MIRAGE

I

Sirius jolted up after he heard a scream he doubts any human is capable of producing. Another screech followed and he soon realized what must be going on. He stepped out of his room with only trousers, "FILTHY MUGGLES! HOW DARE YOU - " and closed the curtains over his ever-screeching mother. 

"Shut up, old hag." He muttered under his breath and went down to the kitchen, the epicenter of things that so rudely woke him up this morning.

"Why is that woman up at 6. . ." He swung the door lazily as his eyes widened at the scene unfolding in front of him.

Kreacher was swearing at Noah -unsurprising- and Noah, much to his surprise, was standing there pointing a strange thing in his direction and, swearing.

He leaned on the door frame and looked at them in amusement and eyed the metallic instrument in Noah's hand with utmost curiosity.

"What's that?" He asked as he pointed at the metallic instrument in Noah's hand. Noah flinched as she turned the instrument in his direction with eyes wide with fear. Perhaps, she didn't hear him coming.

Noah lowered her instrument but then turned it back in Kreacher's direction.

"You didn't answer my question," Sirius asked again, his voice dangling in amusement not realizing that just a few seconds ago his life was in danger.

"First tell me what is that?!" She practically screamed. Sirius stifled a snort and answered, "It's Kreacher. The slave of House Black." Sirius practically spat the last words. Noah lowered her instrument with Kreacher still muttering curses at Noah.

She looked at him in disbelief and disgust, "Slave?" she asked him. He was surprised at this reaction of hers and nodded slowly, "You still-" 

"You guys still have slaves?!" 

Sirius rolled his eyes. This woman is still hung up on that topic? "He's not exactly a slave. He's a servant who sniffles my mother's undies late at night and cries."

Noah looked at him, her eyes dangling with something strange before she gave up the topic she was about to say and muttered in such a low voice that if Sirius hadn't been a dog animagus he wouldn't have heard it.

"It's er- a gun." 

"What's a gun?" Kreacher, by now, has completely escaped from Sirius's mind.

Noah was surprised a bit at first but answered nevertheless, "It a er- a metallic er- wand? But it only performs one spell." 

"What spell?" Sirius's curiosity was getting the best of him. Normally he would've acted in a much more flirty or sophisticated way that girls back in his school used to love.

Noah avoided eye contact with him and coughed slightly and decided to change the topic.

"There's no electricity. How am I supposed to eat my breakfast now?" 

Sirius wanted nothing else to do but go back to the previous topic. He knows nothing about this muggle woman Noah Coz. How is she able to see everything? Where has she come from? How did she meet Dumbledore? And why does Dumbledore trust her to the point that he brings her to their headquarters? All these questions swirled in his mind but one thing was clear, he doesn't trust her.

When Sirius didn't answer for a good while Noah snapped her fingers at his face, "Oh hello? Earth to Black?"

Sirius sighed in frustration, Dumbledore forbade him to ask any questions from Noah Coz, but he smiled though his eyes never wrinkled.

"Sorry. I was just lost staring at your lips, what were you saying again?" The reaction Noah gave to Sirius was far from what he expected from a woman, he thought she would blush and smile and answer obediently like how the girls back in Hogwarts used to do but Noah looked him up and down with a very deep offended look and a slight scowl on her face that was twitching to appear clearly. Apparently, according to him, this woman's ego issues are as high as his. Sirius decided to think that she got offended that he did not hear her the first time but answered after chewing her unnecessarily huge pride. Sirius scoffed internally at that.

"What are you gonna do about breakfast?"

"Kreacher!" He shouted, apparently forgetting that the elf was in the kitchen only, still muttering curses at Noah.

"Yes, Master." He asked as he practically spat the last words at him.

Sirius gave him a disgusted look and ordered edible breakfast for their guests.

"You sure he won't poison me?" She asked as she settled herself on the chair, and eyed her surroundings. She has already gotten a tour of this place when she arrived yesterday and had screamed and watched in horror as the house welcomed her with its curses and jinxes.

Sirius was glad that she hadn't seen the house-elf heads on the display due to the dim light but he was sure she would see it soon and he would have to tell her about it. He wonders why did Dumbledore ask her to live in the Grimmauld Place, the freaking headquarters with him rather than in the Burrow with the Weasleys or somewhere less important than the headquarters! 

He doesn't trust her but he is glad that he has another human in here he can talk to or else he may lose his barely intact sanity soon.

"Nope. He won't so Miss Coz, please feel at home!" He asked with a wide grin.

I don't trust her.

She looked at him with strange emotions in her eyes as he said so. She mumbled something incoherent that even Sirius' ears can't hear.

"Huh? What was that?"

"Nothing."

The table fell into an awkward silence, or perhaps, only Sirius felt it was awkward because the woman sitting across from him looked anything but awkward. She just stared blankly out of the window. The silence stretched on despite repeated attempts from Sirius to small talk.

The day ended like that. Awkward.

Sirius laying on his bed, repeated the day in his mind several times trying to figure out whether the woman could be trusted or not but the only thing he figured out at the end of the day is that, a) Noah Coz hates small talk. b) Noah Coz absolutely loath small talk.

Now Sirius has started to think if Noah coming here will help him not lose his sanity or help him to be completely uncomfortable and tense in his own house.

"Ha!"

He sarcastically snorted at the thought.

"My own house?! As if." And barked out a laugh as he turned to his side on the bed.

'The Weasleys will come here in a week and I need to figure out Noah's intentions before Harry arrives. I don't trust Noah despite her being trusted by Dumbledore since Dumbledore tends to trust anyone, for example, Snivellus Snape.'

'I can start by searching her room. Yes tomorrow, I'll come up with a plan and search her room!'

And with that thought, Sirius finally had a deep sleep after a whole month which is strange because Sirius doesn't trust his new roommate, and she could easily kill him in his deep sleep. . . . . .

Well, what else can you expect from someone who has spent 12 years of his life trying his best not to go insane. . . ?

TO BE CONTINUED. . . .