Pragma // s.b.

39

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When my dad pushed open our heavy oak door and I was greeted with the familiar sight of the cozy living room decked from floor to ceiling with every possible form of Christmas decoration, my entire body flooded with happiness. "It's good to be home", I said to myself more than anyone. I had lived in this house my entire life, I knew every corner of it like the back of my hand. I knew the best spots to hide, or to hide things, I knew the best reading spots and where it was best to have whispered conversations away from the prying ears of Mum and Dad.

I inhaled the earthy smell that filled house. As I walked through the living room, I ran my hand over the smooth wood of the grandfather clock towering in the corner of the room, a magic object my dad had inherited. It not only told the time, but also served as a sort of reminding devise, calling out every time you needed to do something in a stuffy voice. "Take out the laundry!" or "Time to go to work!", it would call out, the internal gears madly spinning.

Glancing out the window, my eyes gazed across the large expanse of land my family owned and took care of. I loved it here, I truly did. But enough to stay after my parents were gone? Doing the same thing day in and day out? I couldn't be certain. Throwing myself down onto the large bright blue couch in the center of the room I let out a yawn and stretched my arms up to the sky. Poppy mewed and leaped up on my lap, purring and rubbing against me.

"You have a beautiful home", Sirius said to Mum, his eyes moving around the bright and extravagant room. "Thank you, love", she said, bustling around, picking up throw pillows that had fallen on the ground and tossing them onto the array of mismatched chairs and love-seats positioned in our living room.

"Cute", Sirius muttered and I looked up. In his hand he held a small picture frame. Leaping up I grabbed it from him, my cheeks burning. It held a faded picture of me at 6 years old. My hair was pulled up into two high pigtails, my bangs so long my eyes were barely visible. I was gazing up into the camera, grinning toothily. Well, it would have been toothily if I wasn't missing my two front teeth. "I hate this picture", I groaned, putting the frame face down on the coffee table, "I looked hideous".

"If it makes you feel any better, you still look hideous", Ro winked, walking past and taking a bite of an apple, juice dribbled down his chin. "Shut up, asshole!", I said, flinging a pillow in his direction, hitting him in the back of the head. "Language!", I heard Mum call from the kitchen. Ro and I looked at each other and burst out in fits of laughter. Ro moved up the large staircase, still laughing heartily. I looked over at Sirius, who hadn't moved since the moment I had taken the picture from his hands.

He was looking at me with a strange expression. I couldn't pinpoint what it was, but I didn't like it. Clearing my throat, I moved Poppy from my lap and stood. "Would you like to see where you'll be sleeping?", Sirius blinked a few times, then fastened a lopsided grin on his face. "If it's not in your bed, I'm not interested", he said, only loud enough for me to hear. My mouth fell open, "You can't say stuff like that, Sirius".

We began to ascend the staircase leading up to the second floor. "And why is that, sunshine?", he said, his breath hitting the back of my neck as he followed me up the stairs. I scoffed and turned so we faced each other. I stood one step above him and for once, was the one looking down at him. The twinkling Christmas lights wrapped around the handrail cast golden light onto his face illuminating him. 

"Because I don't like it", I breathed, gravity causing my hair to fall over my shoulder. He looked up at me and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Are you sure about that?", he took a step up so we stood on the same stair. My eyes followed his up, my chin now tilting up. We were close. Very close. I could see the intimate details of his face now. The patches of scruff on his jaw, the golden streaks in his eyes, the small dotting of freckles across his nose.

I opened my mouth to retort, but he leaned in. Our lips were centimeters apart, about to touch, when, "Bri! Guess who I just saw coming up the lawn?". Ro stood at the top of the stairs, his mouth slightly parted. I pulled away, letting out a small laugh. Sirius was bright red, and ran his hand against the back of his neck. "Didn't mean to interrupt...whatever that was", Ro laughed, gesturing vaguely around us.

I pursed my lips, then, unable to help it, let out a giggle. I cannot believe that my brother just walked up on me and Sirius Black almost kissing. Who would have ever seen that one coming? "Sorry, mate", Sirius grunted, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the vicinity. I wasn't sure how Ronan would react, I knew he didn't have the warmest feelings towards Sirius, but I hoped that he would at least give him a shot.     Ro shrugged, "Hey, I mean the stairs wouldn't be my first choice, but whatever gets you going".

Sirius let out a barking laugh and I gasped. "Ro!", I said, but since there was nothing to fling in his direction, I stuck to scowling at him. The two boys laughed, and I couldn't help but let my steely disposition melt away. "Anyways", Ro let out, wiping a tear away, "Guess who I just saw walking up the lawn?". "Hello, Briony Margaret", a deep voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs. At the sound of the familiar voice, I spun around and let out, "Jesse!".