A Siriusly Interesting Summer
I probably would not have been friends with Sirius if it wasn’t for this summer. Sirius had come to stay with the Pettigrews halfway through the summer but he spent more time at our house than anywhere else. Unfortunately this meant that there was three boys who wanted to play quidditch so I had to join to make the teams even. Honestly it was just a duel between James and Sirius to see who could train Peter and I better. It was not fun. I missed my friends, I missed the radio, I missed the outcast club, so I spent a lot of time just writing my friends.
Dear Lily,
How’s your summer? Are you and Petunia back to friends now that you’re together again? It’s honestly a nightmare here, I have to play keeper for quidditch matches which I am horrid at. I have run out of excuses for why I can’t play with them.
I miss you lots!
Hazel Potter
* * *
Dear Mary,
I never thought I would say this but I wish more wizards had muggle technology. Sirius had brought his record player but he only owns about ten songs total. I hope your extension charm works so you can bring your ‘surprise’ (I still think you should just tell us what it is so I’m not tortured with wondering for the next two months but whatever) how’s your summer going?
Miss you!
Hazel Potter
* * *
Dear Marlene,
If there was a spell where we could swap places I’m sure we would both benefit. James and the boys have got me playing quidditch the entire summer! Every time we play I think of how much you would like it, me not so much. I can’t wait to see you beat them all during quidditch tryouts next year!
Miss you loads!
Hazel Potter.
* * *
I chose against writing to remus on the account of him not being able to read without magic. It seemed rude to write when he can only stare at the letters. It was late when I got the letters back, my parents had gone to sleep, James and friends were in his room doing something. I sat downstairs reading them all.
Dear Hazel!
I was so excited to receive your letter! Unfortunately Tuni still hasn’t spoken to me but I think I’m getting close. I’ve spent the summer with Sev, he’s ranted about your brother probably as much as your brother has ranted about him. For hating each other’s he sure talks about him a lot. I don’t mind, I’m fine with that being the only drama I have for these months. There’s a fair in town, do wizards have fairs? If not you’ll have to come to see they’re so much fun!
Miss you too!
Lily evans
* * *
Dearest Hazel,
Sirius is staying over at your house? You’re so lucky! I hear he’s the most the charismatic boy in our year. You should become close friends with him so then we can hang out with him during hogwarts! As for the surprise you’ll just have to stay tortured and wait! Trust me you’ll love it!
See you in September! Love,
Mary
* * *
Hey Hazel!
My mums side of the family was over when your owl arrived, that was a weird conversation! We had to explain that sometimes owls get lost and make their way to our house. You’re right, I will crush the boys during tryouts, it’s good to know they’re practicing for their defeat! I was at Mary’s house when she got your letter, let’s just say she’s gotten a crush over the summer it’s unbearable.
Can’t wait for you to suffer through it with me,
Marlene
I found it so bizzare that Mary was now obsessed with Sirius, she barely even spoke to him during school. None of us had spoken to him at school.
“I thought I was the only one up.” I jumped to find Sirius Black standing behind me, hopefully he couldn’t see the letter Mary had sent.
“Peter and James asleep already?” I asked him.
“Peter’s even started snoring.” He sighed, he wasn’t used to sharing rooms.
“There’s a guest bedroom if you’d like, we have many extra bedrooms we can place for when we have parties and people spend the night.” I explained. Sirius looked a little confused on my families open hospitality. I didn’t know much about the Black family, but I knew they were very different from us.
“I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways,” he shrugged “wanna go outside?”
“Why?”
“Why not?” He started making his way outside and I followed. We sat in the middle of the field not speaking to each other. I looked up to see all the stars, he followed my gaze.
“That star right there is Regulas” he pointed up to the sky “it makes the Leo constellation. That’s the North Star over there, and the really bright one that doesn’t look like a star is Mercury.” He spoke softly and kind but I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Aren’t you the same guy who failed our astronomy exam?” I questioned, he smiled and chuckled under his breath.
“That’s different.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He stayed quiet for a second, thinking I supposed before he started his story “you know how you spend your whole like learning something yet you still have to take a class on it? It’s like you’re parents fought you history of magic but the school still makes you take it. It’s like the school doesn’t believe that your parents actually taught you everything.”
“Your parents taught you the stars your whole life?” I know his family had star names but I didn’t think they spent the time to actually learn where everything was and what the made up.
“It’s family tradition.” He shrugged.
“So you fail the test, even though your parents spent all this time teaching you. Why?” I didn’t see where this was going, luckily he kept talking.
“Because it’s like, your parents spend so much time making sure you know this one thing then suddenly someone knew questions that knowledge and your parents find out they spent all this time for nothing.”
“So it’s out of spite then.”
“Yeah”
“Alrighty then.” I knew he and his parents didn’t get along, he received more howlers in one week then any other student ever got in all seven years. He ran to our house for most of the summer just to get away from them. But I couldn’t imagine failing a class just to get back at my parents. It didn’t make sense to me. My parents and I always had a good relationship, they were good people, they trusted me, they loved me with their whole body’s. I never fought with my parents or did something against them. Sirius had it differently though, his parents had always openly talked about disowning him even before Hogwarts. They didn’t like the way he just wasn’t perfect. I knew I was lucky that my parents were who they were. Like I said there was a reason Sirius never seemed to want to go home but always seemed fine with hanging around my family. I decided I wouldn’t push this conversation any further.
“So what’s that star?” I asked pointing behind where we were looking.
“That’s part of the cancer constellation. I don’t remember the name but if you look it kinda looks like a lobster.” He pointed to each star in the constellation “the symbol is supposed to be a crab but it looks way more like a lobster.”
I looked at the stars he was pointing to, it really did look like a lobster.