Jupiter | Harry James Potter

lxxxvii ; forced quidditch games

"Jupiter?" Sirius' voice asked from the hallway as he knocked on her door. "Are you alright?"

Jupiter and Harry broke apart, and Jupiter suddenly felt very sheepish. "Yeah, Dad," She said, feeling her cheeks warming as she opened the door.

"Good," Sirius said, not taking his stern eyes off of Harry, who was now standing with his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "Why don't you go finish eating, and I'll stay up here with Harry?"

Before Harry could open his mouth, Jupiter cut in. "He didn't snog Cho," she quickly said, noticing Harry's wide-eyed expression as Sirius glared at him. "I was wrong."

"Okay," Sirius shrugged, placing his hand on Jupiter's shoulder and guiding her out of the room, not breaking the eye-contact with his god-son. "I'll still have a chat with him."

"Harry, I'm sorry-" Jupiter blurted out before Sirius shut the door, locking her out of her own room.

-HARRY-

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Sirius asked, standing in front of Harry with his arms crossed.

Harry swallowed nervously, feeling a bead of sweat forming on the back of his neck even though he had done nothing wrong. Sirius' intense gaze made him feel like a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "It was a misunderstanding," Harry stammered, his voice wavering slightly. "I didn't snog Cho Chang."

"I know that now," Sirius said calmly. His unfazed demeanor only made Harry even more on edge. "Would you mind explaining to me why she thought you did?"

Harry's palms were clammy as he ran a hand through his hair. His throat felt tight and he could hardly look Sirius in the eye. Harry finally understood what it felt like to have his 'father' be upset with him, and he absolutely hated it.

"Well, er- Cho Chang kissed me last night. She's a sixth year and er- well, that's not really important, but... I pushed her away, and I guess someone told Jupiter that I didn't push her away. So Jupiter thought that I snogged her back, even though the girl that told her wasn't really the most reliable... but I haven't even seen her since last night, so I couldn't have told her what happened... but we made up, and I told her that I loved her- Jupiter, not Cho- and she said it back, so I think we're okay now-"

Sirius raised a hand, putting an end to Harry's endless stammering. "Alright, kid, calm down," Sirius sighed, his voice laced with an undying seriousness. "I'm not going to hex you or anything... But you've got understand, Harry, trust is fragile. Especially with Jupiter."

Harry shifted uneasily, wiping his palms on his trousers. "I know," he muttered, looking down to the floor.

"No, I don't think you do," Sirius said, his tone softening, but his eyes still sharp. "You should understand this more than anybody, Harry. She wasn't raised by people who loved her. I've only had her for a summer, and that wasn't nearly enough time to show her what love looks like. I know she knows how to feel it, and clearly you do too, but tell me, Harry, when you told her you loved her, did she seem like she expected it?"

Harry froze, Sirius's words hitting him like a jolt of cold water. He thought back to the moment he had told Jupiter he loved her. She had said it back after, but there had been a flicker of something in her eyes—surprise, maybe even doubt—before she'd said anything else.

"I... I don't know," Harry mumbled, feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach. "I guess she did seem a bit shocked."

Sirius nodded knowingly. "That's what I thought." He sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, Harry, it's not just about saying the words. For someone like Jupiter, who's been through what she has, love isn't something she expects easily. It's something she's still learning to believe in. That's why it's so easy for her to assume the worst, to jump to conclusions when she feels threatened."