The Quiet Kind Of Beauty -Marauder Era

Chapter 28

Under normal circumstances, Sirius would have loved the summertime. It was his favourite season; he adored the way that it was always warm, the sky impossibly blue and the grass a lively green. He felt in tune with the nature around him, finding a place among the trees and the fluttering butterflies.

Now, it was like he had been messily glued into the picture, a disjointed instrument in an orchestra.

Sitting in the Potter's' garage, he absentmindedly fiddled with the tools sprawled around him. There was grease on his hands, and his hair was pulled into a messy top knot on his head. Instead of savouring the heat, the sweltering weather made his tank top stick to his skin in a way that made his insides crawl. Even his beloved motorcycle couldn't take his mind off of it.

Today was Clara's birthday. She turned seventeen years old today, the age every witch and wizard looks forward to. No more Trace, free to do magic to their heart's content, without having to be monitored by the Ministry. He wondered whether Clara was looking forward to it, like everyone else her age. Or was she dreading it? Dreading another day spent in a silent manor, void of the life she deserved.

Truth be told, he felt Clara's absence like a knife to his heart.

The sound of a door knob jiggling broke his thoughts. A second later, James' head popped into the garage.

"I've been looking for you for, like, an hour, Pads," James grumbled, stepping into the boiling room. "What are you doing in here?"

"Well, I'm trying to work on my bike," Sirius explained, pointing to the disarray of tools around him.

James stared.

"It's not going very well." Sirius snorted, throwing the screws in his hand onto his work bench.

"What are you even trying to do?" James inquired, leaning against the wall. "I thought it already worked?"

Sirius blew his bangs out of his eyes in frustration. Not at James, but at himself, for not being able to focus. "I wanted to make it fly."

James blinked. "That's ambitious,"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Do you need something?" He groaned.

"Not really," James shrugged. "Just came by to see how you were doing,"

"I'm fine," Sirius sighed, but the attempt sounded fake even to his own ears.

James nibbled on his lower lip, a nervous tick Sirius had noticed back in their third year. "Today's her birthday, right?"

Sirius nodded.

His best friend cocked his head to the side. "Did you buy her a present?"

"I... Well, no," Sirius realised. "It didn't seem important, considering how I can't send her anything,"

With a sigh, James crossed his arms. "You're going to see her in a week, you idiot. Don't you think she'd like a present when she comes here?" He prompted, hazel eyes meeting grey.

There was a moment of silence, Sirius' brain starting to feel more alive every passing second. "She's coming here next week," Sirius repeated. "I'm bringing her here."

"You know, I was thinking," James' lips pulled up in a small smile. "Lily would probably want to get her a present too. How about all three of us go together?" He opened the door leading into the house, nodding at Sirius in the direction he was urging him to move towards.

Sirius felt his feet move towards him, leather boots thudding against the concrete. As the pair drifted into the house, Sirius felt a little lighter. Because James was right; next week, Clara would be with them.