavior continued to be absent in their relationship, she began thinking that maybe it was her. Maybe she was the reason they kept things quiet. Their reputations were two different matters of discussion. Sirius was charming, personable, and most of all, popular. Kelsey, however, was distant, shy, and basically faceless to the students of Hogwarts.

So, as his extremely reclusive behavior continued, Kelsey became more and more self-conscious. She tried her best to maybe stand out. She spent more time on her hair in the morning and began applying make-up to her face, hoping that maybe if she looked prettier, Sirius wouldn't be ashamed.

Dorcas seemed somewhat curious, but only assumed that Kelsey was taking better care of her appearance due to her recent acquirement of a boyfriend. As far as Kelsey knew, Dorcas was probably the only person besides Sirius and herself who even knew of the relationship.

One month of privacy. One month of intimacy. Kelsey had been with Sirius Black for one month. Although it had been romantic and personal, she longed for strength. She wanted him to be proud of her. She wanted him to be the kind of man that would scream her name from a mountaintop to profess his undying love for her. She was all about cliché, all about romance, and all about pride. She wanted more from their relationship. It was her first and she had always envisioned things much differently.

With Sirius, she had seen the opportunity for thrill, for chaos, for spontaneity, for laughter, and most of all, for fun. She wanted to be the girl in the hallway to which all the girls stared enviously, their hearts yearning for Sirius Black to be theirs. Yet, he would simply laugh it off and kiss her swiftly on the lips, basically telling them he was taken. She wanted that recognition. She wanted that glory. With Sirius, she wanted to live. She wanted to escape from her quiet nest of solitude.

She wanted more.

.X.

As the crescent moon reflected soft, sweet light upon the lake, Kelsey sat, her brown eyes intently fixated upon the natural beauty to which Hogwarts endowed. As Sirius strung his hand through hers gently, caressing her fingers ever so slowly, his gray eyes never leaving her small knuckles, he grinned. It was a silly, foolish grin, one that normally didn't venture onto Sirius Black's face. He looked almost lovesick, something out of the ordinary, even for someone as unique as him.

"Do you ever wonder why exactly things happen?" Kelsey mused aloud, her thoughts creeping towards her lips and escaping for Sirius' hearing. He was used to her random, unexplained questions. He was right in assuming that there was almost always deep thought behind such questions.

Still gazing upon her frail hands, he nodded. "Fate," he told her. "I hold a strong belief in fate."

Examining the slow ripples tiding from the lake to the shore, Kelsey thought once more about this so-called fate. Was that what had brought Sirius and her together? Ordinarily, it would have seemed impossible for a nobody like Kelsey Meadowes to become involved with Sirius Black. It just wasn't likely in the least.

"Sirius," Kelsey started, her voice tired and worn from the so many thoughts racing through her mind on a rampage. She was so confused, so frustrated, and extremely conscious of her status at the school. "Are you ashamed to be seen with me?"

Sirius dropped her hand almost instantly and looked up at her. The entire commitment arrangement was new to him as well and he obviously wasn't wholly used to such deep conversations with girls.

"What makes you wonder that, love?" he inquired, his stormy gray eyes puzzled. He began to wonder if he had done something wrong. He never really new anymore. With Kelsey, he was on a ledge almost all the time. She was different, which he liked, but also wasn't used to.

"It's just that, well, I feel guilty hiding from everyone. Do your friends even know about us? Are you embarrassed about what we have?" she asked, her voice rushing words and her face flushed red in wonder.

Perhaps he had sent her the wrong signal. He had only wanted to protect her from the cruel world he endured almost daily. The students at Hogwarts were not nice; they were exactly the opposite. They could be cruel and critical of almost anyone joining the ranks of the elite. James, Remus, and Peter were the exception, but Sirius had wanted to hide her from even them. His past reputation as a womanizer was bound to be brought up and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

The entire popularity concept could quite possibly tarnish the wholesome, genuine girl he had grown extremely fond of over the past couple months. He wanted Kelsey to remain herself, to remain a free spirit. He had only been trying to protect her.

"I mean, finally something good happens to me and I have to keep it a secret," she said, her voice cracking slightly. She had been holding in the emotions for the past month. Despite all the good, the bad had been building up. She felt slippery tears stream down her cheeks.

"Hush," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. "If I was embarrassed of anyone, it would be myself. I haven't always been the greatest guy, you can account for that yourself. I just don't know if I'm ready to let you into the world I've become accustomed with. I like you just the way that you are and the people at this school will do anything in their power to change that."

She stared at him oddly, her sobbing momentarily ceasing as she listened to what he was saying.

"Girls at this school are savage," he insisted. "They're jealous, spiteful, and vindictive. I just wanted to protect you from them. I will never be ashamed of you, Kels. You should know that."

"I want to be part of your world," she told him. "We're in this together."

He looked down at her, her eyes desperately pleading for a chance to get to know the other side Sirius held within.

Reluctantly, he sighed and muttered, "There's a party tomorrow night. I can introduce you then."

Kelsey smiled and kissed Sirius, knowing now that the empty hole she had felt was now going to be filled. She was going to make friends.

.X.

"Kels, are you sure you're ready for that?" Dorcas asked as she brushed her teeth in the bathroom. The sixth year girls' dorm was empty that night as the annual gobstone's tournament was taking place.

Kelsey had gone to her sister's dorm to share the news. As she sat on Dorcas' bed, her brown hair sprawled out around her face, she smiled lightly, staring at the ceiling of the dorm happily.

"Of course I am," she insisted. "I've always wondered about Sirius Black's world, even though I rarely acknowledged good in him. I mean, I've always envied the popular life. I've never had that, Dorcas. This is a chance for me to actually become someone at this school."

"Does it really matter?" Dorcas asked, now washing her face in the white sink. "I mean, it's not really that great."

"That's easy for you to say," Kelsey muttered. "You've always been popular."

"I'm just saying that it's not as splendid as you're making it out to be," she told her sister, her matching brown eyes watching Kelsey seriously. "I mean, there are perks, but I've seen what can happen. If Sirius is exposing you to the wrong types of people, you could end up in more trouble than you could possibly ever want."

"You and Sirius hang around with a lot of the same crowd," Kelsey pointed out. "And why is everyone protecting me? I'm not a little girl, Dorcas. I'm your older sister. Don't you want to see me happy?"

Kelsey stood up melodramatically from her sister's bed and walked towards the exit of the dorm. "Are you worried that you won't always be the popular sister? That you might not always overshadow me? Because if that's what you're worried about, I'd have to say I really don't know you anymore."

Dorcas rolled her eyes as she settled into her bed, hearing her sister's thunderous footsteps stomp up the stairs in aggravation.

If she really wants to know, she'll have to find out for herself, Dorcas thought to herself bitterly before closing her eyes to fall asleep. The grass isn't much greener on the other side.

A/N: Just basically setting up for the next chapter. Not too short. Hope you liked it. Kelsey is undergoing some change right now if you haven't noticed. Please review with thoughts.