Eye of the Serpent | HP MARAUDER ERA [2]

Chapter Three

We stayed at the park for a while until it began to get dark and the stars had started to speckle the sky. Sirius and I watched the sky, occasionally saying a word or two to each other. It wasn't awkward; it was quite the opposite, in fact, because we were just so comfortable that way. I didn't want to leave, I just wanted to stay here, relaxed, forever, watching the stars with one of my best—and most broken—friends. It couldn't be that way, though, because I would have to get back.

I had been about to tell Sirius that I ought to go home because dinner would be ready, and I hesitated before doing so, but he spoke up first.

"I'm going to head back to James's house, then," said Sirius.

"OK," I replied. "Are you going to take the Knight Bus again?"

"Yeah," he said.

I stood up from my swing and he did the same. The ends of my hair were wet and as were my clothes. I took a step closer to Sirius until I stood directly in front of him. He was staring at his muddy shoes, avoiding looking directly at me. I stood on my tiptoes and placed my hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look me in the eyes.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

A fire flickered in his grey eyes and he grinned, wrapping his arms once again around me and pulling me into a hug. "Yeah, you don't need to worry about me."

"If you, you know... need something," I mumbled, "or if you need to talk, or vent, or even get away from your best friend for a little while, please come over again. I'll be here."

"Thank you," he said genuinely.

We apparently couldn't find anything else to say that hadn't already been said, so we walked away together in silence, side-by-side. He walked me to the door of my house and then went back to stand in front of the street. I waited to watch him leave before opening the door to my house. Sirius paced around on the sidewalk, waiting. A bus sped around the corner faster than humanly possible and stopped right next to where Sirius stood. A man stepped out of it and took money from the sopping wet boy. They both got into the Knight Bus and then it sped away, leaving no trace of its existence.

Poor Sirius... He needed a family, but he didn't have one... He was forced to love his friends the way he should've loved his family. I feared what would happen if he ever lost any of his four friends in a way similar to how he had lost his parents. He would break, and only then it would be beyond repairing...

I ran into my house purposefully and ignored the smell of dinner, running up the stairs to get Dorfingryff. He was in my room, inside his cage (which was perched on my desk). The barn owl had a bad habit of nibbling on the door of his cage and as soon as he saw me, he wanted to escape more than ever. I could almost sense his anxiousness as I opened the cage door and watched him fly out immediately, landing gracefully on my windowsill.

"Dorfingryff, I have a letter for you," I told him. "I've just got to write it first..."

I took a fresh piece of parchment from a drawer of my desk, grabbed my quill and some ink and set right to work. I dipped the quill inside the ink and began to write, pausing every sentence to make sure I worded this right.

Dear James,

How is your week going? How's your summer? How's your life? Whatever. Look, I don't want to have to make small talk and beat around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point.

Sirius came to my house today.

He said he took the Knight Bus from your place, and by the time he reached mine he was soaking wet from having been walking in the rain. He told me everything that happened with his family. I just wanted to tell you... FOR GOODNESS SAKE, COMFORT YOUR FRIEND. I don't know if guys cry in front of each other, but it doesn't really matter at this point. He is hurting and you have to help him.