Amour

Vingt-et-un

Sirius had just been minding his own business when he heard a smack on the record store's window. Looking up from the Tiny Dancer track casing, Elton John echoing around in the background, he went over to the glass panels. Lying, frail and twitching on the ground, was a little sparrow. Sirius looked at it through narrowed eyes, going round and out the back door to it, crouching down and faintly registering a bell clang as the one-way door closed. 

The bird was trying very hard to get up, but one of its wings must have been broken, as it couldn't seem to take flight. Sirius picked it up in cupped hands and it sat down in defeat. Making sure nobody could see him, he pulled his wand out from his belt, casting a simple healing charm on the Sparrow. He wasn't sure if it had worked, it was a human spell after all, because the bird still hadn't made an effort to get up. 

"Bonjour?" He shook his hands slightly, jostling the--possibly dead--creature. Hello?

Still nothing. Sirius picked it up--hopefully--gently, and brought its little beaked face level with his eye, waiting for a sign of something...

One of its tiny eyes opened, Sirius noted they were almost as strikingly amber as Remus', but no time for thinking about Remus now, because this bird wouldn't fucking leave. 

"Au revoir!" He threw it in the air, but it just came bowling back down into his hand like a tennis ball. Goodbye!

He was just about to try again, when the door came smashing open, recoiling harshly off the brick wall. Sirius snapped his head over to see Remus looking at him with wide eyes. 

"What the fuck are you doing back here! I thought someone kidnapped you, oh my God !" He said heavily, holding a hand by his heart. Sirius thought he would make a good McGonnagal. 

"Bird had fall." He held the little creature up in cupped palms, its beady head moving all around the place. 

"Wh-" Remus looked at him like he had three heads, eyebrows raised, "Well just leave it on the pavement, it'll fly off soon enough." 

He made a move to pick up the bird, but Sirius pulled it closer to his chest, "No!" 

Remus stopped, "No? Sirius, you can't have a pet bird for Merlins sake!" 

"I am naming Pamplemousse!" He grinned at it.

"Pamplemousse." Remus looked at him blankly, thoroughly irritated, "Pamplemousse!?" 

Sirius rolled his eyes and quickly put his wand to his throat, back turned to the highstreet, "Pamplemousse!" "Grapefruit!" 

"You want to call your bird, Grapefruit?" 

"Oui!" Yes! 

"Okay, keep the bird, but we do need to find a television to take." Remus said with a great sigh half way through. What harm was the little guy doing anyway? 

Sirius smiled so wide it ought to have hurt, and took off his coat, turning it around and wearing backwards so Pamplemousse could sit in the hood. People did send them looks as they walked down the road, but neither cared because,  

Sirius is happy, and Pamplemousse Pamplemousse oh PamplemousseI will keep you forever.

Luckily enough, Remus remembered where they had seen the television earlier and they obtained it easily. Undetectable extension charm on their bag was a very good call. The Disco ball was slightly more difficult, but there was a truck stopped at the end of the road with some very suggestive images on the side, and they managed to snag one from the back. 

Remus did have endure Sirius' questions, though.

"What are the poles doing?" He scrunched his eyebrows together.