❝We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on... that's who we really are.❞
After the tragic death of her parents in a car crash, Francesca Knight starts up a bakery, Sweet Dreams, to provide for her litt...
"Sometimes what you're looking for comes when you're not looking at all."
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"How was school today, 'Ev?" Francesca asked, placing the kindergartener on the counter next to the register.
"It was so fun!" Everly exclaimed, motioning her hands wildly. "We got to play outside on the playground, and I went down this big twisty slide really, really fast!"
Francesca pulled her little sister into a hug. "Wow, you're so brave!"
"I know," Everly replied, returning the hug. Francesca laughed, wondering just how Everly had gotten so sassy. Sarah, she reckoned.
While Francesca went to pick Everly up from her muggle school, Sirius and Sarah were out grabbing him some new clothes from Gilderoy, of all people. Francesca found it a little weird, considering her best friend seemed to be skeptical of Sirius, but she paid it no mind. Sarah could believe whatever she wanted about Sirius, but Francesca trusted the man. She had to admit, he was charismatic and attracted many customers, for one reason or another.
The chime of the bell at the bakery door alerted Francesca of their presence. Sirius entered first, holding the door open for a less-than-enthused Sarah, who simply nodded, as to thank him. Francesca raised an eyebrow, but Sarah dismissed her with a subtle wave. She would have to ask later.
"Sarah!" Everly called, attempting to wiggle her way off the counter.
Sarah chuckled, walking over to Everly. "Hey, shortcake! Make any new friends today?"
"Yeah! Me and my friend, Cassie, went down tons of slides on the playground, and..."
As Everly went on about her day, Francesca found her eyes wandering to Sirius. Now that his wounds had healed, for the most part, and he finally had a fresh change of clothes, she was able to get a better look at him. His shaggy black hair fell just above the nape of his neck, slightly covering his lightly tanned face. Lowering her gaze, she noticed that Gilderoy's clothes were slightly too small, revealing the silhouette of abs under his shirt. And while they previously fit snugly on Gilderoy's father, his baggy jeans hung loosely around his waist. Turning away from Sarah and Everly, Sirius stepped closer to Francesca and caught her gaze. His eyes were a cloudy gray, but upon the realization that Francesca was staring at him, hints of softness peeked through while looking back at her. He raised an eyebrow, although Francesca couldn't help but notice the hopeless grin spreading across his lips.
"Hi, homeless man," Everly waved, snapping the two out of their trance. They turned their heads to look towards the girl, who had a knowing smile on her face.
Sirius barked with laughter. "You're Everly, aren't you?"
Everly nodded triumphantly in response.
"Well, Everly," Sirius said, crouching down to the young girl's height, and holding out a hand for her to shake, "it's nice to meet you."
"You too," she smiled, gladly taking it.
Suddenly, the sound of metal clanging to the floor cut their conversation short. Everly stepped past the counter, following the sound into the back of the kitchen.
"You two go ahead," Sarah said, taking her position behind the register with a wink. "I'll man the counter."
Sirius thanked her, heading off towards where her little sister had sped off to. Francesca sent a curious look towards Sarah, who shrugged, and motioned for her to go after Sirius and Everly.
After Francesca made her way into the kitchen, she found their trash bin knocked on its side, with Sirius and Everly huddled by its position on the floor.
"What are you—"
Sirius grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground, effectively shutting her up.
He pointed towards a small figure hiding under the lid. A tiny black cat peeked out from under the gray metal. In contrast to the rest of its fur, its paws were a milky white color.
It meowed at the trio, stepping forwards, ever so slightly.
"Aww," Everly coed, and tapped Sirius on the shoulder to gather his attention.
Francesca hadn't noticed before, but his eyes were not focused on the cat, but her instead. Combined with the realization that his warm hand was still gripped lightly around her arm, it was enough to make her cheeks flush red. This didn't go unnoticed by Sirius, who smirked slightly, before averting his attention back to the dark kitten.
He then reached his free hand out to the small cat. It sniffed his outstretched palm, before nuzzling into it, and curling up into a small ball. Its stomach grumbled, causing it to scare itself.
Sirius pet the kitten before it could scatter away again, and pulled it to his chest. "Have anything it could eat?"
Francesca stood up from her position on the tile, and his hold on her arm loosened, falling back to his side. She walked over to the granite countertop, where a few bananas sat unassumingly among the baking ingredients. She grabbed one and headed back towards Sirius, Everly, and the tiny kitten. Francesca handed the banana to Sirius, who broke off a small piece and fed it slowly to the cat.
"There," he said, as the kitten ate peacefully, snuggled in his arms.
"Wow," Everly exclaimed, eyes full of wonder. "What should we name it?"
"What about Elvendork?" Sirius asked, turning back towards Francesca. He winked, "It's unisex."
"Nooo," Everly giggled at Sirius. "'Chesca, pick a better name!"
"Mittens," she decided fondly. "I always wanted a cat named Mittens."
There it was again. Sirius' hopeless grin. "Mittens it is, then."
