Misery || Harry Potter's Twin Brother

Chapter Five

Sirius awoke the next morning fairly early. He had forgotten to close his curtains the previous night and had been woken by the bright colours of sunrise that streamed in through the window. For some reason he was thinking about Ernie. He couldn't get his friend off his mind, as though he was near, as though the information that Ernie was near was running through his mind constantly, circling round and round.

"Ernie." It came out as barely a whisper, but it comforted him, it helped an ache he didn't even know he had. "Where are you?"

It was strange, as if someone had heard him, footsteps sounded on the stairs and his bedroom door was flung open.

"I am never leaving you again." Sirius found himself in someones arms. Confused, it took his frazzled brain almost a minute to catch up.

"Ern?" The shock in his voice was clear.

"I missed you far too much." Ernie replied, he still held Sirius tightly.

"I missed you too Ern, but what are you doing here?" Sirius frowned into his friends shoulder. Ernie had had a growth spurt over the weeks they hadn't seen each other and was starting to tower over him.

"I came early, I was worried about you." Ernie replied. "You haven't replied to any of my letters."

"I haven't..." Sirius asked with a confused frown. He'd been so worried with Gideon, his prophecy, Elias and Ollie he hadn't even opened his letters let alone read and replied to them. "Ern I'm so sorry."

"Its okay, I'm just glad you're alright." Ernie responded, he pulled Sirius close to him again. "You're an idiot, you know that right?"

Sirius laughed feebly, his mind still wandering off. He felt safer than he had all summer, in his best friends arms. He hadn't realised how much Ernie meant to him before now.

"Sirius this house... its suffocating." Ernie told him. Sirius nodded, it was the best way to describe the old building. The layers of years and years of history captured in the fabric of the building gave Sirius the most awful headache as he tried desperately to constantly block out the actions of the previous occupants of the house. "I don't know how you're coping with it." At this Sirius just shrugged. Neither did he.

"Come on, why don't we go out somewhere?" He finally suggested. Ernie shook his head.

"I'm tired, please just lay with me for a bit." He asked, flopping down onto Sirius' bed and dragged the shorter boy with him. It seemed such a strange request for Ernie to ask, despite being good friends, they had never really just laid and cuddled together. Sure, they rested limbs on each other, fell asleep on each other, but the request to lie with him seemed so strange to Sirius, and it gave him a strange feeling, but not a bad feeling, just a feeling of safety. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was content to lie beside Ernie, barely even noticing his friend cuddling into his side, wrapping his arms around his middle.

"Happy birthday Sirius." That was the last thing Sirius had expected his friend to say, Ernie's head was at his shoulder, so close to him that he could feel his breath on his neck. But it didn't bother him, not at all.

"What?" Sirius frowned, it couldn't be the first of August already.

"Its your birthday." Ernie replied, "I've got some fun plans for later."

"I didn't even know." Sirius mumbled.

"Its okay, it's this house, messing up your brain waves." Ernie messed up his friends hair as he said this. Sirius had to laugh, although it came out as a giggle. Ernie sat up.

"That was the cutest noise I've ever heard in my life." He announced, making Sirius blush bright red.

"Ern." He mumbled, hiding his face from his friend.