Shooting Star

Chapter Two

I woke up to sunlight streaming through my window. I stretched, my eyes still closed. When I opened them, Sirius Black was kneeling beside my bed, his chin in his palm, watching me. "Ahh, good morning, sleeping beauty!" He grinned.
"What's good about morning?" I mumbled.
"Why, the fact that I'm here, of course." He said, like it was rather obvious.
"Of course." I agreed, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him to me. "Get back in bed. It's too early to function."
"It's noon, love. I've been to Prongs', showered, stole his clothes, and came back, and you've slept."
"I don't care. Get back in bed."
"As I recall, last time we slept together, you freaked. And we were on the couch in the common room. Now we're alone in your bedroom and you want me in your bed." He laughed.
"Get back in bed." I repeated, not comprehending a word he said. It was far too early to function. Or maybe I was just tired from staying up late.
He laid down beside me. His arm was around me, and my head was on his chest.
When an owl knocked at the window, I finally got up to let him in. When I turned around, Sirius was grinning at me.
"What?" I asked, handing him a letter addressed to him.
"You're bloody adorable, that's what." He said, then tore open his letter.
I opened mine gently, not feeling the need to rip it apart as Sirius did. It was from James.
"Do you have some parchment?" He asked.
"Sure. In my trunk." I pointed to the foot of my bed as I started reading the letter.
Eliza,
I hope your holiday is going well, even with your sister. I was wondering if you've spoken to Padfoot? He's not here. I'm rather worried.
Also, my parents always have a party on Christmas Eve. Would you like to come? Remus and Wormtail will be there. Sirius has to come, since he promised my mum he'd come for Christmas. Lily's coming, too. She says she, you, and Remus can study while Pete watches Sirius and I get plastered. What's new, though, right?
But we'd love for you to come. Let me know if you hear anything from Sirius.
Yours,
Prongs
"Did he ask about me?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah."
"Don't tell him I'm here."
"Why not?"
"I don't want him to know what happened."
"What do you want me to say, then? That I haven't seen you?" I said impatiently.
"Just tell him you've talked to me, and that I'm sulking in my room, as always."
"You want me to lie to him?"
"Please."
I wrote back, saying I'd come, and what Sirius told me to. We tied our letters back to James' owl, and he set off.
I sat on the edge of my bed, looking at Sirius.
"What?" He asked. "My hair's messed up, isn't it? That's what I get for laying back down--"
"Sirius, last night--"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"No, it's not about that."
He looked at me like I was crazy.
"When you asked me to tell you I love you, you told me to lie to you. Do you mean to say that you don't believe I love you?"
"I don't believe anybody in their right mind could love me." He dropped his gaze.
"Good thing I'm not, then."
"Not what?" He looked up, hurt blazing in his eyes.
"In my right mind." I smiled.
"I adore you." He said, kissing me.
"Let's go get breakfast. My dad'll get suspicious."
He followed me down the stairs. "So you're going to Potter's for Christmas?" I asked, trying to make him feel less uncomfortable.
"Yeah. His mum made me promise."
"His parents sound wonderful." I said, opening the pantry. "What do you want for food?"
"I'm making pancakes!" My mum called from the kitchen.
"You like pancakes?" I asked him.
"Who doesn't like pancakes?"
I nodded in agreement and we went to sit in the living room. My dad was there, watching the news. Surprisingly, there wasn't any news about muggles being killed.
My dad turned it off after a moment and turned to us. "How long have you been seeing my daughter?" He said gruffly, like he would anybody else.
Sirius fiddled nervously with the hem of his shirt. "Uhm, six months." He stammered out.
"And I'm just now hearing about this?" He rounded on me.
"I didn't want you to freak out." I squeaked. Oops.
"Why are you dating my daughter?" He continued, arms crossed.
Oh, God.
"Must you give him the third degree?" I sighed.
He didn't look away from Sirius.
"Uh, well. Are you asking what led up to it, or why I love her?" Sirius finally asked. He loves me?
Well, I mean, I knew he did. He'd just never said it.
"Both." His eyes were narrowed.
I wanted to bash my skull on the coffee table. Sirius probably did too.
"Well, uh. I've never really trusted people much... And some things happened, uh, with my family." He coughed, probably procrastinating. I glared at my father, but he ignored it. "And I was kind of messed up, I guess. And--"
"That's enough." I said protectively.
At my look, my dad nodded.
"Okay. Um.. Well, I love her because.."
"This is barbaric." I sighed. "Can't you leave him alone?"
"No." Dad said.
"Well, she's bloody brilliant. And just about the nicest person I've met. And... I don't know. I just can't help it. She's the reason I can get up in the mornings."
My cheeks were flushed. "I'm gonna go see if Mum needs help." I said quickly, walking out, my head ducked so that my hair covered my face.
"Is your father torturing the poor boy?" Mum asked, casually flipping a pancake.
"Yes." I sighed.
"And you left him to his mercy?"
"Yep."
"So he's okay?" She asked, quieter.
"Yeah." He's as okay as he's ever been.
Mum called Natalie down for breakfast. She said she'd eat in her room, because she was tired of sitting at a table with a freak like me. Dad made her sit anyways. Sirius looked like he wanted to mouth off to her, but I shook my head and gave him a look.
Maybe I was a freak.