Chapter 2
Barty finished his beer, aiming for the trash next to him just to watch the bottle hitting the dustbin and flying to the ground.
“Oi!” Rita complained, “Be careful, that could’ve broken,” She picked up the empty beer, carefully throwing it to the trash.
“Relax,” he scoffed with a roll of eyes.
Why was Rita like that? Sure, he liked her. She was his friend after all, but goddamn — she complained about everything she could think of. Sometimes, it was too much even for Barty.
“Where’s Amy?” Evan asked, placing his phone back in his pocket once he was done with texting Edmund.
“Let me call her,” Emmeline stood up, immediately walking away to somewhere the loud music wouldn’t bother the call.
“Don’t you have work tomorrow, mate?” Barty asked, and Evan shook his head.
“Nope, I still have two more days for myself,” he said as the smoke left his throat.
“Great, because Friday is coming up, and I have plans.”
“Can’t you just chill for a day?” Bellatrix asked.
“I don’t have a job. If I don’t have fun, I will rot to death in my bed.”
“Maybe you should look for a job, just maybe,” Rita sarcastically said, drinking from Bellatrix’s beer.
“I am!” he defended himself, “No one hires me.”
“Well, to be fair,” Evan stood up, “I wouldn’t hire you either,” he smiled at Barty, blowing the smoke onto his face. The boy brushed away with his hand, giving Evan the middle finger, watching him as he laughed.
Before Barty could sourly reply to Evan, Emmeline and Amelia made themselves heard.
“We’re back!” Emmeline smiled tiredly.
Barty stared at his girlfriend, smiling before walking to her in order to help carry the beers.
“It’s okay,” she said, but he still took it from her hand.
“It took you long enough.”
“Sorry, I got distracted on my phone. Mum was calling.”
“Don’t worry.”
He placed the beer package in the middle, close to the small bonfire. Rita was quick in kneeling down, opening it.
“Babe,” Amelia held Barty’s wrist.
“Yes?”
“I want to go home,” she whispered.
The boy frowned, looking down at her, “Why?”
“I don’t know…”
“C’mon, we’re having fun,” he tried.
Amelia sighed, looking around for a few seconds before turning her gaze to her boyfriend again.
“I’m not.”
“Please…” he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. The girl smiled softly, but she wasn’t convinced to stay, “We didn’t see each other yesterday.”
“I know.”
“Then stay!”
“I want to be alone with you. What do you think of that?” she asked, touching his shoulders carefully.
A smile grew on his face. Yes, he would definitely rather stay with his friends and have fun for the rest of the night; but he also wanted to be with Amelia, because being with her was fun, and, as her boyfriend, he had to put her above everyone else — or else he wouldn’t feel like he was giving her the attention she needed.
“I have my mum’s car with me,” he kissed her softly.
“Okay,..”
Barty looked over his shoulder, making sure everyone was too focused on talking within them to notice the lack of their presence.
Silencly, Barty held Amelia’s wrist, pulling her away from the bonfire. They walked in silence towards Barty’s car. Amelia jumped slightly through the rocks in their way, while Barty just kicked them away.
“I miss you so much,” she said once he pushed her against the car door.
“Me too,” he whispered before kissing her intensely, feeling the taste of cigarettes and beer mixed on his tongue.
Amelia held his neck as Barty welcomed her.. He positioned himself between her legs, sliding his hand down her body to hold her naked waist.
Barty loved kissing Amelia. It was good, and soft — Barty was afraid he’d get addicted to it.
“Do you want to come over tomorrow?” she asked, pulling their lips apart.
“You know I’m always free,” he said, brushing off the conversation to focus on making out again.
However, Amelia really wanted to talk — Barty could tell by how she carefully pushed him away again. He locked the frustrated sigh inside him.
“I get our earlier from classes, and my dad is, like, super busy with work-"
"I'll come over. Fucking miss you."
When Barty returned to kissing, he was waiting for Amelia to stop him again — instead, she kissed him back. He let out a relieved sigh, pressing himself against the girl. Amelia held the back of his neck tightly, wrapping her leg around Barty's, who squeezed her waist.
It was like the bonfire was living inside Barty, he felt himself burning for more, kissing the girl passionately, like no proximity was enough.
"Babe..." she whispered against his mouth. In return, he moved his mouth to her neck, Deflecting her red hair so it didn't get in his way. She sighed, holding his hair, pulling it carefully.
They were lost in each other, searching for more. At that point, the background noises of their friends weren't even reaching Barty's ears. All he could think about was how much he liked making out with Amelia.
However, before he could slide his hand in between her legs, they heard a fake cough.
"Jesus," he stepped away, looking to the side.
Emmeline was standing there, with her bag and a beer in her hand. Fuck.
"I am so sorry to bother, but I really need to go home and I don't have a car with me."
He wanted to tell her to fuck off, that he needed this moment for himself — instead, he just stared at Amelia, who was fixing her clothes, ready to put a smile on her face.
"Barty can give you a ride. I need to go home, too, anyway."
The boy opened and closed his mouth, before giving up on any complaints that were about to leave his throat.
"Will you?" Emmeline asked him.
"Obviously," he replied, finding himself with no other choice.
Emmeline let out a relieved giggle before heading to the back of the car, waiting for Barty to unlock the doors so she could get inside.
He hated being interrupted, but if Emmeline needed a ride home, then Barty would give her a ride home.
Thankfully, her house wasn't far from where they were hanging out. In about twenty-five minutes, Barty was already parking in front of the old building where she lived. His eyes flew to the radio, checking the time: 4:15AM; he sighed. It was late, and he should be home by now.
"Thanks," Emmeline said.
"Goodnight, lovely," Amelia said, blowing a kiss to her friend, who returned it.
"Bye, Barty!"
"Goodnight!" he smiled at the girl, who made her way out of the car,
Once she was inside the building, he sighed, looking at his girlfriend.
"Are you upset?"
"I just wanted to be alone with you."
"Tomorrow," she reached for his hand, and he smiled softly.
No words left his mouth for the rest of the drive. Amelia stayed on her phone, and Barty focused himself on the music playing on the radio. Sometimes, he would mutter the lyrics, hitting his thumb on the steering-wheel. Although he wasn't a big fan of silence, there was not much he and Amelia could talk about. It was late, and both were relatively tired — all Barty wanted was to drop her off and get some sleep so waking up in the morning was more tolerable.
Amelia lived in a place quite far from the city centre. Her house was right in front of a forest — Barty liked that; of the peace that the place conveyed to him. He has lived in a big house right in front of the shopping centre his whole life. Waking up to him was the sounds of the cars running around, the people talking, the kids yelling from the school right down the block. It was messy, and Barty, — even if used to — didn't appreciate it.
He parked his car just a few metres down Amelia's street, and waited for her to say something.
"Thank you, baby," she said, leaning onto his direction so their lips could touch.
The kiss was fast, lazy and tiring. Barty weakly smiled at her.
"Goodnight," he said as she outed the vehicle.
Barty's days were the same after getting fired: Wake up, hang out with his friends — or stay in his bed —, and then sleep. It was boring, but after almost three years of it, the boy started to get used to it. Due to that, the days usually go by very slowly. He lived for the thrill of the parties — it was nice, but Barty wanted more. He wanted to have a job, something that could get him out of his mum's house.
Sure, he loved his mum like he would never love anyone else, but at the age of twenty-four, not having something to call his, was kind of a problem.
July had just started, and Barty was starting to put his favourite fresh clothes to use. Summer has always been his favourite season — the bright skies, the clothing he got to wear, the food... Everything was different in a good way. Summer made him feel peaceful, made him see the beauty of the world,
He walked down the street with his hands resting on the front pockets of his ripped black trousers. Sirius had been working at the local bookstore for six months now, and occasionally, Barty stopped there to chat with them.
As he entered, his eyes immediately searched for Sirius, finding them putting some books onto a shelf.
"Hey, there," he called, and she looked over her shoulder, smiling as soon as her eyes met his.
"Barty," she placed the last book in its place, before turning to her best friend, "How are you?"
"I have a headache. I was at Amelia's yesterday, and we drank a lot of wine," he laughed quietly.
"You need to stop drinking so much, seriously," they said, but the smile was still dancing on their lips.
"Are you calling me an alcoholic?"
"Kind of, yeah."
"Fuck you, I have perfect control of the amount of alcohol that gets in my system."
She narrowed her eyes, stepping to the side once a customer got close, allowing them to look at the books.
"Why are you here?"
"Seeing my best friend, of course."
Sirius knew that was, at least, half a lie. Whenever Barty stopped by the bookstore, it was to either get something from her, or to convince her to do something — and Barty knew she knew it.
"Spill," she started walking to the counter, and Barty followed her.
"Okay, so…” he quickly gave up, “I was wondering if you were free tomorrow," he leaned onto the counter, staring at Sirius, who gave him a sceptical look.
"I have uni work to do," they said.
Barty grunted, rolling his eyes as he moved his body back, opening his hands to feel the cold wood below them.
"C'mon... When was the last time we partied together?"
"You know I would love to-"
"Then come with me!"
They opened their mouth, but instead of replying, a sigh was the only thing that came out of their throat. Barty pouted, earning a soft smile from Sirius.
"If I can finish my work tonight, then yes. Where are you going anyway?"
"A bar. Y'know, with music, and drinks..."
"I know how a bar works."
"Will you come?"
"Will you help me with my work?"
"I don't know shit about fashion."
"Clearly," she muttered.
"Oi!"
Sirius giggled, walking away to talk with a customer.
For now, Barty would take that as a win. He watched her for a couple of seconds before checking the shelf's.
When he was a kid, he used to spend hours in his house's library, reading his mum's books. He would sit on his comfortable chair, and spend nights flipping the pages, drowning himself in the fictional worlds — after growing up, that habit faded away. Barty took interest in different things, developed different hobbies; and reading stayed at the bottom of the chest.
However, now that he had nothing to do besides complain about being unemployed, the desire for reading was slowly coming back. Thankfully, Sirius working at a bookstore was pushing him towards it.
He picked up some of the books with the most interesting covers. He read through the titles, and the summaries. If he was there, then he might as well just take a book with him.
His hands stopped in one of the books, with a rather dark cover and a big white title in it: Six of Crows.
His eyes flitted through the summary, and he opened the book to read the first sentences — before he could keep reading, Barty flipped to the end of the book, checking the word count. The fact that it was more than a hundred thousand words kind of scared him. It has been a long time since he stopped to read something.
Nonetheless, he walked to the counter, placing the book there, waiting for Sirius to notice his presence. He wasn't sure of how much money he had with him, but that wasn't a big worry. Surely he would have £8.99 in his wallet.
"You're going to buy that?" Sirius asked.
"No, I just decided to displace the book,."
Sirius rolled her eyes, grabbing the book before taking off the price tag, "It's £8.99."
Barty reached for his wallet, counting the coins.
"Here," he handed them £9
"By the way, have you seen James?"
Even though he and James weren't close anymore, sometimes they would hang out together, as they share almost the same friend group. He replayed all the times he had been with James the past week, and, if his memory wasn't betraying him, the boy hasn't crossed his sigh for a good couple of days.
"James? Uh- I think the last time I saw him was Monday. Why?"
"Nothing," the girl shook her head, "I was just hoping to see him soon, but he hasn't replied to me since Wednesday."
"Maybe he's just busy with uni, or work."
"I'll reach out later. Are you done for today?"
"Can you give me a bag?"
"Oh, shit. Yes, here," they turned around, taking one of the bookstore bags before handing it to Barty, "That would be £1.75, though."
Barty sighed. Taking his wallet out now was painful, and regret was starting to hit his chest.
"Here."
"Thanks."
"How's classes?" he asked.
He had nowhere to go, and, even if he didn't want to disturb Sirius' work, Barty could really use some company right now.
"Well, you know I really love fashion design, so it's not bad. But, we are working a lot."
"Expectable."
"Yeah. I am so stressed, though."
"Maybe working here is just making it worse."
"Well, neither my flat nor my hormones pay itself, so..."
Barty nodded in agreement, "If I had a job I would offer myself to live with you so I could help with that."
"I know you would, but it's fine, I am managing everything; and, honestly," they moved their face closer to Barty, "This shit pays really well."
A giggle escaped Barty's throat, "If it didn't you would just be torturing yourself."
"True."
Barty looked around. The place was quiet, as a normal bookstore would be; people were totally focused on checking the books, dropping ones and picking up others. It was peaceful — Barty liked it. It was a rather good place, and he could get used to coming here way more frequently.
"What about you? How are you holding up?"
Barty sighed, looking at the girl again, "Good, I think. I want to work."
"No luck yet?"
"Nope."
"I can see if I'm able to help you with that. I'm sure Dorcas knows someone, she is friends with half of the city."
"I’ll kiss you," Barty stated.
"Your turn is already over. No kissing my beautiful mouth again," she smiled at him, and Barty rolled his eyes in a smirk.
"Admit it, you miss me."
Sirius pretended to gag, and Barty wished he could punch her arm. However, the counter was separating them.
"Sorry, mate. The others do it better."
"Oh, fuck you."
Sirius chuckled, looking to the side before focusing on the customer, waiting with three books in hand.
Barty turned around, swinging the bag in his hand when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He grabbed it, seeing Evan's name on the top of his notifications.
I desperately need ur help mate
Barty replied with a simple "coming over", and looked over his shoulder.
"I need to get going," he warned.
"Don't worry. Good to see you," they smiled at him, before looking back at the blonde person in front of them.
Barty made his way out of the bookstore, and wished he had brought his mum's car with him, because Evan's house was most definitely not close.
All the hikes Barty took with his mother during his childhood were put into practice on the way from the bookstore to Evan's flat. An hour and a half walking under the sun burning his skin with a bag in his hand and no water around was torturing. Yet, Barty didn't complain. It was good to have some time to think and reflect on his life; since that wasn't something he used to do a lot.
When he got there, Evan was quick to open the door, running up to the kitchen again once he saw Barty.
"I need your help," he said, and Barty frowned while closing the door behind him.
"Did you kill someone?"
"No, but I am close to killing myself."
When Barty reached the kitchen, he could see Evan's laptop on the table, with a cooking website opened. There were eggshells scattered around the table, a bowl and three open milk cartons, along with at least four chocolate tables. Barty widened his eyes, seeing how dirty with flour Evan was.
"What are you doing?" he chuckled.
"Peter is having his birthday today."
What? Barty thought, reaching for his phone.
Fuck. It was July first. Peter was turning twenty-five and Barty had completely forgotten about it. What kind of friend was he?
"Shit. I forgot!"
"I decided to make a cake myself, but I don't know how to bake and this is becoming a disaster. I believe I'm going to burn thehouse,” he started rambling, ignoring what Barty had said.
"How much milk do you need in the first place?" he asked, grabbing one of the milk packets.
"I was just making sure-"
"Do you need my help?"
"That was exactly why I texted you."
"What cake are you trying to bake, exactly?"
"A chocolate one, obviously."
Barty exhaled, dropping the milk to stare at his desperate friend, "Do you have waxed paper?"
Evan turned around, and then back again, before opening the top drawer, "Here."
"Okay, let the chef help you out."
For Evan's luck, Barty was quite good in the kitchen — probably the only thing he was talented at. He guided him, reading through the website whenever in doubt. The problem with Evan is that he was too nervous, focusing too much on not making mistakes rather than actually baking.
He tried to make Evan do most of the work, just so he could feel like he would serve Peter something he did, and not what Barty did.
Once the cake was inside the oven, they washed their hands and arms, sitting on the sofa.
"Do you want a fag?" Barty asked, searching for the pack in his trouser pocket.
"I am dying for one."
Barty took two cigarettes out, handing one to Evan. They lit both, and sighed, staying in silence for a couple of seconds.
"I really need to text Peter. I totally forgot about their birthday."
"You still have time, it's early."
"Yeah, I'll do it later. Gosh, how could I forget? I always think their birthday is in October."
"They do have the vibe of an October person."
Barty watched the way Evan smiled just by a simple, silly statement like that. He shook his head.
"You really fancy him, huh?"
"I- I don't fancy him. I just... Really like him."
"So, you fancy him," he insisted.
"Fine," the boy grunted, blowing out the smoke, "Maybe just a little, but I don't know how they feel, so 'imma stay quiet about it."
"If they're invested in you the same way you are in them, that must mean something."
"I don't know..."
"Are you comfortable with him having a girlfriend?"
"Yes. I don't mind being in a poly relationship."
"I don't know if I could, I'm too jealous."
"You're the word jealousy in person," they laughed together, "Honestly, it feels kind of cool being able to like someone so freely. Like, imagine if we start dating, right?"
"Bet you're dreaming about it," he muttered.
"Shut up," Barty raised his free hand in surrender, letting Evan conclude his speech, "Imagine we're dating, and, I know he likes me. We have rules in our relationship; sure, they also like Sybill, but that doesn't mean they can't like both, right?"
Barty thought about it for a second, discarding his own feelings before replying, "Sure."
"So, if I, Evan, want to hook up with someone else, or even date another person; that wouldn't be an issue because that doesn't mean my feelings for Peter will change."
"I- I think I understand what you mean."
"But, if we were in a monogamic relationship, I also wouldn't give a fuck, because I won't die if I don't shag other people besides Peter."
"So you're okay with both situations?"
"Yes. Am I making any sense?" he searched for reassurance, and Barty nodded.
"What matters is: You fancy Peter, and they probably fancy you back. So, go for it."
"I am trying to take things slowly so I don't get heartbroken if stuff doesn't go right."
Barty tilted his head a little bit, "I think you're too late for that. If Peter rejects you, I know you will cry yourself to sleep for at least five days."
Evan rolled his eyes, unable to argue against it.
"I reckon they're coming over tonight."
"Yes, him and Sybill. Which is nice, because I kind of want to get to know her more."
"I've seen her a couple of times at school. We never really talked, though."
"Do you think she will like me?"
"Who doesn't like you, Evs?"
"A lot of people."
"Well, that is because they suck, " he put out his fag in the ashtray.
A few seconds later, Evan did the same, standing up to check how the cake was going. Meanwhile, Barty took out his phone, searching for Peter's number before sending them a birthday text. Sirius was next, but his text wasn't so friendly.
Why the fuck didn't you warn me about Peter's birthday? You mf!!!!
"Fuck this work," Sirius says, looking to their phone as if James could see them through it.
"You can do this, pads," he said, as emotional support was the only thing he could do.
"I will just take a break," they stood up, taking their phone with them to the kitchen, "I am going to eat something. What should I eat?"
"Cake?"
"I don't have cake," she said, looking into the fridge.
A sigh caught in her throat as she realised she needed to go through the market. The milk was running low, as one packet wouldn't be enough for the rest of the week. The ham and cheese had only two slices left, and the cooking spices were begging to be put in the trash and replaced by new ones.
"I don't have anything," as she finished their sentence, their eyes landed on the dinner leftover she ate two days ago. They picked it up, smelling it to make sure they were edible.
"Nothing? Like nothing, nothing?"
"Well, I have the spaghetti I ate for dinner on Tuesday..."
"Are you sure it's not rotten?"
"It smells fine, so I suppose not."
James laughed in response, and Sirius put the freezing plate inside the microwave.
"How much time?"
"How cold is it?"
"Very cold."
"Try, like, three minutes."
Sirius set the times for three minutes and a half, and made her way to the chair, resting her phone on the table.
"Seriously, fuck textiles and fabrics," she said.
“Thought you loved fashion."
"I do. I just don't like doing these works, like, sure, they're fun, but it takes a good part of my life. And, I also have a job, so that sucks."
"I would love to help, but I don't think my film major will contribute to anything."
Sirius smiled softly, "Anyway, let's talk about something else. How have you been?"
"Good! I am managing university and working just fine."
"I wish-"
"Oh!" James randomly gasped, somewhat frightening Sirius, who immediately locked eyes with the phone, "Have you heard about Lils?"
"Is everything okay with her?"
"She's dating."
"Dating?!"
"I swear to every God above. She is dating Pandora."
The microwave sounded, and Sirius stood up.
Her eyes still gazing at the phone, waiting for James to say something else. When no answer came, Sirius forced their brain to come up with at least a word.
"Wow."
"I know. She came out to us a few weeks ago; they're like... public... official, now."
"No, I mean— Lily being queer is something expectable, Pandora too, but I wasn't expecting them to be dating each other."
Sirius opened the drawer, taking out a fork so she could make her way back to the table.
"Yeah," he said, "I'm happy that she's happy. It's just— a little bit weird that she moved on so fast while I am still mourning our relationship."
"Nine years is not a joke."
"Do you think she ever liked me?"
Sirius took a breath in, remembering one of the last times she spoke to Remus and how he stated that Lily didn't like James as much as he liked her. They thought it was crazy back then, but now, after seeing their relationship fade away throughout the years, Sirius was starting to think Remus was right all along.
"I don't know, mate. I am not inside her brain."
"Yeah..."
The call with James lasted around three hours, until Sirius finally decided to finish her work, checking her phone every now and then. Her eyes were forcing themselves to close once she closed her computer, begging for some rest.
The Good thing about University is that Sirius' problems with sleeping were getting better. Always too tired to do anything else but sleep, work and study.
The next day, getting up wasn't as hard. She walked around their house, following the typical routine as always. Shower, eat, get dressed, leave.
Once they left the building, it was possible to find Barty’s car pretty quickly.
"Good morning," they said with a smile, sitting comfortably next to him.
"Hello," he threw her a smile, "How did you sleep?"
"Perfectly. I finished my work yes—"
"You finished it?" he widened his eyes.
"Yeah!"
"So that means...?"
Sirius rolled their eyes, "Yes, Barty. I am going out with you tonight."
"Nice!" he celebrated as the car started moving.
Sirius wouldn't tell him, but even if they didn't finish their work, they would still go to the bar. Studying always got the best of her when it came to University — yes, she was also a good student during High-School, but only by obligation. Now, they were actually doing something that made her heart feel warm and comfortable. Studying could be effortful, but they liked what they were doing, and that was enough motivation for her to be addicted to being perfect at it.
"No," Sirius said, grabbing Barty's phone once he put it down, "Change the playlist."
"Oi!"
"You know I like Usher, but I swear to the Lord, Barty, you need to stop listening to him every morning."
"I need to get in a good mood."
"My playlist is perfect for that," Sirius smiled arrogantly at her best friend, who just rolled his eyes.
"What are you going to play?"
"Blondie, obviously."
"Jesus, Sirius."
"What?! Blondie is way better than Usher."
"You listen to Blondie all the time."
"You listen to Usher all the time," Sirius argued, knowing Barty wouldn't have any arguments to fight back.
Once 'One Way Or Another' started playing, Sirius opened his black leather bag, taking off her vape,
"Open the window," Barty warned, and they did it, pulling the blueberry flavoured smoke to inside her lungs.
"Who's coming tonight?" She asked, with the thread of voice she had left, before exhaling the smoke through the car window.
"Ames," he said.
"Of course..."
"What?" he laughed, looking at her for a couple of seconds, turning his eyes to the road right after.
"Nothing! You're just... Always with her, now."
"She's my girlfriend," he pointed out the obvious.
"I know..." she pulled her leg up, hugging it with one arm.
"What?" he insisted, knowing Sirius had more inside themselves.
"I don't want to be mean—"
"You're going to be mean."
"Do you like her?" she decided to ask right away.
"Yes...?"
"No. Let me rephrase it: Are you in love with her? Do you see yourself having a future with her?"
"I won't have a future with anyone."
"But she's your girlfriend," they said, as they were the one reminding Barty this time.
"And...? We're having fun, getting to know each other."
"Wouldn't it be better to do that without calling yourselves boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Why are you asking me this, Sirius?"
Sirius shrugged, focusing herself on the vape before answering, "I just think you guys don't match, that's it."
"We're having the best time until it ends."
"Does she know that?"
He shrugged, and Sirius sighed. Fucking Barty Crouch Jr.
When Barty dropped her off in front of her University, Sirius caught Dorcas walking with Pandora and Mary almost automatically. Holding her skirt, they ran towards the girls, who noticed her presence right away.
"Sirius!" Pandora greeted, and the other looked.
"Hey," they breathed out, "Good morning."
"Oh my God," Dorcas held Sirius' wrist, "We have something exciting to tell you."
Sirius frowned, leaning their face closer.
"Me and Lily are dating."
Pandora's smile was huge, and Sirius felt her lips twitch, not sure if they were supposed to pretend they didn't know it yet or not.
"Really?"
"You don't seem happy," she said with an embarrassed giggle.
"No! No, I am," they hurried to fix the situation, "I'm sorry, I'm just surprised. You're..."
"Lesbian, yes."
"And Lily is..."
"I don't know," Pandora shrugged, "Doesn't matter, does it?"
"No, of course not. How long?"
"Three months. We decided to come out now, y'know, now that we're sure this is... Real."
Maths wasn't Sirius' biggest attribute, but if three months ago meant April, Lily had been taking less time getting over James than he thought.
"I'm happy for you!" Sirius said, "Seriously. I never thought you guys were romantic, but..."
"I did," Mary finally made herself heard, "The tension between them was insufferable sometimes."
Was Sirius that oblivious? Or were they too busy loving James' and Lily's relationship to realise that she was, indeed, not in love with him?
But... Why? Why would Lily stay with James for nine years just to start dating someone less than a month later? Was she...? No. Lily wouldn't.
Questions were filling her brain as she walked next to her friends, hearing them talk about something her brain couldn't quite register.
"Sirius?" Dorcas clapped, "What's gotten in you today?"
"Hi! Nothing. I am just thinking about tonight."
"What's happening tonight?" Pandora asked.
"Me and Barty are going out... With Amelia," they added.
"Oh! Where?"
"To a bar. I need a night to just have fun. Do you guys wanna come? I really don't want to stand there while Amelia and Barty eat each other's faces."
"Sorry," Dorcas said, "Busy with family."
"Same. I have study to do," Pandora bit her lower lip.
Sirius sighed, slightly rolling her eyes.
"I'll come," Mary broke in, "Haven't drunk in a good couple of months."
Mary rested her arms around Sirius' shoulders with a little bit of difficulty due to the height difference. Sirius was definitely a tall girl, and Mary's 1,60cm was most definitely not enough for her to even reach Sirius' nose.
"Good, I was starting to think I would have to hang out with random people to escape Barty and Amelia. Seriously, they're disgusting."
"Oi!" Dorcas shouted, "Let them be happy. Amelia really likes him."
Sirius wished she could say the same about Barty.
"Still, they don't need to be snogging everywhere they go."
"You only say that because you're single," Pandora smirked.
"And, hopefully, I will stay that way until I'm thirty."
"Christ! Thirty?" Mary laughed.
"Obviously. I want to enjoy my twenties as much as I can. No relationship drama for me anymore!"
Pandora and Dorcas gazed at each other, sighing at the same time.
"C'mon," Meadowes held Macdonald's arm, "Stop stealing my girlfriend," she said, hugging Mary by her waist. The girl smiled, kissing her lips.
"Not my cup of tea," they reminded her with a playful smile.
"I always forget you're straight," Pandora commented, fixing her tote bag as it was falling down her shoulder.
"I might be straight, but I'm not cis. I take that as a win."
"Definitely a win," Dorcas said.
The girls made their way to their first class, relaxing in their respective seats. Sirius' attention during the morning was always at its peak, even if, sometimes, she would go through her phone to check social media and reply to her friends.
"Hey, Sirius," Mary poked their back, "Do you have yesterday's notes?"
"I'll give you after class," she whispered not to bother the rest of the class,
Sirius' fingers hugged the glass, turning down the drink slowly. Amelia was already on Barty's lap halfway through the night, so all her attention was put on Mary.
"I was thinking," she started, "If you could help me learn how to play guitar."
The girl's eyes shined at that, "Obviously! Oh my God."
"I've been wanting to learn for a long time, but I never found time to sit down and learn. Also, I am most definitely not going to put another hour in my timetable with guitar classes."
"It's okay," Sirius interrupted her, "I am here. No need to pay, and you're free to practise whenever you're free."
Sirius had been playing guitar since the day she left her parents' home. Sitting on Fleamont's sofa and clumsily playing on his old guitar to escape the suffocating feeling of running away. That guitar was still with them today, up on their room's wall.
"Is it hard?" she asked.
"It was hard for me, but you'll get it perfectly, trust me."
"Hey," Barty pulled away from his girlfriend's lips, "Can you go buy us more drinks?"
Sirius rolled her eyes, "Why can't you go?"
"Because..." he shrugged. Sirius didn’t need to think too far to know that he was basically saying: I am too busy snogging, sorry.
"I can go," Mary offered, but Sirius stood up.
"It's fine. What do you want?"
"Same thing," Barty said.
"Me too," Amelia's sweet voice sounded raspy now. Sirius almost felt bad for the scene in front of her eyes.
"I'm fine with whiskey," Mary smiled, and Sirius nodded.
They made their way out of the table, walking through the crowd of drunk, dancing people. The lights were blinking purple and blue as she tried to find the mixologist working.
"Excuse me," she whispered, pushing away a boy who almost fell over her.
Sirius loved Barty. She truly did love that boy, maybe more than she loved herself. However, every time he got involved with a girl, a problem was summoned. He didn't do it on purpose, but it seemed like he was addicted to breaking people's hearts.
Sirius didn't see it when they were dating; so young and innocent to realise the issues they had with relationships. Barty was always like that: running away from feelings — he only didn't run away from her, too, because Sirius' heart didn't break. It couldn't break, when it belonged to someone else at the time.
Her feet stopped, glueing to the ground as she saw a silhouette of a boy, peacefully drinking with his nose buried on his phone.
Maybe the doses of Vodka had already made their way to her brain, or maybe she was so lost in the past that her mind tricked her into believing that the man sitting there was the same boy their mind got reminded of.
So, they blinked. One, two, three times. The man looked up, calling the barman and pointed to the empty class. The lights kept changing, making it hard for them to see if it was, indeed, him.
However, when he looked in her direction, there was no mystery. Remus Lupin was actually there, so grown and different.
Sirius felt her heart racing. Should she go talk to him? Did he still hate her?
Remus didn't seem to notice their presence, as he calmly grabbed his new drink, playing with it before taking a sip.
C'mon, they told themselves. Stop being a coward.
School ended centuries ago. They weren't sixteen anymore; Remus couldn't possibly hate them for such a silly fight.
Carefully, she took a breath in, burying her hands in the front pocket of her jacket before walking towards him.
They practised their entrance: Just a simple hi; like you do whenever you see an old friend — which is exactly what he was.
Closer, closer, closer. Remus still didn't look, so Sirius sat next to him, looking around. Her teeth abusing her lower lip, and her fingers pulling their rings out and in.
Fuck it.
"Remus?!" False surprise danced in their voices, "Is it you?"
The boy looked to the side, letting a confused expression give way to genuine amusement. The smile that grew in his face almost made Sirius sigh in relief.
"Fucking hell! Hi?! Oh my God. Hi!"
"Hi!" she replied in the same tone, "How are you doing? Why are you here?"
"Uh- I was just chilling. How are you?"
"I'm fine. I've been fine."
Remus turned his phone off, placing it on his trousers' pockets, "Is it really you? Am I dreaming? Sirius Black is actually in front of me?"
They giggled, too pleased to look anywhere else.
"I'm right here! Jesus, you've grown."
She wasn't sure if she was able to touch him, so she didn't — even if she would do anything to feel his hug right now.
"You too. You're..." he looked at her up and down, "Different."
"Is that a good thing?"
Remus rolled his eyes, "Obviously. I- This is unexpected."
"Yeah! I don't even know what to say."
"Do you want a drink?"
Sirius looked over their shoulders. Their friends were waiting for their drinks... Fuck it. If they want it so badly, then they can come and get it.
"Yes," she replied, looking back at him.
Remus raised his hand, waiting for the barman to come towards him. Sirius' eyes flew over the boy, trying to catch everything that had changed about him, so she wouldn't forget it ever again.
His hair was slightly longer and curlier, covering almost half of his forehead; his jumper was perfectly hugging his arms, making his muscles visible. The scars that used to be bright red, were now fading away in a whiter shade. When she realised, Remus was snapping his fingers.
"What do you want?" he asked. A bright smile still on his lips.
"Whatever you're drinking."
"Got it," he looked at the man in front of him, "Gin, please."
"So," they started, "What have you been up to? It's been a while."
"Uh- Yeah," Remus ran his fingers through his hair, "I've been working in this coffee shop. Y'know, the one in front of that one primary school."
"Oh! Oh, shit. That's close to where I live."
"Really?!" he raised his eyebrows.
"Yes. How have we not bumped into each other?"
"I don't walk a lot around the city. I'm always either working or at home."
Sirius smiled, "Same. I'm taking Fashion Design and working part-time in a bookstore."
"Wow. That's a burden, I'm guessing."
"Pretty much, but classes are almost over. I'm getting my degree!"
Remus' laugh was still the same. Sirius swallowed, looking around.
"Are you here all by yourself?" he asked.
"No," she now wished she was, "I'm with Barty, his girlfriend, and Mary. You remember them, right? Barty and Mary."
"Yeah! My best friend is friends with Amelia, so I hear a lot about Barty."
"Oh, really? You're talking about..."
"Emmeline," he completed, "We met a couple of years ago when I started working at the shop. We're super close."
"You disappeared," Sirius randomly said, "Me, James and Peter stopped hearing from you after school ended. We even thought you left to Wales again."
Remus breathed in, "I'm more of a quiet guy," he laughed through his nose, "I'm always working. Actually, I'm only here 'cause Regulus asked me to."
Regulus. Shit, Regulus.
"Oh," they blinked, "Regulus. You and Regulus..."
"We're living together."
Sirius grabbed their drink once the man let it in front of Remus. Her brain spinning as she thought of her brother — if Remus didn't hate her, Regulus definitely still did.
She sucked her lip, "That's cool. How is he?"
"Fine! He's studying a lot."
"English?"
Regulus always had a passion for writing. Sirius wondered if that stayed the same.
"Radiology."
It wasn't a surprise she got it wrong.
"Cool, that's nice. You guys are like... Married, or something?" she laughed.
During all these years, they tried not to think about how Remus was dating their brother. It was weird to see the boy you were in love with, loving someone you once were close with — especially when that someone is your brother.
"No, God, no," he smiled, "Still dating, only. We don't have plans for marriage any soon."
"Well, when you have, you must invite me."
Remus' smile dropped slightly, and Sirius knew they had let the nervous feeling take the best of them. Always messing up every situation.
"Of course."
Silence struck in as they took a sip in their drinks. Both looking to random points to avoid eye contact — Regulus had always been a hard subject.
"I'm sorry," she decided to say, "That was awkward."
"It's okay," he said, "Really, it's been... Forever."
Sirius wasn't sure if Remus meant it about Regulus or them.
"Could you... Talk to Regulus? I'm making dinner at my house tomorrow, if you're free- I would love to see both of them there."
She didn't have any dinner planned at her house. It was just a silly excuse to see Regulus and try to make things right — to stop being the asshole he knew her for.
"Obviously. I will talk to him, genuinely. You guys need to sort things out."
"Yeah... And you, too. I mean, we have a lot to catch up on."
Remus bit his lower lip, and Sirius' face twitched; not sure if it was the alcohol messing with her head or if Remus had still some power over her.
"I would love to catch up with you."
"Do you want my number?"
"Sure," he took out his phone, handing it to Sirius once unlocked.
As she typed her number into the contacts, her eyes could see how Remus threw his head back, swallowing the rest of his drink. Sirius almost typed the wrong numbers at the end, too busy seeing how Remus' throat was moving.
"Here," she handed him the phone.
"Cool. I will text you soon enough."
"Is this the part where I leave you alone?"
Remus laughed, "You can stay for as long as you want to."
Their mood lifted, sinking in the idea of finally being friends with Remus again, after so many years of uncomfortable silence.
Maybe this time it wouldn't hurt, because she wasn't in love with him anymore. So, him not loving her back wasn't a problem — at least she hoped so.