Mitigate [S. Black]

four | more than enough

In the midst of London's quaint countryside, there stood a small home upon a field surrounded by trees. Its white paint was chipping, the shutters hanging slightly crooked, and the porch creaked as Alessia and Sirius walked on it. The two of them had Floo'd to someplace the brunette wasn't familiar with, then took his motorcycle the rest of the way to his house. 

"I haven't really bothered fixing up the place. It's not much, but..." Sirius trailed off, clearing his throat as he opened the door and allowed her to walk in first.

Alessia stepped inside and looked around. The foyer was tiny, and just beyond it lay a sitting room with a fireplace, two shabby couches and a coffee table. She could see through the open doorway of the kitchen, which had old chestnut cabinets against beige walls. There was a hallway to the left of the sitting room, which she supposed led to the stairs and therefore the bedrooms and bathroom.

"I like it," she said genuinely, turning to give him a small smile. 

Sirius had seemed a bit embarrassed at his house's appearance, but her words shocked him. He looked at her in surprise, but realized she was being honest. "Really?"

"Yeah," Alessia confirmed, looking away as she walked further into the room. "In -- well, my old world, I guess -- I lived in a cramped little flat by myself. And it wasn't much either, but it was still mine. You know?"

He nodded; he did know. "You didn't have any family there?" Sirius asked curiously. "Any friends, a boyfriend or anything?"

Alessia laughed slightly. "No friends. No boyfriend, either." She shrugged. "As for family... I was adopted by a couple who couldn't have kids. My mum died when I was nine, but my dad's still kicking -- at least, I think." At his confused look, she sighed. "He turned to alcohol after my mum passed, became a pretty shit dad. We don't get along, so I haven't spoken to him in year."

"That's rough," Sirius commented. There was something in his eyes that calmed Alessia when he looked at her. He didn't pity her, or anything of the sort; he could actually relate to having family issues. Maybe that was why she found herself opening up to him so easily, or maybe it was because she felt she sort of owed him since she knew everything about him already. "I'm sorry about your mum, by the way." 

Alessia acknowledged this with a small smile. "Thanks."

He stepped past her and gestured toward the hallway. "I'll show you to your room. Lily should be Flooing here soon with your clothes." She followed him up the stairs, to the last door on the left as he opened it. "The bathroom's the door on the right of the hall. My bedroom is the first door on the left." Alessia nodded as she stepped inside her room, looking around. The walls were a cream color, and there was a decent queen-sized bed with maroon bedding on it. An old desk was pushed against the far wall beneath a large window, and there was a door in the corner that must have led to a closet. Other than that, it was bare. "Like I said... not much."

"Actually, it's more than enough," she disagreed. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Sirius."

Sirius shrugged off her gratitude and simply flashed her a smirk. "Well, if you're going to be saving the world, it's the least I can do." He meant it as a joke, something to lighten the mood. She knew that, but Alessia couldn't quite help the way her smile fell from her face as her gaze shifted to the dark hardwood flooring of her new room. Sirius frowned. "Hey, things will be okay. Don't worry so much," he teased her lightly. "You'll get frown lines on that pretty face of yours."

Alessia looked up at him, but whatever response she was going to make never came as they heard the familiar sound that came with someone Flooing. "Hello?" Lily's voice called out throughout the house as the two of them left Alessia's room and descended down the stairs. The pregnant woman was standing in the sitting room with a bag in her hands. When she saw them, she smiled. "There you are. Alessia, I brought you quite a bit of clothes, and you can keep this bag too. It has an undetectable extension charm, which allows you to put a lot more inside than it looks like it can hold."