Lily, Emmeline, and Peter apparated on Diagon Alley. Nobody looked at the three of them suddenly materializing in a swish of robes. After living in such a muggle-like inhabitance, this, the fact that no one looked twice to see three people suddenly appearing in the middle of the busy street, made Lily so happy. She was back in the wizarding world. Though she loved her parents very much, and though she had grown up in a muggle existence, the magical world was Lily's home, and where she felt at home.
The three of them walked through the streets until they finally reached an apartment building with a rickety sign reading Dragon's Drive Apartments. This, Lily remembered, was the name James had said the building was called.
"I think this is it," she said to her friends and they nodded in agreement.
It wasn't a lavish palace, but it was a nice, moderate, working-class looking apartment complex with modern flourishes here and there. There was a huge statue of a Dragon breathing fire in the front garden. Lily skirted this statue. It creeped her out.
The three of them walked silently up into the building, and Emmeline went to go ask the desk manager where they were staying.
"Hello," said the concierge in a falsely polite voice.
"Hi." said Emmeline briskly, "We're here to visist our friends. Do you happen to know what room they're staying in?"
The concierge looked down at a large notebook where the apartment records were kept, "What did you say their names were?"
Emmeline bristled, she was losing patience, "I didn't. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter."
The concierge looked up, smiling, "They're in a room 347, hallway 2. Let me buzz you up."
Remus answered the buzz and replied that they could be sent up.
The three of them made their way up the stairs, thankfull that they were traveling light. It is no mean feat to go up three flights of stairs.
They finally reached room 347, and Lily knocked, her heart pounding. She was going to see James!
"Lily!" James threw open the door, and picked her up in an overenthusiastic-to say the least-hug.
Lily laughed, breathless, "It's so good to see you, Jamie." then, realizing, she was still in his arms, she told him to set her down. Remus and Sirius were standing behind James. Remus stepped forward to give Lily, Emmeline, and Peter a hug, but Sirius hung back, staring at Emmeline broodingly.
She stepped over the threshold, and went to go hold his hands, "Hi, Sirius."
"Hello, Emmeline." Emmeline didn't miss how formal and cold the greeting sounded, and her face looked wounded.
"Sirius-" but before she could finish, Sirius burst out in anger.
"Dammit, Emmeline! Why didn't you write to me? I'm sitting here, sick with worry about what's wrong with you, whether you don't want me anymore, and now you think you can just waltz in here and take me back. Well you can't." Sirius turned away from her, anger blazing in his eyes. The rest of their friends were staring openmouthed in shock, not knowing what to do.
Tears coarsed down Emmeline's cheeks, "Sirius, don't be like that! Don't you remember our converstion? My dad doesn't like owls, so you said you'd buy a telephone, and then you said you'd write to me telling me your telephone number."
Sirius turned around, his face looking like sun breaking through storm clouds, "So...so it was just..."
"A misunderstanding, yeah."
He let out a shaky laugh, "God, that's so stupid!"
She smiled, "Yeah, it is."
With nothing more than this stimulating conversation, the two of them kissed, feeling like they were soaring. Sirius's hands rose from her lower back until they were entangled in her hair, and Emmeline pulled him closer until you could see nothing between them. He was a huncher, and she was an archer, so her body fit the cavity of his perfectly. As if they were made for each other. Emmeline finally broke away, seeming to remember that Lily, Remus, James, and Peter stood watching them. A deep scarlet blush crept all the way from her chin until it disappeared into her black hairline. Sirius, on the other hand, just grinned, looking extremely pleased with himself.
James cleared his throat, "Well, that was...well, wow."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Hey, you're not allowed to talk, Prongsie, after the way you mauled Lily at the front door."
Now it was Lily's turn to blush, but James just beamed, looking particularly humerous in his pleasure at how much he loved Lily.
The five of them stared at each other, smiling, until, without speaking made a group hug. After all, four weeks was a long time to be away from people who swore they would never leave you, not even for one moment.
--
Dorcas chewed her lip. She was frustrated. She was all alone in Marlene's house, while all of her friends were holed up at James, Sirius, and Remus's! How she wished she could be there with them instead of in this dead-boring house. Marlene was wonderful in every way, and she had always seemed like a substitute mother for Dorcas, ever since her own died, but it just wasn't fair that all of her friends were together, and she was left out.
--
Remus stared out at the moonlight, feeling slightly mournful. As he often thought as he stared at the moon, the thought crossed his mind that maybe he didn't deserve his life.
All his life, well, ever since the fateful bite, Remus had questioned if he was a good person. He always thought that he had done something wrong in his life, or maybe in a previous life to deserve it. But then when he came to school, and he found a new concept...friends...and what friends they were. Remus had always been confused...he was a werewolf. That was one thing he was sure about. But...did he deserve it? Did he really deserve the horrors? Or was someone out there trying to tell him that they were sorry for making him subject to this horrible thing by giving him the best friends someone could ever have? They promised to take care of him, to stay with him all his life, and he wondered if it was a great thing that he had these friends, but sometimes he felt doubtful and guilty. What if he shouldn't have these friends? What if he didn't deserve it?
The moon cast a hazy glow over the veranda that Remus was standing on. He stared into the twinkling stars wondering did he deserve his friends? Did he deserve his...what would a call it? A disease. An unending disease. The sounds of happy chatter reached his ears, piercing through his aching heart. Their voices were so carefree, so...so joyful.
"Moony?" James stood in the doorway, a worried expression adorning his face, "Are you ok?"
Remus plastered a fake smile on his face, "Yeah. I'm fine." he caught sight of James's skeptical face, "Fine." he repeated firmly.
James's eyebrows stayed furrowed but he seemed to accept Remus;s explanation, "OK..well come inside, it's freezing out here! Em went out to get some money from Gringott's, but the rest of us are going out ot dinner."
"Sounds good." as Remus followed James through the door he marveled at how normal life could be the further you went from reality.
--
a/n: if any of you have ever read the book Persepolis, what Dolohov said to Emmeline came from a scene in that book.
Sirius heard a knock on the door. It would be Emmeline. The others had gone out to dinner, so he and Emmeline would be alne. For the first time.
He opened the door apprehensively, "Hey, Em."
She swept past him, her hair in her face, "Don't look at me, Sirius, I look ugly."
He frowned at her tone, "You never look ugly."
She laughed derisively, facing away from him looking at the wall, "I always look ugly."
He kissed her shoulder, facing her back, "That's where you're wrong. You always look beautiful."
She turned, a maniacal look in her eyes, "Don't lie! I'm filth! Dirt!"
He gasped, "What's wrong with you?"
She let out a pained cry and sank down into a chair, tear tracks glittering on her face, "I was walking in the street, and I stopped in a deserted alleyway and Dolohov-"
"YOU WHAT?!" burst out Sirius, "You went into a dark, deserted alley, when...when you know what it's like-danger around every corner, Voldemort on the rise!"
"Sirius, please!" cried Dorcas.
Sirius turned and when he saw her tortured face, all the anger that had been blooming in his expression disppeared without a trace, and was replaced with sympathy, and he dropped down to a crouch beside her chair, "I'm so sorry, love." he dropped down to a breathless whisper, "What did they do to you?"
She sniffed, "It was Dolohov. You know, the boy who was in Sixth Year when we were in Seventh year. He's still in school!"
"What did he do?" he repeated, looking worried.
"He-he did the cruciatus curse on me and then said...he said that blood traitors like me who hang out with-with you-know-what's like Lily, should be pushed up against the wall, tortured, then thrown into the garbage!" she let out a huge sob, and collapsed into Sirius's arms, "Sirius, you can say the truth if you want. If you don't want to be with me, because I'm filth, then just say so."
He laughed, "Sweet, I'm more of a blood traitor than anyone! You're wonderful, and you know that I don't believe in all that rubbish! I promise nothing like that will ever come between us."
"You promise?"
He smiled, "I promise, love."
--
a/n: Sorry I haven't written in a while, but I've been grounded from the computer at home, so school is the only place where I can write, and opportunities are limited. More coming soon! Please review...
From Someone Special...
sparkling green
or are they grey?
perhaps a mixture
dancing colors muddled
All I know is that
when my vision is hazy
and clouded
your eyes shine through
piercing through all that hates
and all that hurts me
like a beacon of hope
filling me with
not only a glowing light
but with perpetual love
love is abundant in my heart...