One Step Ahead Part II | Sirius Black

Chapter 201

Sirius exhales a painful breath, his chest burning at the action.

He hadn't realized he'd been holding it, hadn't realized much of anything. He can hear laughter and talking below him, can hear James' distant voice.

He doesn't move to join them however, his feet seemingly frozen to the dark green rug beneath his feet. Sirius shouldn't be scared, shouldn't really be upset. But he his.

Grimmauld Place was a measly twenty minute walk from Kings Cross station. Twenty minutes from the train that had been his refuge, his escape. Just twenty minutes. It had felt longer as a child. It feels unbelievably short now.

Evidently being blasted from the face of the family tree hadn't erased him from his parents will. Grimmauld Place was his, the oldest living descendant of the noble Orion and Wallburga Black.

Regulus had been excited, eager to see their childhood home. Because for at least some time, he had loved their parents, devoted everything to their beliefs. Sirius hadn't. He could recall a single good memory within the four walls of the home.

So he stands, frozen, petrified. He stands silently in front of his old bedroom door, too scared to open it. Too scared to see what had changed, if anything had. His eyes linger on the gold nameplate, heart aching for a brief moment. Normal. He'd just wanted to be normal. He reaches for the door and then thinks better of it, quickly turning around as if he'd been screamed at by the ghost of his parents to get out.

What's behind him isn't any less scary.

Sirius jumps, nearly stumbling at the sight of Gwenyth standing silently at the end of the hall just by the stairs, her hands clasped neatly in front of her.

"Merlin, Ninnie!" He scolds, clutching his chest. "Could you at least try not to scare me?"

"Certainly," She replies simply, though he easily spots the way her lips are twitching at the corners. Inferi. He feels his own mouth quirking up into a smile. It was too easy to smile at her.

"What are you doing?" Sirius wonders, suddenly forlorn at the thought of someone so bright dwelling in the darkness of the home. She needed the sun, white walls and different colored cabinets. Not dark greens and plums and wood floors burnt from curses and jinxed objects that missed their mark. Him. They'd missed him, and the punishment for that was usually far worse.

"I was waiting for you," Gwen replies evenly, her hands easing from their position and hanging limply at her side. She smiles, gently, sympathetically. "I wanted to see your room. If you'll have me that is."

Sirius blinks at her, eyes narrowing slightly. He's trying to decide if she truly wanted to see his room, or if she was volunteering so that he would have to see it too. His heart warms slightly and he offers up a begrudging half shrug, muttering, "C'mon then."

He extends his arm and Gwen walks down the hall to grasp his hand firmly in her own. He hesitates for a moment, lingering outside of his door so that he can run his thumb across her knuckles. She looks tired, the circles under her eyes have deepened. She'd been busy. Lily had had a rough go of sickness recently, and the Veela had been a far greater help than anyone suspected she would be. Not a help to Lily, Dorcas and Regulus were far better suited to treating pregnancy symptoms with magic and potion.

Gwen had been helping James.

Sirius had to fight the jealousy that would sometimes fester when he would see Gwen hugging his best mate or humming to him while he dozed. Truthfully, Sirius had never seen James so worried, so grown up. He was glad Gwen could help, even when he wished it was him listening to her songs.