Evelyn, since she was 16 years old, had gone to many different doctors. Doctors to help her cope, self-actualize, decompartmentalize, and to deal. She had learned hundreds of different coping mechanisms, none of which seemed to ever help her. Despite all the doctors, hypnosis, past life regressions, mediation, no one and especially not Evelyn, had ever been able to figure out why she just snapped one day.
While the doctors never helped, they did teach her enough, so as this strange man who appeared out of thin air, and threw a stick across the room as a sign of trust, began to tell her a long, detailed, insane story, she was able to sit quietly and cope with what she was hearing.
The man talked excitedly, going back and forth in time, remembering details as he went along. He paced the room and had three cups of tea while Evelyn sipped at one. He looked pained in the right spots and smiled and even laughed once when it was necessary. He told a story, a story of himself and a story of Evelyn.
A story that couldn't be possibly be real. Wizards, and motorbikes, and spells, and muggles whatever those were. But there was some elements of truth in there like the behavior of her mother or her old job in the coffee shop or the guitar she found in the room or the fact that the mysterious boy in the picture was standing in front of her as a man, and telling her it was all true. Maybe it was true. Maybe she wasn't crazy, maybe she was cursed. Actually, physically cursed.
"Eve?" The man stopped to ask. "You're not saying anything."
Evelyn thought for a moment. What could she possibly say. Finally she said, "well, Magic doesn't exist."
Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "Of all the things," he muttered. "It does exist. That's easily enough shown."
"Did you show me then?"
"No."
"How were you building a flying motorbike and never showed me magic?"
"I kept it hidden. It's forbidden."
Evelyn frowned. It couldn't be true.
Certainly she'd remember something like magic. She placed her head in her hands and tried to be rational. She should kick this man out of her flat and call the police. But, what if it's true. What if this was why it all never made any sense?
She stared at the man and for the first time realized that he was still really handsome. He looked at her, full of concern. His eyes were grey and reminded her of a stormy night sky, of the peak of a star behind the clouds. Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest one in the sky. Someone once told her that. Whenever she saw it in the sky, she always felt a rush of emotion. It flooded through her now. A sudden urge came over her and she moved closer to the man.
She tentatively reached her hand out to touch his face. His reaction was to jerk at first but then he relaxed. She couldn't hold herself back and she leaned forward and lightly, so very lightly, she pressed her mouth against his. After a moment, a whole new flood of emotion ran through her and she gasped.
Images flitted through her mind so quickly she was almost dizzy. Staring at the stars, picking a lock, sleeping under a tree at a party, kissing this boy at the auto shop. More terrible images of a vicious woman,
terrible pain and confusion. With that she let go of Sirius and all of the images stopped.
"I...I think remember." Evelyn said as the tears started falling.
As Evelyn kissed him, Sirius felt a similar rush of emotion as he let himself be carried off by her touch. It was like he was 16 again. He would never let go. Not if he could help it. He watched the tears stream down her face and thought to himself: it was just like being 16. He was being reckless and putting her in danger too.