Orphic » Sirius Black

Chapter 39 - A New Beginning

It was impossible for Juniper not to compare her stay at the Potter's with the summer she spent with the Lupins. Despite the recent events, Remus' family used to know her, and understood she needed her time and space. So even though they had a fourth person living with them, Juniper had tended to keep to herself, and she had appreciated it. However, thinking about it now, she realised she could have used a few more distractions. Perhaps it would have been easier to deal with the darkness surrounding her all the time.

Life at Godric's Hollow was different. It was so full of... light. No matter how upset Juniper felt, James and Sirius never allowed her to think for much, always joking and making everything feel comforting. Worries weren't welcomed once the boys were up and ready for the day. Even James' parents made her feel welcomed: Juniper, who was not a morning person, found herself enjoying the early breakfast Euphemia prepared for them. And when she couldn't sleep anymore, she would get up and share a cup of tea with Fleamont, who would be reading on the sofa waiting for the rest of the house to show up. She could almost feel like home.

And Sirius... oh, how much she loved Sirius.

It was well known the bond shared between Sirius and James was strong, but that never stopped Sirius from being by Juniper's side. He refused to leave her alone, as if being with her was the only thing he wanted to do. Sometimes James would jokingly complain about the lack of attention he was receiving, but then he would disappear, and it would be just them.

They would do everything together, from mundane chores around the house to talks until three in the morning when sleeping appeared as the most difficult task to accomplish. It didn't matter; Sirius was a shadow following her around. Even when she sat to read about water spells, Sirius let her lay her head on his lap, rushing his fingers through her hair as he pretended to read something else, when in fact he was only staring at her. Juniper never felt so loved before.

One sunny morning, Sirius got her to ride a broom. It wasn't that Juniper didn't enjoy flying, but she hadn't done it in a while, and she wasn't that good at Quidditch either—narrating it was her strong suit, not playing it. They played a short match with James' Quidditch equipment, and then Juniper hopped behind Sirius' broom. He kept them in the air for what felt like hours, until they got hungry and decided to go back in.

Juniper threw herself on the couch, letting her limbs relax in the comfort of the cushions. She was exhausted.

Sirius chuckled. "We'll need to work on your resistance. You'll win no match like that."

"Stop, you sound like Mav," Juniper said, sighing. She opened one eye and pointed a finger at him, "And I wasn't planning on participating in any. If I were, I would make sure to train enough to beat you."

"Oh? Is that so?" Sirius dragged himself closer, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I'm a very good player. Are you sure you want to challenge me, Junnie?"

Juniper smiled sweetly at him. "I thought you were done underestimating me, love."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but his voice got stuck on his throat, and Juniper saw his cheeks grow pink at the pet name.

"I'm off," announced James as he ran down the stairs before she could tease Sirius in return.

"Huh? Where?" Sirius said, turning his face away from Juniper, stretching nonchalantly in his place. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid laughing. Sirius clapped and got up. "Nevermind, let's go."

Juniper threw her head back. Sirius had her flying around for about two hours and now he wanted to go out? He really had the energy of a dog; a very lively, bouncy, jolly dog.