Alpha, Beta
It's Sunday, and on Sunday, Mother insist they attend mass in a nearby church. The priest is old, and Sirius dislikes him nearly instantly; even more so when he sees him step on a man's shoes.
His mother orders him to pay attention, and he does, but the man on whose shoes the priest stepped has stood up, his hair fiery and red, and Sirius only has eyes for the boy that is standing next to him, with light-blond hair and patched-up trousers.
On the other side of the boy is a small woman, wearing a light, summery yellow dress, and Sirius can sense her discomfort rather than see it. However, as she turns to run her hand through the boy's hair, Sirius sees her smile.
Regulus whispers then that he can see through the back of the dress the woman in front of them is wearing, and Sirius is distracted for a moment.
The woman in the yellow dress is nice, Sirius thinks. She calmly stood and waited by the entrance when everybody made their way out at the end of mass, and she smiled at him when he gave her a curious look. Her smile was kind and said, I don't mind if you can't pronounce your D's properly.
Sirius feigns an interest in a nearby stained glass window; the boy and the red-haired man arrive. 'As-tu vu la statue, Remus?' she asks, and Sirius wrinkles his nose.
Remus. It's an odd name, he decides.
'Oui,' the-boy-called-Remus says, with a grin. 'C'est magnifique, tante Elaine.'
'Sirius,' Regulus calls then, from in-between the giant front doors, black hair flying wildly in the sudden wind. 'Mum wants you, come on!'
Sirius feels Remus's eyes on his back as he follows Regulus out.
Sirius is standing on slippery stone. He's staring at the far edge of the sea, wondering why the sun won't get a move on, but Kreacher, hovering over a nearby rock, says, 'Mistress wanted us to be back by seven,' in an accusing tone, and Sirius sighs, and nods.
On his way back, his feet slipping on sharp rocks covered with salty sea water, he sees a flash of light-blond hair.
'Kreacher, wait for me at the end of the path,' he orders, mindlessly, and turns to run back, Kreacher's wails of misfortune and Mistress lost in the wind.
Remus is standing there, his back to Sirius, dressed in the same white dress shirt he'd worn at the restaurant, only now it's clean, and its ends are billowing in the early morning wind.
It takes a few strides, and then he's standing next to Remus, looking out at turquoise again. 'Hello.'
Remus turns his head ever the slightest, looking at Sirius. Then the corners of his mouth pull up, and Sirius grins, as well.
Translations
- As-tu vu la statue, Remus?: did you see the statue, Remus?
- Oui, c'est magnifique, tante Elaine: Yes, it's magnificent, Aunt Elaine.