This is painfully short. I didn't have enough inspiration!!!!!! #.# Anyway, thanks to my two reviewers and their support.
"Hi there. Do you live there?" The little girl smiled at him.
He looked up at her with a scowl. He was used to looking at people this way.
But instead of scowling back, the six-year old girl smiled even more, sitting down beside him on the dirty side of the pavement.
The boy, who was the same age, was confused at this.
Nobody ever smiled at him that way. So cheerfully, so kindly.
Not in pity, not a fake smile that meant nothing. A real one, one filled with sweetness and joy.
"What's your name?" She had asked.
He told her.
"Hey, -------, do you want to be friends?" She then asked, her face full of childish anticipation.
It made him feel warm inside.
He nodded, and she pulled him up. She invited him to play with her in her parent's yard. For the first time, he felt happy.
"What's your name?" He asked eagerly.
"My name is ----! I'm so glad you became my friend! I love you, ------!" She exclaimed.
Although they were only kids, although he had already forgotten her name and her face, he remembered what she'd said.
He knew it was said out of childish excitement, and he knew she didn't mean it that way, but he now wished it did.
He felt as though he'd never be happy again, not without her.
Because she had to go.
"Oi, wake up. I think this is the stop." Sirius shook Rose awake, and listening to the conductor's voice, she jumped up.
"Blimey, you're right. Hurry." She said, pulling him along.
They got out in time, and Sirius exclaimed, "What's with you?"
"Huh?" "You were muttering in your sleep again. Something about being your friend or whatever." Sirius said.
"Oh, just remembering something. It doesn't matter." Rose said.
Liar. The little voice popped in Rose's head, sounding coincidentally like Mare.
Bugger off.
You know how much that boy means to you.
Stop lecturing me or I'm not inviting you later. Wait, what the hell am I thinking?
The cold's getting to your brain.
You got that right.
(A/N: It was the Rose-Mare mind debate. It's weird to lecture yourself)
"I'm going." Rose said, slightly annoyed with herself as she walked out the apartment after an hour of lunch.
"Wait up for Mare." She said in a mock singsong voice, which earned her a projectile coming at her at high speed, though she didn't see what it was because of her self-defense behind the door.
She went out for a milk-shake for a while, waiting for the right time to go back.
As crazy as it was, more like, as bloody cold as it was, Rose never passed up a good vanilla cream or strawberry milkshake.
After a good thirty minutes, she went to a bathroom, and making sure the door was locked, she changed, even without help from the picture, and with the clothes she brought in her paper bag, she changed and then came out.
Sirius was bored. Thirty minutes felt like thirty hours. At times, he'd wish that Mare would come already, at other times, he'd wish that Rose would at least have stayed 'til Mare came.
Then, there was a knock on the door, and Sirius jumped up so fast that the couch he was lying on toppled over.
He hastily picked it up when he heard a familiar voice, saying, "Was that the couch I heard?"
He yanked the door open and found a widely smiling Mare standing in front of him.
"What, did you and the cushions have an argument while I wasn't here?" She grinned.
"Yes, they were saying you look like an old hag with your hair. They got what was coming." Sirius replied with mock seriousness.
"I'm sure." Mare drawled.
"Hey, how do you know Rose?" Sirius asked.
Mare turned slightly blue (No, only slightly, like sick), and sighed.
"We… We go way back. She's the only one who knows the truth. About… about me." She replied quietly.
"Everything about you?"
"No, not everything."
"I have to go with my foster parents. I don't know when I'll come back." She said.
He nodded silently and felt terrible. She was going away with her muggle foster parents. They couldn't play until she came back.
That is, if she came back.
As the nine-year old made his way back to his house, he stopped when he heard her voice.
He was tackled with a tight hug from behind, which reminded him of when his mother did the same, but only to protect him from his father's blows.
"I promise I'll come back soon. Don't forget to wait. I promise, ------." She said strongly.
He turned around and hugged her tighter, and though she couldn't see his face, she could hear his sobs, and feel the ragged wheezing in his chest on hers.
She smiled understandingly and let him hold on to her for a while, and she kept her arms around him.
"My friend… I love you -------." She said comfortingly.
Still, it was meant for a friend. But he wished it were meant seriously. He wished she still loved him.
"How did you get here?" Sirius asked Mare.
"My mom and dad are both muggle borns, so they stay around muggle places like this." Mare lied.
"Come to think of it, we aren't actually doing anything, are we?" Sirius said.
"Well you're right. I'm bored." Mare smiled, tumbling off of Rose's bed.
She sat beside Sirius on the couch and leaned on his shoulder, grinning.
Just then, both heard tapping on the window.
There it was, a snowy owl flecked with gray and black spots, tapping on the window.
Mare opened it and saw the on the envelope, the name Mare scrawled in bold, happy letters, the familiar handwriting of Belle.
"This is addressed to me." Mare said, waving the letter around.
"Let me see it." Sirius said.
"No." Mare smirked and opened the letter, reading with a renewed smile on her face.
Hey Mare,
How're you doing there? Hope Black hasn't driven you crazy yet. If you're snogging, give me all the juicy details. Hehehe.
So anyway, my parents got me to go to a Ministry celebration; you know my dad's an auror. I got to see Alastor Moody, you know, the one with that mad eye? I think that's what they've gotten around to calling him.
I got a whole lot of Christmas chocolate and a heck of a lot of presents from my dad's colleagues. Half of them, unfortunately, act like I'm five and give me kid's stuff. I'm only happy that most of the half got me sweets instead of toys.
Mad eye, you know, Moody, got me a cool thingy that he said would tell me if something bad was gonna happen in the next ten minutes, and will give me a clue as to what it is. Too bad it's not specific.
It kind of looks like a small sphere with a mirror in the middle that reflects things that hint what'll happen to you.
A star kept appearing on mine, but I didn't know why.
Turns out, in five minutes, I was hit on the head with the star on the Christmas tree and somehow got star sprinkles all over my clothes when someone knocked over the dessert table.
And so I must practice my comprehension skills.
Moody said that an auror is something I should take seriously, 'cause you know I want to become one. That reminds me, what about you?
You'd make a great auror with your skills.
Anyway, Happy New Year. And keep subtle.
Love,
Me, the self-proclaimed chocolate lover.
The night was cold, but comfortingly so. Sirius was sleeping soundly on the couch while Rose sat on her window ledge.
Cars passed by every once in a while, but otherwise, it was quiet enough for Rose to think.
Why did she dream about him again? That boy…
It had been a long time since she'd seen him. His face was a blur, and so was his name.
All she knew was that he was back where it started. He was where she lived before, with her parents.
The only one at the house now was her father's body, buried in the nearby field.
Rose hugged her blanket to her body and looked at the table. There it was: Her foster parents' gift for her, and the letters on top of it.
She got the letter from them and opened it carefully.
Rose, I hope you're having an okay time. Happy Christmas and New Year. I got news, though, and it might surprise you. Do you remember your old house? I heard that someone came back to the next house for Christmas, unlike before. That wizard boy you used to play with came back there, I think. Visit him; I think it will go well. Though I think I heard that his father died. Go visit your father too. The hospital told me that your mother has been improving since you came this morning. I do hope you and Destiny can have a nice long talk. I think that's all I have to say. Richard bids you good luck in school. Bye. –Frieda
Visit the old place? That's right, it's been nearly four years. She thought to herself. She wondered if Sirius would agree to come.
Come to think of it, he is sort of like a dog and I don't think they agree to being left alone. She grinned to herself, imagining Sirius being an obedient puppy that followed her wherever.
Somehow, new problems seemed to arise when old problems faded.
Just when she was forgetting about keeping her secret from Sirius, suddenly she had to cope with seeing her old friend again.
Would it really go that well?
I don't know if I'll start a second installment or continue on this story, so I'm taking a vote. What do you think? And want to take a guess at who the mystery friend is? R&R, k?