Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)

33. Fun In The Sun

Cassiopeia lounged in a sun bed on the beach, in the south of France, with Sirius beside her, and she couldn't remember ever feeling so happy.
"This is nice" she said, voicing her thoughts aloud.
Sirius turned his head to look at her, "Yes, it is".
"We never had holidays like this when we were younger" sighed Cassiopeia.
"No. And it was probably for the best. Can you imagine mother in a bikini at the beach?"
"What a terrifying thought. I'd rather lose my sight, than have to see that"
"The feeling is mutual".

Cassiopeia adjusted her sun hat and sighed deeply, "This is the life".
"We can't stay here for long though" reminded Sirius.
"Spoilsport" mumbled Cassiopeia.
"We have to keep moving. I'm still a wanted criminal. The longer we stay in one place, the greater the risk of us getting caught"
"Yes, I know!... Sorry, I didn't mean to shout. I just want us to enjoy this time together, while it lasts. I've had seldom to celebrate these last few years, and I want to enjoy this summer with you. I know that we can't settle down anywhere and plant roots. And I know that I'm going to have to continue looking over my shoulder forever. But I don't want to think about that now. I just want to think about happier things"
"Yeah, me too".

"Speaking of happier things, are you going to write to Remus, and try to rekindle your relationship, now that he knows you are innocent?" Asked Cassiopeia.
"I don't know" mumbled Sirius.
"Well, we had to leave pretty quickly that night, and we didn't get the chance to say goodbye. I'm sure he'd appreciate a letter from you, just so he knows that you are alive" encouraged Cassiopeia.
"I don't want to put him in danger. For all I know, the Ministry are checking his mail, in case I write to him"
"Seems a bit extreme from their point of view. They don't know how close the two of you used to be".

"This isn't about back then, it's about what happened in the Shrieking Shack. Snape saw him there with me, so he's bound to have told the Ministry that Remus and me are back in contact. You're lucky that Snape didn't see you that night, otherwise the Ministry would be telling everyone to look out for us, as we are together" said Sirius.
"The Ministry are still looking for me, so I wouldn't exactly say I'm off the hook. But not being seen by Snape gives us an advantage. All of Europe is looking for a single man, not a pair of siblings. So it makes it easier for us to be around people, like we are now" countered Cassiopeia.

"Yes, it does... But the same cannot be said for Remus. Which is why I cannot risk writing to him. Besides, I wouldn't even know what to say to him. There is a lot of unspoken stuff between us. And I can never forgive him for abandoning you" admitted Sirius.
"I don't want to be the thing that comes between you" replied Cassiopeia.
"I didn't think you'd be so quick to forgive him" commented Sirius.
"Oh, I haven't, and I don't think I ever will. But I'm the one who got hurt, not you, so you have no need to excommunicate Remus if you still love him, just because of me"
"I trusted the love of my life to protect my younger sister in my absence, and he failed. He let you down, and I don't know if I can forgive him for that".

Cassiopeia sat up and swung her body around, so that she was facing Sirius.
"Do you still love him? Forget about me for a minute, and think. If he hadn't left me to my own devices, would you still love him and want to get back with him?" Asked Cassiopeia.
"I don't know. Me and him both went through a lot these past 12 years. I was in Azkaban, all alone, and he was out here, all alone. The only difference being that he spent 12 years thinking I was a traitor who got his best friend killed. He has spent 12 years hating me, while I've spent that time loving him. He knows now that I'm innocent, but he can't just turn off the feelings of hate that he's beeing harbouring towards me for all these years... We are not the same people that we were all those years ago" answered Sirius.

"Then you'll have to takes things slowly. You will need to work on being friends before you decide if you want to be lovers again. So, I'm not suggesting you jump straight back into his bed any time soon. But you could become pen pals for a while. And if you want to see him again when we are back in the UK, then you should... Only you can decide if you want to forgive him or not" informed Cassiopeia.
Sirius sighed, "When did you become so wise?".
"12 years of living on the streets, watching people, gives you wisdom" smiled Cassiopeia.

"I wish you hadn't been forced to live on the streets" Sirius said awkwardly.
"I could have gone back to 12 Grimmauld Place any time I liked, since it's protected by powerful magic, so the Ministry can't just barge in. But the thought of being trapped in that house, unable to leave, is worse than death. Besides, I wanted to be near Harry, so living in London wouldn't have worked out for me" admitted Cassiopeia.
"You were a very dedicated godparent" praised Sirius.
"Well, since his parents were gone, I felt that I had to step up"
"I'm sure Harry is incredibly grateful for the sacrifices you made for him".

"I wish he could be here with us, enjoying the sun, instead of being trapped with the awful Dursleys" sighed Cassiopeia.
"Well, he won't be stuck there for long. You saw his last letter, he will be moving in with the Weasleys soon, after the Quidditch world cup" reminded Sirius.
"At least Molly will feed him up, so he won't be starving when he goes back to Hogwarts" replied Cassiopeia.
"And he gets to see the world cup final. I'm very jealous"
"I'm sure you are. But the security around that place is absolutely insane, so we can't just rock up"
"Yeah, I know, I can't have everything... But I do have you, and this beautiful sea in front of me. So, how about a swim?"
"Sounds good to me".