Astrophile [J.P]

Chapter 21

~ Brush those tears from your eyes and try to 

Realize that the ache in my heart is for you. ~

***

An address was given in the letter and that was where Esther and Felicity were going. The ride through the bus was silent and now they were standing in a peaceful neighborhood looking for house number seven.

A while later they spotted their destination; a townhouse located at the far end of the street with a well kept garden and a nice friendly outlook.

Esther rang the doorbell and stepped back, her hands trembling slightly from anticipation. She was about to meet the man she had first fallen in love with, her former husband and her child's father. The man she hadn't laid eyes on since a decade.

The door opened and Felicity was surprised to see Sirius Black standing in an apron and holding a cookbook in his hand.

Sirius too wasn't expecting to see her there. "Latvia, what a not-so-pleasant surprise."

A smile spread on her face, "same to you. Who would have thought that the infamous Sirius Black lived off by working as a house elf in the summer break?"

The smirk vanished from his face immediately and noticing that she wasn't alone, he spoke, "I'll be back in a minute."

Soon enough he returned minus the cookbook and the apron. He bowed to Esther and kissed her hand in a very gentlemanly manner, "enthralled to be of service to you, Ma'am. May I be honored to know your name?"

Felicity rolled her eyes in utter disgust, "you know she's my Mum, don't you? And you can stop flirting, for the sake of God."

Sirius opened the door wider for them flashing Fel a bright smile, "I know and I'm not flirting. I was just being polite, which is something you lack completely. And you should be thankful to your mother, Latvia, or else I had absolutely no intentions of letting you in."

"You don't own this place so it hardly makes a difference," she retorted.

Esther who had been silently observing their conversation spoke, "so you both know each other?"

He nodded placing a hand on Felicity's shoulder and pulling her in a one armed hug just to annoy her even more, "of course, we are best friends."

She made a disgusted face and smacked his arm off her shoulder, "ridiculous. He's just a moron who loves to annoy me. We are not friends, heaven forbid."

"Yeah then what are you doing here?" Sirius remarked but then turning over to Esther he added, "no offense to you, Ma'am. But I don't think I can tolerate your daughter any longer."

"The feeling's mutual, Mr I'm-a-polite-gentleman."

Esther cleared her throat mildly to gain the attention of the two teens squabbling like toddlers, "this is Alphard Black's abode, right? We came to meet him."

"Yes it is. I'll go tell Uncle Alphard and be right back."

After he was gone, Felicity turned to face her mother, "so you mean that Sirius's uncle... Alphard Black... is my father?"

She nodded, "yes, honey."

"Then me and Sirius... We're first cousins?" her voice was slightly unsure as if she was thinking it was all a horrible nightmare and she would wake up in a moment.

Esther was surprised at her behavior, "of course dear, but what's wrong with that?"

"Everything," she stated apprehensively, "I have such a dreadful cousin that even the sight of him makes me wanna go vomit."