All the Time in the World | Sirius Black

7. Birthday Treats

Never before had I ever had a crush on one of my friends— more or less my best friend's future godfather? The thought had my stomach churning, but not in the same delightful way it had when Sirius held my hands.

At the end of the feast, I quickly dragged Lily and Marlene out of the Hall and put the stairs to the Tower without waiting for any of the Marauders. Quickly saying the password, I ran up the stairs and into the comfort of our dormitory.

"Merlin, Aurora! Any faster and you'll pull off our arms," Marlene massaged her shoulder. When I didn't laugh and began to pace, I saw her and Lily share a concerned looked.

"Are you still upset about the Sickle and sweets situation?" Lily asked timidly.

I shook my head and continued to pace.

"Does it have to do with you and Sirius lagging behind before dinner?" Marlene tried.

I nodded and hugged myself, stopping my pacing to face them.

"Aurora, are you okay?" Lily asked.

"I think... I think I might fancy Sirius Black," I admitted.

The words felt weird on my tongue and instantly the images of my time at the Shrieking Shack, Grimmauld Place, and the Department of Mysteries flashed in my mind. I shook my hands out and began pacing again, letting out shaking breaths as I tried to calm myself down.

I knew the girls were confused and concerned about my sudden mood change and anxiety. The last two months, I've been outgoing and confident, everything a Gryffindor girl should be— but here I am, freaking out about a small crush I have on Sirius.

"There's nothing wrong about that, Rory," Lily said sweetly.

I shook my head and my hands, trying to shake the affection off. It was wrong, I knew it was. He's my best friend's godfather and supposed to be thirty-six and dead in my time; here, he's one of my best friends and almost seventeen in a few days and very much alive... and annoying.

"There's very much something wrong with that," I turned to the girls. "He's one of my best friends..." I tried to think of other reasons to not like him that I could tell them, but it was seemingly impossible. "Give me reasons to not like him, please," I begged them.

Lily and Marlene looked at each other and bit their lips.

"Please!" I flopped onto my bed, exhausted at the energy it took to emotionally reject Sirius.

"He's a womanizer?" Marlene said.

"Marlene!" Lily gasped and threw a pillow at her.

But this didn't help, if anything, it made it worse. I thought finding reasons to not like him would make it go away, but it only hurt. Tears threatened in my eyes and I knew Lily could tell because she walked over to my bed and sat next to me.

"Aurora, there's nothing wrong with liking Sirius Black," she stated.

The tears fell on the sides of my face, onto the colorful quilt I had on my bed. Her eyes bore into my own and a sudden pang of longing hit me— I missed my friends. I flung myself up and wrapped my arms around Lily, causing her to squeal a bit at the force.

Harry's personality embodied Lily's the exact way. It didn't help their eyes were identical. I had to stay here for four more years until the Time Charm is invented with the counterspell to send me into the future. Lily and James were the only Harry I had left for now, Remus and Hermione were alike in advice and academics, and Ron's goofy behavior very much equalled Severus's laidback part of himself.

These ghosts were the only friends I had at the moment and nothing would change that, not for another four years.

Over the last three days, I felt like I was fourteen again and gushing over a famous Quidditch player. Every time my eyes met Sirius's I would quickly look away and blush. I cursed myself every time and after a couple of times of the action, I reckoned Sirius caught on. Now, every time it happened, Sirius would chuckle and whisper something into James's ear.