So hello everyone out there, me again.
This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter – so I'm sorry about that, but as I've said before, I do have the middle to end of this story all worked out, so the beginning may be a little rocky.
And THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has so far reviewed and liked my story, it means so much to me!
I'm currently working on another story and in some ways they're very similar so I find myself getting the two mixed up, but if you haven't checked it out, it'd mean a lot to me if you did, it's called Lyra :)
But anyways, on with the show I suppose…
She was at it again …
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sirius tried to pay attention to what Flitwick was saying. He knew he shouldn't have stayed up so late. James and he had finally perfected the model Quidditch pitch they'd been working on all summer. James was supposed to be using it to work out new strategies, but now that they had charmed the figurines to fly and talk, the boys found it much to entertaining to take it seriously.
Last night James and Sirius had given up on the model and gone to bed after the players refused to do as they were instructed, yelling up what they thought were better tactics instead. Sirius had just started to doze off when he heard shouting coming from the Common Room.
Yawning, Sirius had raised himself and looked around the room, frowning slightly when he saw Remus' bed empty, sheets not disturbed in the slightest. When the voices grew louder, Sirius moved to get out of bed, aiming to get closer, he had both feet on the floor when the voices stopped and the sound of footsteps on stairs replaced them. Sirius scrambled and had just managed to throw the covers back over himself when the door clicked open. Sirius shut his eyes quickly as Remus entered, mumbling under his breath.
'What I get for trying to help. Should just give up. She doesn't want my help? Fine, I won't help anymore.'
Remus was moving around the room, obviously trying not to make too much noise as every time he knocked into something, he shushed it as if it had got in his way on purpose. Sirius raised his head off the pillow ever so slightly to better hear Remus but after a few more undecipherable comments the mutterings stopped.
Remus' shuffling continued long enough for Sirius' mind to become cloudy again and he couldn't be sure but when Remus finally moved to his bed, Sirius could have sworn he heard the young werewolf sigh and mumble to himself, 'It's her… you'll help.'
Stifling another yawn, Sirius turned to the window. The last dregs of summer warmth were coming to an end as they moved further into autumn. The sun shone but the grounds seemed to be bathed in a soft, shimmering haze that hinted at the true temperature.
The sound of laughter drew Sirius' eyes away from the dark trees of the Forbidden Forest and down to the lawn near Hagrid's Hut.
A group sat on the grass trying, no doubt, to soak up as much of the afternoon sun as possible. From this height and angle, Sirius could only make out the tops of their heads but Sirius knew who he was spying on.
Another burst of laughter drifted up to him as a blonde figure tumbled a bit down the lawn. Marlene McKinnon, pulling herself to her feet, met her friend's laughter with a rude gesture that even had Sirius stifling a chuckle, before replanting herself next to a still shaking figure. Marlene gently shoved the reddish-brown haired figure and after a few more seconds, Toria Enouire's shoulders finally settled into their usual, slightly hunched posture.
Remembering the night before, Sirius focussed fully on Toria. There was no one else he knew who could get under Remus' skin so easily. The only times the boys had seen Remus even slightly off balance was anytime around the Full Moon or just before or after having spent time with Toria.
Sirius had, of course, heard the rumours that has started to circulate throughout the school two years ago after Remus and Toria had returned to the start of their fifth year a week later than everyone else. When the two both appeared at the Gryffindor Table on their first day back, it wasn't their lateness that had everyone talking, it was what they had all been reading in the lead up to the reappearance of the two. The fact that Remus and Toria looked like death warmed up didn't help matters.
To both their credit, they had both tried to remain in good spirits, but they would still glances to each other every now and then and those glances, more so in Remus' case, were full of worry and what looked like hesitation. More than once during the weeks following their return, James, Peter and Sirius would wake to find Remus' bed empty and hardly touched. Later, Remus and Toria could be entering the Great Hall for breakfast together. For the most part they tried to act normally and tried to ignore the whispers that followed them as students around the castle hid behind spread newspapers.
A week before the start of his fifth year, Sirius had arrived in the basement kitchen to find his mother smirking cruelly at him. Orion Black was frowning at his paper, but not from anger. Sirius knew that frown well, his father was desperate to say something, something Sirius doubted he would like very much.
Trying to ignore the both of them, Sirius reached across the table for the juice when his eyes landed on that days copy of The Daily Prophet that sat next to the jug. He balked at the headline.
PROMINENT FAMILY DEAD AS HOME TARGETED
Underneath the headline was a moving picture of a glowing symbol, a skull with a snake uncoiling from it's mouth. The symbol was illuminated even more against the dark background of the picture as it hovered over a house, a house Sirius found slightly familiar.
It was only when he'd skimmed the bi-line that he placed the house.
Home of Magizoologist Norman Enouire and wife, Estania Enouire, targeted in Death Eater attack. Both died in the attack, they are survived by their daughter who escaped the attack.
Forgetting the juice, Sirius leaned back into his seat, his chest felt painful as he looked across to his parents.
Walburga Black, straight backed and lips tight in a smirk pulled her eyebrows together as she regarded her son.
'Whatever's the matter?'
Sirius merely blinked.
Walburga glanced at the paper. 'Oh yes, that.' She poured herself another glass of water. 'I heard that the wife worked at some sort of muggle establishment.' She took an eager sip, it seemed that she was trying to swallow the distaste that she was so clearly feeling.
Sirius was trembling.
Walburga opened her mouth again but then she met Sirius' eyes, and whatever she saw there made her huff. Her mouth, if it were possible, became even tighter, her lips turning a horrible shade of white. She snatched the paper and held it up to him, that glowing symbol leering at him from across the table.
'This is what happens to people like this!' She hissed. 'Is this what you want, to be killed outright, in the middle of the street like a stray dog!'
Sirius couldn't do anything but sit, still frozen with his arm slightly ajar, as if his body was still expecting to resume its path to the jug and hadn't realised the chaos that was now gripping his mind.
Walburga's eyes held something akin to desperation kindled with fury, they flamed dark but the crease between her brows was not completely cold and malice. She loosed a short breath and placed the paper back down on the table with surprising gentleness.
'Do you really want to be hunted down for the rest of your life simply by associating with people like this, Sirius?'
'Hunted down be people like you, you mean.'
Orion Black slowly lowered his own paper, his grey eyes swirling like thunderstorms as he raised a single eyebrow to his son.
'Watch yourself boy.'
Sirius stood, the veins in his arms tensing.
'I would rather spend the rest of my life being hunted by people like you than join you.'
It took Sirius two days to recover from the consequences of his outburst. He hadn't heard from Remus since the start of the holidays. Those two days confined to his bed broke Sirius' resolve and he'd written Remus two letters a day until he had sent an answer. And Remus' reply was painfully short.
I'm fine, not hurt, at Mungo's, talk soon,
Remus
He didn't know how long he frowned at that letter, if you could call it a letter.
At Mungo's.
The attack had been a little over a week ago. They were still at Mungo's. Were the Healers there just being cautious and keeping Toria longer than needed? Maybe she just wasn't ready to leave yet. Sirius hardly knew the girl, he had no idea how she'd react to having lost both parents, in the same night, at the hands of the same group of murderers. Something deep inside him twisted at the thought and he fought the sudden urge to owl James. But Remus was there, at Mungo's, with Toria, and he wasn't hurt.
Sirius looked down at the group of girls, he watched the way she sat, shoulder forward as if shying away from something, every so often she would look around. The way she moved, it appeared to Sirius that she might have seen something or someone out the corner of her eye, but there was nothing and no one there except for the girls.
A week after Remus had sent that crumpled piece of parchment school had started up again, it was another week before Remus returned to Hogwarts, along with Toria.
The bell sounded for the end of the lesson. Sirius stood and started packing his things away. He took one last glance out the window whilst packing his books. He froze.
Toria's friends had left her, presumably going to whatever class they had next. But it wasn't the fact that Toria's friends had seemingly abandoned her that made him pause, it was who had replaced them.
From where they now stood, Sirius could no longer see Toria's face, but by the way she was standing, slightly stiff with her hands firmly by her sides, he guessed that she was no longer smiling. But Regulus was.
XXXXX
'I thought you didn't want to be seen with me?'
'And you want to be seen with me?'
She didn't smile, but she didn't frown either. What she did do was shake her head and move around him. She'd be damned if she was going to be late for a class within the first week.
Last time they talked, Regulus had made it abundantly clear that if she were wise, she'd stay away from him. She ground her teeth, she would have gladly headed his advice, if it weren't from his constant reappearances.
She heard the crunching of grass underfoot from somewhere behind her. She tried to ignore those footsteps as she strode towards the sound of chatter and laughter.
'I see you haven't lost your favoured line of defence!'
Toria smirked as she heard the slight breathlessness in his voice. The closer she seemed to be getting to the school's courtyard the quicker those footsteps behind her seem to get and soon she could see Regulus striding alongside her.
'Will you slow down!'
'I don't want to break my promises.' She gave him a sidewards, smug, look. 'I know how you hate that.'
Regulus scowled at her.
They were ten paces from the courtyard walls now and Toria finally started to breathe a little easier when suddenly she was grabbed and spun around.
Regulus quickly let go of her arm, as if he'd been burnt, or electrocuted. She merely looked at him.
'I have something to tell you.'
She rose an eyebrow.
'You're not safe.'
Her eyebrow fell, along with the rest of her face. Her features arranged themselves into a positively bored expression.
Regulus, who had been looking rather unsure up till this point, took a step forward. 'Look, I'm trying to help, here.'
'Why?' Her voice matched her face perfectly.
He faltered.
'Look, I know you're the one who set up our previous arrangement of ignoring each other, but I've become rather fond of it.' She smirked. 'Give it time, it'll grow on you as well.'
Toria didn't wait for Regulus to collect himself before turning and making the rest of the way into the now-crowded courtyard. She didn't look back, she didn't need to see his face to know how pissed Regulus was.
Thoughts? Likes? Dislikes? General, worldly observations or insights? I don't care but I'd love to hear it either way :)