Embers of Discord

Chapter Nineteen

Sirius's P.O.V-

We, the Marauders, are reunited once more, and I couldn't be happier.

"What happened to your face, Padfoot?" Moony asks, observing the cuts scattered across my face, which are still healing. I wince as he pokes a long scar alongside my temple, my eyes filled with daggers. 

He shoots me an apologetic smile, but I still answer his question. "It's a long story."

He gets the hint and rolls his eyes at my lack of explanation rather than pushing further.

"Should I... heal it?" he asks.

"Yes, please," I respond.

Moony has performed this spell before, as he often needs healing after his transformations during the full moon. Speaking of which, the next full moon is approaching, and we've decided to take Moony to the nearby forest. There's a dense woodland just opposite the mansion.

I watch Moony closely, noting that he doesn't look very good. Despite his ability to hide his emotions well, we can still sense his apprehension about his transformations. When we first discovered his furry little problem, he feared that we would abandon him. He protested vehemently when we decided to become Animagi, afraid that he might inadvertently harm us. In his mind, he sees himself as a monster.

When he finishes casting the healing spell, I touch my temple, finding that the scar has completely disappeared.

"Thanks, mate," 

"Yeah, yeah," he brushes it off, smiling.

"Man, it's been ages," Prongs murmurs, bumping my shoulder. "Wormtail should have come too."

"I think he had to assist his father with work," Moony states.

Even though Peter is one of us, we only ever see him at school. Outside of that, we hardly receive any letters from him, let alone meet him in person.

"Anyway, we have a shitload of stuff to tell you," Prongs says with excitement.

"Tell me about it," Moony responds, taking a sip from his juice.

"We have a new neighbor, and guess who they are?"

"Who?" 

"The Shafiqs," we reply simultaneously.

Moony chokes on his orange juice, spewing it all over Prongs, who yelps and stands up. "Gross, I look like I've peed myself."

Moony rolls his eyes (something he often does when we're around) and dries Prongs with a mere flick of his wand.

"You mean Ahava and Ruhani? Seriously?" Moony exclaims.

"Yeah, I'm always Sirius," I grin at him.

"Whoa... that's a good thing, I suppose. How did they react when they saw you two?"

"How do you think they reacted?" I ask Moony.

He laughs. "That bad, huh?"

"Aren't you excited, though?" I smirk at him.

"Excited for what?"

"To meet the love of your life?"

"Godric, how many times do I have to tell you, Ruhani is just a friend?" Moony groans, a little annoyed. "FRIEND, okay?"

"Who says we're talking about Ruhani?" Prongs chuckles.

"Whatever."

Mrs. Potter, my chosen mother, enters the room and picks up the plates and glasses.

"Remus, dear, did you eat the muffin?" she asks.

"Yes, Mrs. Potter, it was delicious."

"And the juice?"

"It was good as well."

"Good. Now I want you boys to help in the kitchen," she says, looking at me and James.

"We've invited the Shafiqs for dinner tonight."

Well, it looks like I'm going

Well, it looks like I'm going to see a certain someone again.

Ahava.

I smile, recalling her little fight with her sister. I always assumed she was the no-nonsense, brooding type of person, but she's very different. Despite having parents who could be prejudiced, just like mine, both of her parents seem decent, much like the Potters. Perhaps that's why Ahava doesn't share the same views as the rest of the Slytherins. She even treats her housemaid like family.

Sometimes, I feel ashamed of how I treated her in the past. I'm surprised by this fact. I don't know why, but I feel an intense need to apologize to her. I don't apologize to people often, but maybe it's because I feel sorry for what happened to her cousin.

I'm not sure if any of this makes sense, but for the past few months, this girl keeps drifting into my thoughts. I must say, she is incredibly beautiful. Her innocence, simplicity, and the fact that she never tries to flaunt her looks make her even more appealing.

She is nothing like those girls I've been with before. There's nothing fake about her—her laughter, her smile. Also, she's not really a hard nut to crack. If I try, I can often read her emotions easily.

And the fact that she hates me is written all over her face as well.