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How It Should've Been

Chapter 11: Calm Before The Storm

Still Monday

The door was opened to reveal the navy room from the screen. Alex entered the threshold arrow drawn and bow aimed. She took slow steps into the room as Amelia entered behind her.

There was a bed against the right wall, and Alex could see there was a person lying in it. Taking a quick glance at Amelia, Amelia moved past Alex as the pair went over to the side of the bed, Alex pointing the drawn bow at the figure while Amelia directed her wand at the blankets before using a levitation charm to pull the sheets off the person and in seconds said person shot up into a crouching position on the bed.

It took a few seconds for the person to register what was happening and in just about the same amount of time Amelia realized who it was.

"Amelia?" Sirius wondered slightly shaken. Amelia's eye took on a certain softness.

"Sirius." She greeted with a small smile. Sirius's gaze turned to Alex who had lowered the bow and removed the arrow from the nock.

"Alex, wha-" He started and Alex immediately knew what he was going to say.

"Oh, don't play stupid with me. We both know you wanted me to find her." Alex cut him off. "I'll leave you to the reunion." She finished before turning and exiting the room, leaving Sirius and Amelia alone. Amelia grabbed Sirius's forearm and Sirius stepped off the bed and the pair looked at one another awkwardly.

"How'd you find me?" Sirius questioned with Amelia's hand still resting on his forearm.

"It was actually Alex that found you. Honestly, I don't even know why she came to me for help in the first place. Her friend found the house and she found you here in the room, which I still don't know how she did by the way." Amelia admitted causing Sirius to smile slightly at the last part.

"If it's one thing I know about Alex, it's that if she doesn't want you to know something, you won't. You will only see as far as she wants you to. Bloody annoying. So how have you been?" Sirius questioned trying to ease the pliable tension between them.

Amelia bit back a sarcastic remark before settling on, "Well. And you?" Sirius raised an eyebrow clearly noticing her lack of remark.

"As well as someone can be after being held against their will. You know, the usual." Sirius grinned. Amelia sent him a look.

"Sirius-" She started exasperated.

"Amelia, I cannot do this here." He sighed.

"Yes, can you not?" Alex remarked as she reentered the room. "Now if you've finished your awkward ass reunion, can we go now?" She finished. The duo turned to look at her. The hood and domino mask may have been down but it still seemed like they were seeing a mask. Her face held no emotion, while her eyes held slight annoyance at having to stay any longer in the house than necessary. Sirius and Alex's eyes met and he nodded.

"Yeah, yeah we can go." His voice devoid of its usual wit. Amelia removed her hand from his arm and walked past him before brushing past Alex, leaving the room. Alex looked after her but not moving from her spot by the door. Her eyes shifted to Sirius and raised an eyebrow in question, he sighed and he his jaw clenched for a second before he met Alex's eyes.

"It's fine. Just um- let's just go." He started walking towards the door but as he was about to pass Alex, she grabbed his arm and stopped him heading turning to look at him.

"Why'd you really want me to find her?" Alex questioned looking Sirius in the eyes looking for any form of an answer.

"I don't know." He admitted before slipping past and out of the room. Alex looked around the room one last time before looking to the camera in the far-left corner of the room and staring directly at it for a few moments before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

They arrived back at Potter Home, curtesy of Alex. Excusing herself, Alex went to her own study. Each of the houses occupants had their own study, bedroom and ensuite, with the study and bedroom being connected by a personal small living room area. Alex entered the door to her own study grabbing a paper before writing a quick note to Harry and sending it off in a flurry of flames.

Changing quickly into her more normal attire, black or grey slim jeans, a slim t-shirt and either a racer leather jacket or a bomber jacket, Alex left the room making her way to Sirius's study. The door was mostly closed and she was about to push it open and enter when she heard talking. Moving to the wall next to the door, Alex listened in.

"I don't know why you wanted Alex to find me Sirius but it doesn't matter. We both have much more complicated lives now and people who depend on us. We can't be those people anymore and we can't go back."

"No matter how much we want to." Sirius paused, taking a deep breath. "But we don't have to go back. Why can't we just try again now with us as who we are now? We're the same people!" Sirius argued trying to reason with her.

"But we aren't Sirius. We haven't been in a long time. And… honestly, you may still be that person, I don't know. That's the thing, I don't know." She paused, Sirius opened his mouth but she cut him off before a sound could escape it. "But I do know that I'm not that person. This isn't the time for this, and there may never be. I'm sorry. I'm glad your safe. And I'm glad you have someone to look out for you." Alex could hear the finality in her voice marking the end to the conversation and quickly moved behind the corner to be hidden from view as the door opened fully and Amelia hurried out walking down the hall and the stairs leaving the house.


Hogwarts

It took the staff of Hogwarts exactly 59 minutes to cancel the effects of Harry's prank. Which if one more minute had pasted the effects would've worn off themselves. They sent everyone to their dorms after everyone was assured that it just seemed like a harmless prank.

Harry, upon entering his dorm, spotted a note laying on his bed. Walking over, he picked it up and read it.

No problems and Padfoot is back to his rightful place. Looking forward to hearing what kind of hell you caused at RoR/H at N/SAT. -Alex

Harry smiled and was able to fully relax for the first time since Sirius "left". Grinning to himself, Harry put the note into his trunk and shut it seconds before the door opened.

"Ryder?" Came a voice drawing Harry's attention to the door to see Hermione peeking into the half-opened door.

"Hey yeah come in." He greeted as she entered the dorm and shut the door behind her before slowly approaching him, stopping a few feet away.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." At his confused looked she continued. "For how I acted with Luna earlier. It was uncalled for to act like that when you have no idea why." She apologized.

"Yeah, she-she explained everything to me. I wish I would've known, I wouldn't have sprung it on you like that."

"There was no way you could've." She assured him as she came to stand closer, leaning against the corner of his bed while crossing her arms.

"I hope it's not going to be cause any issues between us? Me being friends with her too." He clarified at her curious look. Her face showed her understanding.

"No, no it's fine. Who your friends with is your business. And I'll try to be civil with her." Hermione promised with a small smile.

"Thank you. I appreciate that." Harry smiled. "Anyway, it's probably good that you weren't in the Hall for dinner, with what happened."

"I heard about that. Everyone was amplified and speaking at least ten different languages, right?" She recalled from what she'd heard on her way back from the library.

"Yeah, so you kinda dodged a bullet with that one. Took the staff forever to fix it, it wasn't that bad once Luna and I just removed the amplification from ourselves."

"You understood what language the others got?" Hermione questioned incredulously looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"We got lucky, we both had French and thankfully we both already speak the language so, it wasn't too bad." Harry answered, Hermione nodded absently thinking.

"Well, I have something to finish up before bed, I'll see you tomorrow Ryder. Goodnight." Hermione started moving towards the door.

"Night." Harry replied as she opened the door and left. She was leaving wondering even more about the mystery that was Ryder Cage.


Potter Home, London

Once she knew it was all clear, Alex moved from her spot against the wall. The door to the study was open and Sirius hadn't seen her standing there so she knocked on the door frame. His head shot up from where it was resting on his hand.

"Hey." Alex entered the room slowly. "How you doing?" She questions quietly. Sirius leaned back in his chair and looked down at his hands before looking back up and answering.

"I'm alright." And at Alex's look he sighed and continued. "I'll will be. I just can't get over how easy it seemed. You found me in two days, not even fully. It just seems weird." Sirius shrugged.

"Yeah I know what you mean. But I guess we just take it as a blessing, that it was that easy. You know?" Alex tried to steer the conversation away. It wasn't difficult, lying about it. It was something Alex was used to doing with someone or another about something or another.

"Yeah, yeah you're right." He nodded in acceptance. "Hey, um, thanks for finding me."

"Anytime." Alex grinned as she turned and made her way back to the door but before completely leaving the room she addressed him again. "Oh, and hey, you're coming with me to see Harry Saturday. So, since it's Monday, you have four days to get back to your normal self. Noon!" Alex called as she left the room. Chuckling, Sirius picked up the picture that was sitting on his desk that Amelia left there. It was the one he put into the book. One of the things over the years that he looked at in hope of one day finding his way back to her again.

"Guess not." He frowned with sad eyes as he opened one of the drawers in his desk and set the picture in the drawer on top of a stack of pictures. Sighing he stood and turned to the accent shelf that was under the window behind the desk. It held a stack of books at on the right end and few glasses and a bottle of scotch on the left. The letter from before was sitting in the center, he picked up the letter he wrote to Alex and Harry before. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was coming, and this was just the start of it.

Thunder sounded from a distance which drew Sirius's attention. Looking up just in time to see several bolts of lightning fluttering across the darkened sky. This was the calm before the storm, that Sirius knew.


Feedback is always appreciated and I'll see ya next chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Happy Reading! -DS