Well, this has had a better reaction than I thought, hopefully it won't all go down the drain! Thanks twelve times over to amattsonperdue and JustMeAndADream for being my very first reviewers for this story! You guys are great! Hope you enjoy the next chapter. Chow! L.S.
amattsonperdueJustMeAndADream
Chapter 2. Naming the Constellations; A Dog and a Fox
A twelve year old girl silently climbed out of her window with precision and skill. Her footsteps inaudible to the naked ear as she padded across the rooftop of her home. She leaped skillfully onto the top of rose trellis and used the side as a ladder, careful not to bend even one crimson rose out of place. The girl sprinted across the tainted emerald blades of grass, in the dark the yard appeared a forest green with a midnight blue glaze added to the mixture. The girl expertedly avoided the glow of every street lamp on her road and made her way to a familiar playground.
A boy who appeared the same age as the young girl, sat on a swing that was swaying gently in the moonlight. A soft smile formed on the girl's lips as she silently collapsed next to the boy in a swing of her own. The two remained silent for several minutes, their swings squeaking audibly as they swayed back and forth.
"About time," the boy announced suddenly, his voice playful and teasing, "I almost thought you had forgotten about me, Vulpe."
"Impossible," the girl responded softly as she glanced at the boy, "I had trouble getting out. Rabastan and Rodolphus were teasing me about being such a goody-goody again."
"If only they knew," the boy teased with a grin upon his face, he shook his head in amusement, "I can't believe we'll be second years this autumn. How do you survive in Slytherin?"
Vulpe didn't respond to the query, a stoical expression replaced the warm smile that was reserved for the boy. A pensive frown formed on her lips, but Vulpe made no move to answer her mate's question. A shuffle of shoes on gravel joined the high pitch squeal of the swings and Vulpe felt the boy's hands wrap around her own before a heavy weight landed upon her lap.
"What did the hat tell you, Vulpe?"
"I'm not a Slytherin, Sirius," Vulpe informed the boy with a heavy sigh, "I'm just not."
"Do you regret telling the hat that you needed to be in Slytherin?" Sirius inquired with an expression of curiosity.
Vulpe didn't respond - she didn't need to. Her crystal blue eyes glazed over with unshed tears was all the answer Sirius needed. Wordlessly, Sirius stood from Vulpe lap and he pulled her away from the swings. Lacing their hands together, with their fingers interwoven, Sirius led Vulpe up the stairs of the play set where a swirling slide as well as a wavy slide played host to young children during the day.
The two sat on the wavy slide, Sirius's arms wrapped firmly around Vulpe's waist. Sirius was leaned back against the slide, his elbows supporting himself and Vulpe, who was leaned against his chest. Their feet were firmly planted against the slide, stopping them from slipping down the wavy piece of plastic. A comfortable silence ensued between the two as they listened to the crickets and the bull frogs of the nearby pond.
"There, you see that group of stars?" Sirius inquired softly, pointing skyward with one hand before returning it to Vulpe's waist, "That's me - or rather, what I was named for - the Dog Star!"
Vulpe smiled happily before pointing skyward as well, "That constellation there? That's Vulpecula - the Fox Star."
"What is it with purebloods and constellation names?" Sirius questioned jokingly, before pointing skyward once more, "The Big Dipper is just there, see it?"
"Where?" Vulpe inquired, her eyes scanning the midnight blue sky with curiosity as well as interest.
"Here, it's there, see?" Sirius responded, grabbing Vulpe's hand within his own and tracing the constellation with their fingers.
Vulpe smiled warmly and gently nodded as their hands fell, "This is nice, I'm glad we can just...talk like this, Sirius."
"Me too," Sirius agreed with a heart melting grin, his dark chocolate colored eyes bright with happiness, "We can do this every summer, Vulpe."
"Every summer?" Vulpe inquired softly, tilting her head sideways to glance up at Sirius as she raised an eyebrow.
"Every night," Sirius added, as a playful smile formed on his lips, "Unless you think you'll get caught or can't handle it!"
"Every night of the summer?" Vulpe repeated pensively as she turned her gaze forward once more, "Won't you be tired if we stay out every night? Our parents would get too suspicious if the two us both began to appear weary."
"Alright, every Wednesday and Saturday, then," Sirius amended with a teasing grin, "Unless you don't want to, that is."
"Wednesdays and Saturdays, then," Vulpe agreed with a smile, shaking her head gently in amusement, "As long as you don't say or do something stupid to get us caught, Sirius."
"Hey, it's you we have to worry about," Sirius informed her with a goofy grin, "Regulus is as thick as a rock, at least your brothers have a cup full of brains...not a very big cup, but brains are brains."
Vulpe giggled joyfully causing Sirius to be thrown into a fit of laughter as well. Sirius had always believed that Vulpe's laughter was more contagious than a bad case of Dragon Pox. He soon learned that it was one of the numerous things about Vulpe he would miss during their time at Hogwarts. A time where Vulpe could not afford any mistakes and conversing with Sirius who was deemed a 'blood traitor' would definitely qualify as a 'mistake' in the Lestrange's emotionless eyes.
I think I'm getting better at the lengths and hopefully Vulpe doesn't appear to be a "Mary-Sue". Sorry, if she is, I think I have a bit of a problem with creating a character without over doing it. Well, I think two updates in a day is enough! Hum...I can still remember my first long story...I updated like three times a week...then I stopped writing so much...thankfully, I plotted this one completely out in my blue spiral notebook and not on my computer where it could be deleted! On any note, hope you enjoyed, thanks for the reviews!
xoxoxo,
L.S.