Blackbird

Chapter 8: A Reunion of Sorts

"Blackbird, that's the third time in the last half hour. Why don't you just go talk to them?" Veronica was starting to sound exasperated.

I pulled myself back into the present, away from where the Marauders were lounging beneath a tree. They weren't as loud as they normally were, and Sirius didn't even seem to be trying to fake a smile.

"I don't want to talk to them." She just gave me a flat look, but couldn't call me out on my blatant lie before Minette interrupted.

"Well I do. Especially the Lupin fellow. Don't you think he's cute?" And soon she was skipping right over, easily dancing beyond my reach.

"Okay, I can't disagree with her there. But I must say I'm much more into Sirius' brooding look." Veronica noticed my disgusted expression and rolled her eyes. "Just because he's your brother doesn't mean I'm blind. Or that he can't be hot. You should really take it as a compliment if anything."

She turned to follow Willow in tracking down Minette, and I huffed out a breath.

It'd been two weeks. Two weeks of silence from my brother and his friends, and bonding between the girls and me. We'd had fun, and I couldn't help but smile at the way Minette fawned over Lupin.

Despite all logic, I think she just might be serious about him. And they'd make a cute couple.

I didn't like to think about Sirius and Veronica. Or Sirius at all.

With reluctance, I followed. I made it just in time to see Veronica's sly smirk but not her foot and tripped right into a warm body. Or two.

Sirius groaned and shoved my legs off him while Potter seemed to gasp for air beneath the brunt of my weight.

Embarrassed, I scrambled away, kicking Sirius in the legs as I did so. Veronica sat between us, ignoring my glare.

James was still wheezing as he sat back up. "For a little bird... you sure do we-" he didn't recover fast enough to avoid Veronica's whack up the backside of his head.

She settled primly back into place as though nothing happened, subtly adjusting her position to where it seemed natural for her to lean Sirius' way.

Minette tsked from where she sat between Remus and Peter. "And now I know why you've never been able to catch Lily Evans. Have you no tact?"

Peter seemed too busy staring at Minette to say much, but Remus shook his head in disappointment. "Really James, you would think you would learn."

Veronica snickered softly, and glanced at my brother, but Sirius didn't join in, choosing to focus on the grass by his feet instead.

"Are you just going to ignore me?" I made a show of rearranging my skirt while speaking.

"I thought that's what you wanted." He managed to sound bored as he shifted to lean back on his hands. Veronica stifled a scoff, I'd forgotten she too spoke French.

"Don't be an idiot Black, it's what got you into this mess in the first place." She scooted forward and forcibly placed herself between James and Sirius, shoving him towards me.

"What, does everyone know Spanish now?" James whined, but I missed Remus' snarky remark, too busy focusing on my brother.

"You really going to make me ask?" He continued to avoid my gaze. Fine, he wanted to play like that? I switched to English, speaking loud enough that the rest of the group fell silent. "Why did you do it? Why did you leave me?"

He barked out a bitter laugh, climbing to his feet, me not far behind. "Leave you? You think this is about you? If you stopped being selfish for one moment then maybe you'd be able to understand."

I folded my hands into fists like that'd stop them from shaking. "Understand what? What, Sirius? You left. I get wanting to leave them behind but you left me without so much as a goodbye." And maybe that's what bothered me the most. One minute he was there the next...gone. Disappeared. The whole family acted as though nothing had changed, but he'd just vanished. Like it was easy, like we -like I- meant nothing.

Maybe I was selfish. Maybe I hadn't wanted to be left behind.

His eyes were cold and dark, and I couldn't help but take a step back. Two weeks wasn't enough time. He loomed like a nightmare, like Father. His hands were in fists and there was an anger in his eyes that made my legs want to run.

My confident facade was long past gone. A trembling, weak little girl that I'd always been was all that was left.

"You get "wanting to leave?"" He mocked me, his voice taking on a shrill tone. "No you didn't. Mother made you up all pretty and Father was already making plans for your wedding while I was getting beat every other night." He snarled, and it was so much like our father I nearly tripped backwards in my haste to get away.

"You get nothing."

"You're pathetic." A new voice, stone cold slipped in. I'd forgotten all about the others, but I'd never felt so grateful for Veronica then when she stepped between us.

"You say that like she should be happy to get married off at 16. Like becoming a baby making machine for an abusive husband was such an honor, what a privilege." She was unflinching, angry. "We're seen as nothing but bargaining chips and living alliances. What a dream come true!"

"You had your rough nights but you had your friends. Who did she have, huh? You. And you abandoned her like you didn't know as soon as you were gone they'd start hitting her instead."

She'd been stalking towards him slowly, like a predator ready to pounce. "You. Are. Weak." Punctuating every word with a step towards him until he finally shifted back. "Would you look at that?" She grabbed his arm and pulled his own fist towards his face.

She whispered something I couldn't catch, but it sent him stumbling back. Like he wanted to outrun his own skin.

For a minute, I thought he was going to try to. But his frenzied eyes met mine and he dropped. He looked stricken and moved to approach me before Veronica placed a hand on his chest. I sank to the ground, forgoing being careful of my appearance, I curled up with my hands clasped close to my chest. Trying to just breathe.

Veronica glanced over her shoulder as though to check on me, but that was all I saw before James Potter dropped to his knees in front of me.

I cowered away from him, but he caught on to my shoulders and awkwardly pulled me into a hug. Somehow, with my face buried into his shirt and his thumb rubbing slow circles into my back, my breath returned. Little by little it grew less shaky until I was calm enough to pull away.

He kept a hold of my arms, his thumbs continually moving up and down. His soft smile caught me off guard, especially with the close proximity.

"At least let me-"

"Let you what? Apologize? What good do you think that'll do now?"

Veronica and Sirius' bickering cut through to my brain, and James looked over his shoulder. Standing and pulling me up with him, I was quickly swept away and fussed over by Minette.

"That Potter boy. Ruined your hairstyle completely. No respect of fashion. Goodness, panic attacks are no fun." She touched up my makeup and pulled out her wand to fix my bun.

Her own way of showing she cared. Affection was something all these strong girls struggled to openly say.

Words were stupid anyway. What you do is more important.

Veronica stepping between me and Sirius was her way of showing it. Minette fussing over me was hers.

So I stayed still and let Minette fuss even if it reminded me a bit of my mother. But her touch was different, not harsh and quick, but gentle and warm.

Yeah, I'd like to get used to that.

"Oh shut it! You can apologize when you're done being a self centered prat." Veronica marched over to us, Willow drifting behind her. "We're leaving, now."

We walked in silence almost all the way to the dungeons.

"...is this a bad time to say I told you so?"