air so sweet
23rd December 1976
Sirius stood on the corner of Grimmauld Place, basking in the moonlight as he took a deep breath. There was a stillness in the air; not a single branch moving; not a single car driving by. For a moment, Sirius thought he saw a cat, but it wasn’t – he was wrong.
He truly was alone.
The distinction here is that he wasn’t lonely; he was just alone.
On his way out the door, he realised hadn’t found the time to wear shoes. In fact, he was fairly certain he had left his best pair in his room, but, in the moment, leaving was much more important. The importance of leaving was also the reason he stood on the corner of Grimmauld Place; he was yet to come up with a plan.
He was barefoot, alone and entirely unsure of what to do.
And yet, he had never felt happier.
Joy swelled within him like the sound of a string quartet, and a bubble of laughter escaped him. He ran his fingers through his hair as he continued to laugh, gasping for air in-between each giggle.
Taking another deep breath, he shrank his trunk to fit in the pocket of his leather jacket and began to walk down the street.
As he turned his head to the sky, he felt another swell of joy. It spread from his stomach, through his chest, and pulled at the corners of his mouth, making him grin.
He was free.
Free from his mother’s influence.
Free from being trapped in that blasted house.
Free from having to deal with his family’s bigoted ideology.
There was a spring in his step, a twinkle in his eye and relief in the back of his mind.
He wasn’t sure when he started to dance through the streets (and he was sure, if anyone saw him, they would have assumed he was exceedingly drunk), but still, he danced, he laughed, he cheered.
Sirius found himself gasping for air as his lungs burned, a grin stuck firmly on his face.
The only way he could have felt happier was if Regulus had agreed to leave with him. His brother had refused, instead asking him to stay.
Neither of them felt they could do what the other asked.
However, at this moment, he felt as if he could fly without his broomstick.