Oblivion - Sirius Black

Out of Sight and Open Feelings

         "What happened when you were eight?" Lily asks quietly once they use the Floo network to get back to Hogwarts. Poppy doesn't answer as she walks towards the Kitchens. "Poppy! What happened?" She asks louder, keeping pace with Poppy's quick steps.

She ignores her sister, opting to spend time in the familiarity of the Kitchens. She wants the comfort of Fimmy's sweet treats and away from Lily's ongoing questioning. By the time Poppy stops in front of the painting, Lily's running her hands through her hair tensely and huffing for answers.

Poppy stands outside of the fruit bowl painting and Lily nearly bumps into her. She turns to Lily. "Close your eyes."

Lily furrows her brow. "What? Why?"

"Do it."

"Why?" Lily asks again, crossing her arms. "Answer my question." She repeats.

"Christ, Lily. Just close them." Poppy snaps.

Lily closes her eyes reluctantly and taps her foot impatiently. "This better be good. You won't answer any of my questions. What happened when we were eight?" Lily hears a small creek. "What was that sound? Can I open my eyes now? Poppy? What are you-" Lily opens her eyes and looks around. Poppy is nowhere to be found.

Lily lets out a breath and turns on her heel. "Seriously?"

*✶⋆*★

         Poppy sits against the tree near the Black Lake, picking randomly at pieces of grass. The sun's going down, reflecting its light onto the waters. She plucks a flower from the ground and twirls it between her fingers. Footsteps sound behind her, but she doesn't turn.

"Are you okay?" A low voice asks. Poppy recognizes it as Sirius, but she doesn't answer. "Lily's looking for you."

Poppy picks another flower. "I figured."

Sirius gazes at her sad face. "Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

Silence is his only answer. Poppy continues to pick little flowers until she hears panting from where Sirius is sitting. She turns confusedly, but pauses when she sees a black fluffy dog instead of a handsome black haired boy. His tail wags happily and he gives a small woof.

Poppy can't help the smile that overcomes her face. Sirius whines, making her shake her head to herself before petting the top of his head. She puts down the small flower bouquet beside her and uses both hands to pull doggy Sirius into her arms. He barks happily as he lays down in her lap. She continues to pet him, her mood getting better by the second.

They stay that way for a while, until Sirius changes back into himself. Poppy looks at him with wide eyes. Watching any animagus change back into a human was a very strange thing to witness in general, and being in contact with Sirius while he's doing it is definitely weird.

He winks at her staring, making her roll her eyes with a small blush. "Did I help?" He asks with a knowing grin.

Poppy looks down at her flowers and grabs one. She reaches forward and tucks one blue flower behind his ear. "Don't ruin the moment."

He blushes before composing himself. "So, we're having a moment?"

Poppy smiles as she lays her head on his shoulder. "Yeah."

"Can I say something that might ruin everything?" He asks quietly.

Poppy lifts her head from his shoulder. "What is it?" She questions hesitantly. To tell the truth, Poppy didn't want to know if it meant she could lose him. She felt like she was on the edge of losing Lily. She knows running and hiding from her isn't helping, but confrontation is a no from Poppy.

Sirius looks into her hazel eyes. "I-" He cuts himself off nervously and Poppy feels like screaming. "I like-"

"DOGS!" Poppy finishes for him, yelling loudly. "You like dogs!" She repeats.

Sirius looks at her confusedly. "What?"

Poppy stands quickly. "You like dogs and I like cats. Gotta go!" She sprints off and questions why she would do that. Honestly, Poppy likes cats and dogs pretty equally.

Sirius grabs her arm before she can get too far, effectively stopping her. "Stop! That's not what I was going to say." Poppy bites her lip nervously and eyes the blue flower still tucked behind his ear.

Sirius looks into her eyes again and murmurs, "I like you. I like you more than a friend."

Poppy's struck dumb.

*✶⋆*★

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm feeling kind of sappy, so I really love and appreciate you all <3 It makes me so happy that you all are so involved in the dinky little chapters I write. It means the world to me!

I'm kind of just flowing with what I can get with my writing right now, so don't expect tons of updates soon. I'll write when I feel it, if that makes any sense. Please understand. I sort of have an outline for the book, which is better than before. I appreciate all the support, love, and murder suggestions ;) They make me laugh and I love reading the comments.

Have a lovely day! (Also, super excited for the Loki episode that comes out today! I'm obsessed)