The first thing she noticed was that they were sitting on the loveseat by the fireplace. Kate's face was hidden by a mess of Marlene's dirty blonde hair as she whispered something to her. Sirius held onto her tighter, reassuring her. She glanced up at him and felt her stomach slowly untangle from the twisted mass of worry and doubt.
Before she could say anything though, James seemingly popped out of nowhere and got her and Sirius into a choking embrace. Naturally, they reciprocated after a few seconds. It had been two months since they last saw each other properly and she missed being home.
"Well, fancy seeing you here!" James joked.
"If suffocation is what we'll get every time we come around, I don't think I'll do it often," Sirius teased.
James rebuked, "Oh come on, it's my birthday I get to hug you guys all I want!"
"On that note, happy birthday, Jamie," Jo stated as she handed over the paper bag with tissue paper sticking out.
"You shouldn't have gotten me anything, we're all good here at the moment," James replied.
"Well it's not exactly for you, it's for the little bean..." Jo explained.
James quizzically looked over at the pair and then shuffled through the contents of the bag, revealing a matching pair of quidditch jerseys -- although one was evidently ten sizes larger than the other. #1 Potter and #2 Potter gleamed in gold on the backside. James beamed up in delight.
"Lils you've got to check out the best present I've ever received!" James shouted across the room.
Lily appeared walking down the hallway from the master bedroom as she responded, "I see this isn't enough?" She motioned toward her small bump. Jo's heart skipped a beat at the sight of a radiant Lily and her growing nephew or niece. Something good was to come out of the war.
"This is the cherry on top, darling. It's for me and the baby!" James excitedly elaborated, eagerly showing his wife the shirt and placing the smaller one on top of her bloated stomach.
Lily eventually caved in and gushed, "This is absolutely adorable. Thanks, you two!"
"We wanted to be the first ones to give mini Prongs their first piece of quidditch paraphernalia," Sirius proudly claimed.
Jo teased when James began to put his gift on top of his jumper, "How's that old life treating you, Jamie? Can you put that on without Lily's help?"
"Oi! Sirius is older and you don't seem to have a problem with that," her brother sneered.
Sirius confidently explained, "I've got that mature, older man allure -- something you simply cannot relate to having Prongs..."
Jo began to shake her head, hiding her embarrassment while Lily countered, "With the way you men bicker, I'd say you're still first years."
Sirius faked offense until Jo elbowed him, his smize ever-growing as he said, "And yet you married the man, Lily. You knew what you had coming."
The girls rolled their eyes in an attempt to hide their indignation at not being right for once.
Suddenly, Jo felt something brush up against her leg. She nearly jumped onto the couch and let out a screech that startled everyone. A nasty orange cat meowed in return.
"You-You got a cat?" Jo asked, letting out a shaky breath from the scare. Sirius and James tried their best to suppress throwing a laughing fit.
Lily began, "I must have forgotten to tell you in our last letter. Basil was in the back garden all week long and we didn't find his owners so--"
YOU ARE READING
The Other One | Sirius Black
Fanfiction"I'm sorry, I just... remembered something," she muttered as her fingers traced the scars on her throat. He placed his hands on her shoulders before whispering, "It's just me." "It's just you," she sighed. ...
