Sister (slow updates)

Chapter Thirteen

The weekend arrived much quicker than I would have liked. I hadn't gotten the chance to speak to Sirius alone, and James insisted I go to Hogsmeade with them. After he shot down every protest I made, and a few curious looks from Sirius, I begrudgingly agreed. The morning of the trip, I stood in my dorm, struggling to find a satisfactory outfit. It was still nice outside, although it had been chillier in the mornings and evenings. I groaned in frustration, looking at the clothing strewn out across my bed. Lily stepped out of the bathroom, one eyebrow raised as she pulled back half of her fiery red hair with a ribbon.

"What's gotten your knickers in a twist this morning?" she asked.

"I can't find a single thing to wear!" I complained. "I want to look nice, because I'll be around Sirius all day, but I don't want to go overboard!"

Lily walked over and surveyed the choices that littered my bed. She finally grabbed a light blue skirt from my pile, handing it to me. "I have the perfect top that you can borrow. And wear socks that go at least just above your knees, so you don't get too cold. Oh, and I'll do your hair! You'll look stunning!" She rushed over to her trunk, grabbing a small white top.

Once I had changed into the outfit, socks and shoes and all, Lily messed with my long, dark hair, managing to tame it enough that I did look halfway decent. "All done," she stated, smiling as she looked at our reflections in the mirror.

"You think he'll like it?" I asked.

"He'd be a fool not to."

"It's not too much, is it? I mean, it's just Hogsmeade with my brother and his friends. I don't want James being suspicious of anything more."

"Josie, please, you look perfect. Not too little, not too much." She walked away before I could say anything more, grabbing our handbags and handing mine to me.

We walked down the stairs of the girls' dorms towards the common room, talking about what all we had planned for the trip. When we stepped out into the common room, I could hear James and Sirius immediately. I found them standing by the fireplace, waiting for me. Remus was the first to see me, waving me over. I said my goodbyes to Lily as we headed our separate ways. As soon as he saw me, Sirius paused. James was still talking to him, trying to explain a new prank idea, but Sirius was no longer listening. He was looking at me. I noticed Remus look between us, and I turned my attention away from Sirius.

"Jamie, quit yapping and let's get a move on!" I laughed, walking over and nudging his arm.

"Oh, there you are!" He looked at me for a moment, taking in my outfit. "You look good today. Someone to impress?" He cocked an eyebrow and gave a quick glance toward Remus, who was still watching Sirius curiously.

"What, no! James!" I rolled my eyes, shoving my twin's shoulder. I snuck a glance at Sirius, who had just noticed Remus watching him and quickly moved his attention off me. I turned back to James, trying to focus on how I could get Sirius alone. I just needed to talk to him, really. That was all. Talk. But James seemed to have big plans for our day spent down in the village. He practically had an entire itinerary prepared in his head, which he felt the need to inform us of as we made our way down to the entrance hall. I had tuned him out about five minutes in, opting instead to glance over at Sirius, who merely pretended to be absorbed in James' plan while watching me carefully. Remus nudged my shoulder.

"Talk to him," he whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh don't you play innocent with me, Jocelyn Potter. I know you like Sirius. And he very clearly seems to have taken a liking to you. He hasn't stopped staring at you since you left the girls' dorms."

"He does not!" I whispered. "Sirius would never in his life like someone like me. I'm nowhere near his type. You and I both know that, Remus."

"I'm just saying, you should talk to him. I'll distract James while we're in Hogsmeade."

"I can't," I groaned quietly. "I can't possibly talk to him. I'll just embarrass myself."

"Jocelyn," he sighed softly, glancing towards my brother and Sirius for a quick moment. "You'll never know unless you try. And believe me, you want to try. Otherwise, you'll probably spend the rest of your life wishing you had."

"What are we whispering about?" I jumped. Peter had appeared next to us, when he had just been on the other side of the hall listening to James.

"Nothing," I stated, giving Remus a quick look before turning my gaze away. I chanced a glance over at Sirius, who was still watching me.

"Padfoot, are you even listening to me?" James asked exasperatedly. Sirius looked away from me and back to his best friend.

"Sorry, Prongs. Other things on my mind today, I guess," he shrugged. He shot me a quick glance, catching my gaze. He looked away as soon as he realized I had seen him.

When we finally got to Hogsmeade, James dragged our group of five into the joke shop first. While they got what they needed, I browsed the shelves. It hadn't really been my thing in a long time, pranks and jokes. It was always something James did. Things had been different when we were young though. James and I, partners in crime, always getting into trouble together. Everything changed when we started at Hogwarts.

"Find anything interesting?" I whipped around and came face-to-face with Sirius, who had been standing a lot closer than I expected. We were standing in a far corner of the store, no one else paying us any mind as they found what they wanted and moved on. It was so packed throughout the store, and I had already been growing more and more anxious.

"Oh, uh, I was just... I just wanted... uh the people- people are everywhere," I stuttered out, pressing myself closer to the corner.

"Are you okay? Do you need to stand outside? Can I help? Do you need James?" he asked, taking a small step back to give me space.

"Yeah, I- I uh think I'll go wait outside. Tell James for me, yeah?"

"I'll come with you," he offered. Then added quickly: "That way you don't have to stand alone."

"Oh, okay," I responded softly. He held out his hand toward me and I hesitantly took it, letting him lead me out of the crowded store.

"Did you not want to buy anything?" I asked once we'd made it outside. He held up a bag.

"I only needed a few things. Got through the line pretty quickly," he explained with a shrug.

We stood at the mouth of a small alleyway between Zonko's and another small shop, silently watching all of the people milling about. Sirius had his arms crossed, leaning one shoulder against the wall next to him. His hair fell across his face as he tilted his head and looked at me. He flipped it back a little, not taking his eyes off my face. They slowly migrated down a little further, catching sight of the bruising around my neck, which had finally begun fading.

"If you ever need to talk, Joss, I'm always here," he said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence we had been sitting in. "James doesn't have to know anything we talk about. It can always just be between the two of us, just say the word."

I paused, looking at Sirius, my heart thundering in my chest. That was the moment. The moment I had to tell him the truth, tell him how I felt. And in a split second, that moment was gone. James was calling for us, walking around the corner and appearing in front of us. I looked away from Sirius, my stomach dropping. I had, once again, missed my chance.
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Hello hello another chapter! I really need to get back to actually writing soon because I'm starting to run out of finished chapters to post..

Anyway I spent all of last night and most today listening to Red (Taylor's Version) and crying. I hope you liked this chapter. Things are getting a bit more intense between Jocelyn and Sirius huh ;)