Astrophile [J.P]

Chapter 72

~ All these precious moments that we carved in stone,

Are only memories after all, memories after all. ~

***

Sirius went to search for his short tempered cousin after the meeting and found her sitting by herself on the stairs. Her hair were wet which meant she had taken the bath first thing after the meeting ended.

Though the surprise he had planned for her didn't entirely go as he had expected, since there was a red mark on his nose from the snuffbox she had thrown at him, still he was very relieved to see her safe and sound after so long.

Fourteen years was a hell of a long time and so far he could see she hadn't changed much. The only difference was that she looked older than he last remembered and her hair had greying streaks, probably due to stress.

Other than that she was Felicity, his cousin who he really enjoyed to annoy anytime he got the chance.

"You're still angry with me for that trifle?" He sat down on the stairs beside her while she turned her back towards him evidently scowling.

"It wasn't a trifle, for Merlin's sake. You were an Animagus this entire time and i didn't know about it... You were the one who pretended to be Rem's pet at Hogwarts and the audacity of you to keep going with the act... And you turned up at my house that night, didn't you? That's exactly why Rem had freaked out the day after when I told him a black dog showed up in the storm... It was you all along. Not to forget, back at school you even ate my homework more than twice... The nerve of you, Black, if you hadn't been through enough already I would have hexed you on the spot!"

He didn't say anything, letting her resume because he knew it would be better if she got it all out instead of bottling her anger within herself.

"Of course I am angry at you," she sighed, concluding her deductions at last, "what else did you expect? You ate my homework... And kept tricking me into believing you were just a dog..."

He really wanted to laugh on how she was more worked up on the fact that he had eaten her homework out of all the other things. "Felicity, come on, you're making a fuss out of something which happened more than fourteen years ago. That's childish."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically, "oh really? So you repeating it all after fourteen years was a very mature thing to do, in your opinion?"

He slammed his hand on his forehead, "honestly, I can still not understand how the hell James even tolerated you."

"You should have asked how the hell I tolerated him instead," her reply was immediate.

"All I'm trying to say is that I was just joking. I had no intentions of making you so angry. That was just a harmless prank on my side," he stated, trying his best to make amends.

He had met her after so long and even though he had kept his tradition of annoying her, he didn't want her to be that angry.

"And what have you got to say about your said harmless prank executed continuously in our school days?"

He sighed, "it started off as a prank but then... I figured you just needed a pet too bad so..."

Blue eyes flashed in a warning, "don't you dare cross the line, Black..."

"Oh come on, first you want me to explain then you give your characteristic threats. Look, I did that to piss James off and he couldn't tell you it was me so I kinda had an advantage in that situation. But then James too noticed that your playtime with a newly found dog relieved your mood a lot so it stayed that way."

She finally turned to look at him, "basically you did that just so James would have less chances of being insulted in public by me."

He shrugged, "you can put it that way because it's so clear you're never gonna look at the positive side. Ever."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically at him, "what positive side can there be in this?"

"Well... For starters, you remained a lot less angsty. Your mood would improve a great deal. And I think you do remember after Uncle Alphard's death..." But he left the sentence deliberately incomplete, noticing the glare she had sent his way, "still if you can't see the positive side, then we can leave it be."

She kept silent considering his words. Of course after her father's death she had been heavily disturbed. At that time, Sirius's Animagus form had been the cause of a remarkable recovery in her.

"I still hate you," she remarked.

"But you do love Snuffles, can't deny that."

"Stop smirking like a buffoon, I hate that smug look on your face."

"Woof woof," he teased, unable to let go of the opportunity to annoy her.

Just like the old days.

"Sirius... Stop it," she threatened.

"Would you pet me if I did turn back into Snuffles?"

"Ew, no. It's cold already and I can't afford to take another bath."

"Aw, Fel, I ain't that disgusting."

She shook her head, "FYI, you are being disgusting at the moment. No wait, that's so you all the time. Absolutely disgusting."

He winked, "many people would disagree with that remark."

Her eyes narrowed in irritation, "screw you and your oh so charming personality, Sirius Orion Black. It's no wonder you're out of Azkaban. You'd be thrown out of any place you go to. Though the thing which does bother me is that how come the dementors didn't die due to your horrifying presence."

He paused for a whole minute for her words to die down and when at last he was confirm that she wouldn't start off again, he asked, "you aren't going to throw anything at me then?"

"If you don't disappear in ten seconds, then it will be my shoe right at your head."

"Woof."

She bent down to unstrap her sandal but seeing her intentions, he disapparated almost immediately. To think that Sirius had spent a whole twelve years in Azkaban was quite unbelievable as apparent from his behavior.

He was still the same as he used to be in Hogwarts. She couldn't help but wonder at the extent of his outrageousness that even the dementors couldn't bring any change in him.

***