Summer Holiday

Chapter 12

Sophie
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The first night in Grimmauld Place was the hardest. The amount of sleep Sophie achieved was non existent as she lay in her new bed, in her new room, and in her new home. Her mind wandered from image to image as she tried to forget the events that had taken place over the past week.

Three days had passed since her arrival and she still hadn't spoken a word to Sirius, and she was unsure what she could possibly say to him. As far as she knew he was a murderer. Professor McGonagall had reassured her he was not, but how could she be so sure?

The atmosphere was stiff in Grimmauld Place. Sirius had not pressured her for any answers, but she could sense the urgency emanating from him. They only interacted at meal times, the rest of the day Sophie spent in her bedroom either sleeping or sitting at the window watching passerby's.

Sophie was unsure with herself. She felt like the emotions she should be feeling weren't there. The numbness she felt was almost unbearable. It didn't matter to her that her father had almost beat her to death. All she wanted was to be left alone and forget everything that had happened. It had reached the point where she hadn't thought about any of her friends at all. On a normal day she always thought about what they were up to, or when they would write, but now she didn't care about anyone, not even herself. It felt as if her world had caved in, and all that was left was the bedroom she had confined herself to.

A few days had passed and Kreacher had informed Sophie it was time for supper. She pulled on a jumper and headed for the kitchen. When she arrived Sirius was already seated, and there was a plate of food waiting for her in her usual spot. She pulled the chair out and took a seat across from Sirius. The two of them began to eat their dinner in silence per usual.

"Are you settling in okay?" Sirius asked in between blowing on his hot food.

Sophie nodded quickly.

"Anything I can get for you? New decorations? Any bathroom products?" He asked before taking a bite.

Sophie shook her head quickly.

Sirius swallowed his food and let out a long breath. "I would just like to say a few words, and I won't bring it up again after." He paused. "I know that when a person goes through something like you have, it feels like there's no one you can talk to, or no one will understand what you've experienced, but I just want to let you know that there are people you can reach out to. When I was your age I went through a similar experience........my mother......." Sirius inhaled deeply and began to fiddle with his fork. "My mother used to hurt me." He looked at Sophie who was intently observing him. "I've got the scars to remind me." He began to roll up his sleeves which revealed heavily tattooed arms. "I tried to cover them up with tattoos." He traced his hand along his forearm and silver streaks began to show themselves. "I ran away from home at your age. Stayed with a dear friend of mine until I was of age. I truly believe I would be dead today if I hadn't made it out." He swallowed and intertwined his fingers and placed his elbows on the table. "It was this house to be quite frank with you." He let out a low laugh. "My point is, if you wanted to talk about what happened to you, I get it."

Sophie watched him closely. Up until now she had been weary of Sirius. She wasn't sure if she could fully trust him, and she had a hard time reading him. Now she felt herself feeling sorry for him. Now she felt that maybe he really did understand what she had suffered through, that maybe if there was someone who could understand even an ounce of what she had gone through it would be him. She wanted to speak, to tell him she appreciated his willingness to share something so personal with her, but she didn't know how to properly say it.

"Anyways," Sirius chuckled softly. "I didn't mean to ruin dinner." He picked his fork back up and took another bite. He chewed for a moment and then swallowed. "I feel that maybe I should give you my side of the story about my past. At least while we're on the topic of pasts."