Come Home + Sirius Black

interlude.

April, 1978

Charlotte couldn't quite remember when their small group of four became eight, only that it annoyed her at first, having James Potter trail around Lily like a stray puppy, and naturally, where he went, the other three boys followed. Their sudden friendship didn't feel genuine in the beginning, like she, Marlene and Dorcas were stuck in the background while all the focus was on James and Lily. 

It wasn't until the beginning of their sixth year, when a few of the Slytherin boys who were vocal about joining the Death Eaters when they graduated shoved Charlotte in the hallway, muttering unfriendly words about "her kind". She was set to just walk away and forget about the sorry sods, but it was Sirius that stood up to them, landing him a month's worth of detention. Since then, it felt like they had always been around. 

"You know you still have to take your NEWTs before you graduate, right?" Lily was pestering James, but as always, he was shrugging it off. The pair sat side by side on their own picnic blanket, facing out towards the Great Lake, while the rest of them shared a larger blanket underneath an oak tree.

"I still have plenty of time to start studying," he said. 

Lily was rolling her eyes, but smiling. "You'll start tomorrow." 

"Promise." He was grinning at her ear to ear, then leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Various disgusted noises erupted from the rest of them. 

Then Sirius nudged Charlotte in the arm. "You're coming to the party tonight, aren't you?"

Ah, the party. The four boys had been going on about it for days now. It was supposed to be one last hurrah in the Gryffindor common room before everyone had to focus up for their exams, but they all knew that they were going to throw another one once exams were finished anyway. 

"I'm not in Gryffindor," she reminded him. 

"I can sneak you in. Come on, it's not a party without you, Lottie." 

She rolled her eyes. "I'll go if you quit calling me that." 

"Deal," he said, smiling. They both knew he'd never stop calling her Lottie. "I'll come get you outside the kitchens at nine." 

°•. ✿ .•°

As promised, Sirius was already waiting for Charlotte by the time she left her common room and made the short distance to the kitchens. He was looking over his shoulder, presumably keeping an eye out for any teachers patrolling about.

"Ah, there you are," he said when he saw her. "Remus just went back with the food." 

"Remus was here?" she asked as they started walking the corridors, their voices quiet enough that only they would hear each other. 

"Oh, yeah. The house-elves will make you anything you want if you're nice enough to them, and well, they like Remus the best." 

That part didn't surprise her at all. 

Eventually, the two of them took a turn in the corridor, until he pulled her aside to bring her into a secret passageway. It was dark and narrow, so Sirius held onto her hand until they came out the other side, right by the Gryffindor common room. 

Sirius let go once they stood in front of the Fat Lady's portrait and gave her the password, and though she had a disproving look about him being out past curfew, she let them in anyway.

Inside, the party had already started. Music was blasting, and students of all ages filled up the room with little walking space. 

"There they are!" Dorcas was shouting from the other side of the room, a tankard in her hand. 

"They started drinking already!" Sirius exclaimed in disbelief. He turned to Charlotte. "Come on, we have some catching up to do." 

As they made their way through the crowded common room, Sirius wrapped an arm around her shoulder to guide her through, protecting her from all the shenanigans that his house-mates were up to. 

Halfway through the room, a sixth-year boy that Charlotte recognized from the Quidditch team seemed to lose balance, and stumbled right into her shoulder. Their heads would have collided if Sirius wasn't quick to cover the back of her head with his hand, all without giving much thought to it. 

"Sorry!" the boy shouted, then quickly went back to whatever it is that he was doing. 

She was glad for the loud music; if not, she was sure that the crowd of people would have heard the thumping of her heartbeat. 

By the time they reached their friends, they had drinks ready for them, and with a loud "cheers", she took a swig of the spiked butterbeer, and they all soon lost themselves in the chaos of the party. 

Hufflepuff parties paled in comparison to Gryffindor ones. The ones that she had been to were much more relaxed. Sure, they also had the liquor and the music, but Hufflepuff parties were more for chatting and they enjoyed their fair share of board games throughout the night. Here, someone was doing something stupid through their drunken haze just about every five minutes. Still, she was enjoying herself. 

It wasn't until it was nearing one o'clock that the crowd started to disperse, with many of them passed out on the floors and couches, or retiring to their dorms. A good handful got sick after drinking so much that they ran to the loo and never came back. Somewhere along the way, the music switched to something a little slower.

In front of the fireplace, James and Lily were off in their own world, dancing with each other hand in hand. Charlotte was taking a break on the couch, exhausted from the night. But it wasn't over just yet, as Sirius approached her with a hand out. 

"Come on, one more dance," he said. 

Beside her, Dorcas sprung up, as if activated by the word "dance". She took Peter by the hand, not giving him the chance to say no, and the two started dancing. 

"Haven't got much of a choice, do I?" she said as she watched them for a moment, before turning her gaze back to Sirius, who remained there, waiting for her. She took his hand and he helped her up, guiding her to the center of the room. Beside them, Marlene and Remus were dancing too. Eventually, Sirius raised his arm, spinning Charlotte around with a giggle, and the eight of them danced their way through the night.