Open Wounds (Sirius Black)

Conflict

The dinner table that night was enveloped in an oppressive silence. Not a single word was spoken, and the only sounds that permeated the room were the harsh, scraping noises of forks against plates.

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension and apprehension. Each of us sat in our respective places, our thoughts weighed down by the gravity of the situation. The events of the past day had shaken us to our core, and the looming threat of the Death Eaters and the unknown fate of Kassian cast a shadow over our home.

Mum and Dad exchanged worried glances, their faces etched with concern, as they glanced at each of the children in turn. James, normally boisterous and full of energy, sat with a solemn expression. Remus, who had a way of bringing levity to any situation, looked contemplative, his thoughts undoubtedly consumed by the recent events.

Sirius, sitting beside me, appeared brooding and distant. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for involving him in a dangerous situation so soon after his return to our family.

The silence at the dinner table spoke volumes, a reflection of the uncertainty and danger that had intruded upon our lives. As we pushed around our food, unable to find our appetite amidst the shadows that loomed, it was clear that our family had been irrevocably changed by the events of the past day.

"Thank you for the meal, Ms. Potter, but my mum and dad should be wondering where I am by now," Remus said, breaking the stifling silence and getting up from his seat.

"Of course, we love having you, Remus," Mum replied, also rising from her chair to give him a warm hug. The gesture was filled with maternal affection, and it served as a brief moment of respite from the weight of the situation.

Remus exchanged farewells with the rest of us, his departure a reminder of the normalcy that was swiftly slipping away. As he left, the room once again fell into silence, each of us retreating into our thoughts, grappling with the uncertainty of the night and the overwhelming shadow that had fallen upon our family.

"I should go too," Peter announced, rising from his seat. It seemed that I had momentarily forgotten his presence as well.

Mum nodded and offered a reassuring smile as she said, "Take care, Peter. You're welcome here anytime."

With that, Peter bid us farewell and left the house, leaving the rest of us to grapple with the somber atmosphere that had descended upon our family. The sense of impending danger and the unknown fate of Kas' remained an unsettling presence, and the need to find a way to rescue him and expose the truths that lurked in the shadows weighed heavily on our minds.

The room fell silent once more, heavy with the unspoken tension that lingered. Finally, I mustered the courage to speak. "You should leave," I said, addressing Sirius with a flicker of determination in my eyes.

Sirius appeared taken aback for a moment, his initial response caught in his throat. He seemed on the verge of saying something, but before he could, Mum spoke up, reprimanding me. "Sirius, you can stay as long as you want. Dessa, there's no need to be rude," she scolded me.

I paid little heed to my mother's rebuke, my focus solely on Sirius. James looked shocked by my abrupt desire for Sirius to leave, clearly perplexed by my unexpected request.

"No, you should leave," I repeated.

James let a comment slip that seemed to echo my own inner conflict. "What's up your ass? You didn't want him to leave three hours ago, not to mention two months ago," he said, his words hanging in the air like an accusation.

My head snapped towards James, and Sirius's mouth fell open in disbelief. Mum and Dad exchanged puzzled glances, clearly missing the underlying tension between the three of us. It was a moment of raw honesty that had been inadvertently revealed, a reflection of the complex emotions and unresolved issues that had resurfaced with Sirius's return to our family.