Shooting Star

Chapter Sixty

Sirius hadn't been feeling well--as in his mental state was showing physical signs--but he still got up to go with Remus on the full moons. Otherwise, he didn't leave the bed.
"Sirius, love..." I said gently, sitting beside him on the bed in the dark.
He mumbled, not opening his eyes or his mouth.
"Harry wrote you a letter." I smoothed his hair back.
"I'll anser 'im tmorrw." He cracked his eyes a little.
"Maybe you should see a doctor, Sirius." I kept messing with his hair.
He shook his head ever so slightly.
I knew from James that he had spent many summers like this. "Come on, love. You've got to at least eat."
He didn't even respond this time.
I dropped down to my knees beside the bed and kissed his cheek. "I'm gonna have to call Remus." I said as I pulled away.
He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back, his eyes open. "I love you." He said, but it came out kind of slurred, since he wouldn't open his mouth all the way. He pulled me down and kissed me.
I was in a very uncomfortable position, but I kissed him back, thinking that perhaps he may get up.
"Will you lay down with me?" He asked.
"Just for a minute. Then we're both getting up." I agreed.
He scooted over just enough for me to fit between him and the edge, and I laid down facing him.
I ended up falling asleep, and didn't wake up until sunlight came through a crack in the blinds and into my eyes.
I debated for a moment on how to get up, but then decided that I should do it as if everything was normal, and that maybe, just maybe, he would be too. "Sirius." I shook him. "Time to get up."
"Huh?" He mumbled.
"It's about noon. We need to get up." I stood up.
He just mumbled again.
"Sirius, come on. You've got to get up, darling."
He mumbled.
I left the room to call Remus.
"Hey." He said when he picked up.
"I need your help." I sighed.
"Why is it you only call when you need help? I thought we had something real."
"Ha-ha." I said, not amused.
"What do you need help with?"
"Sirius."
"What's he done this time?"
"Well, it isn't really his fault, per say. He's just, you know, in a near-catatonic depression." I said casually.
"He used to be that way all the time. He'll be all right in a few days."
"It's been a few days, Remus. I don't know what to do."
"I dunno. James always handled that stuff."
"Please, Remus. I need you."
"I'm coming." He sighed.
Remus showed in just a few moments. "Where is he?" He rolled up his sleeves, like he was going to get dirty, and I had to refrain from laughing.
"In the bedroom. Remember: I don't want him dead, I want him normal."
"Sirius Black and normal are antonyms. I'm afraid that may be impossible."
"Just go fix him."
I wrote a letter to Harry while I waited for them. They both emerged a while later, and Sirius was acting pretty much normal, if not a bit less energetic. "Feeling better, love?" I asked.
"Yeah." Sirius kissed me.
I looked at Remus, unsure. He nodded.
I wondered what he'd done to get him up. I didn't want to know, though. He may have Imperius'd him for all I care. As long as he was all right.

"Come to the store with me." I told Sirius one day.
He won't leave the house unless he's with me or Remus--preferably both. I understood why he wouldn't want to--people were terrible to him. An old woman had actually hit him with her purse and called him "filthy scum" and then proceeded to beg him not to hurt her as she scurried away.
"Must I?"
"Yeah. Come on."
He came with me, none too happily. I had grown used to all the attention--I went from 'Harry Potter's mum' to 'Sirius Black's wife'. I didn't much care. He did.
At least with him, though, I didn't have to fight through people to get things.
"It doesn't matter what they think, Sirius." I reminded him as he ducked his head. It pained me to see Sirius Black with suck little confidence.
"I know."
I reached up for something on the top shelf, and jumped a little bit--a lot a bit--when I felt Sirius grab my arse. "Black." I snapped, turning to glare at him.
He grinned up at me. "Want me to get that for you, babe?" He sidled up beside me and reached effortlessly to the top shelf.
"Thank you." I said huffily, snatching it from him and putting it in the shopping cart.
"Remember when you used to wear shorts?" He grinned.
"You mean in the summer time? It's winter, Sirius. Snowing. I'm not wearing shorts."
"No, I meant short ones." He smirked.
"I never wore short ones."
"You did. You were just too innocent to notice."
"I wasn't innocent, darling, I was friends with you."
"Ha-ha." He rolled his eyes childishly.
"Go get bread." I pointed.
"By myself?" He asked me like I'd asked my mother the first time she'd made me go get something.
"Yes. You can see me from there, Sirius. You're all right."
He grudgingly walked off.
As soon as he was away, a Muggle woman came up to me hurriedly. "Are you in trouble? Do you need help? Do I need to call the authorities?"
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked after taking a second to try to let that sink in.
"That man who was with you is a killer. Are you--"
"He's not a killer. His name was cleared."
"Honey." She said, like I needed help. She opened her mouth to say more.
"I've been married to him for seventeen years. I promise you he isn't a killer. He's a good man."
"Oh." She said, her eyes wide.
"I'm fine, I promise. Thank you for your concern." I said as I turned to look for him, to see some lady all up on him. "Who the hell is that?" I said to myself.
"You might want to recheck to see if he's a good man, sweetheart." The Muggle woman said, and walked off.
"Thanks." I said sarcastically under my breath.

"Sirius Black!" A voice said.
Sirius turned around warily, holding his arms up to deflect a purse, if need be. "Oh, hi." He said. He knew he'd dated her, but he couldn't remember her name. He decided he had probably been drunk for the whole thing.
"My God, you poor thing." She came up and put her arm around his waist, her other hand on his chest.
"Uh, pardon?" He asked, stepping to the side.
She followed, still on him. "Azkaban must have been terrible." She gave him a pitying look. "You poor thing, oh my God. How are you?" She ran her hand down his chest.
"I'm fine." He stepped away again. "Look--"
"You can't possibly be fine." She followed, touching his cheek.
"Can you--"
"You must be in unimaginable pain. Poor baby." She said in a voice you'd talk to a child in.
"Really, I'm fine. Please--"
"You know, you promised me something once." She pulled herself closer.
"And what was that?" He stepped away, pulling her hand from his cheek with two fingers and dropping it.
She put her hand back on his chest. "The night of my life. Back in sixth year."
"I'm sure I didn't follow through with that. I apologize. Can you--"
"No, you didn't follow through with it. I'm willing to forgive, though."
"Forgive what?" He caught Eliza's eye, but she quickly looked away.
"You got completely plastered and passed out."
"Sounds like me." He agreed. "Can you please--"
"Yeah, you'd been drinking all day. But who could blame you? I knew you weren't happy--"
"Yeah, so did my--"
"You can make it up to me, though. What do you--"
"I'm married. Get off me." He said.
"You're what?" She stepped away, taken aback.
"I'm married. Very happily, might I add. And--"
"So? That wouldn't have stopped you before." She tried for a smile.
"Yeah, I was an arse before, as my beautiful wife has assured me. I'm different, now. Yes I went to Azkaban; no I did not kill Pettigrew; no I am not okay; yes I'm married; no, I will not have sex with you. I apologize for being drunk through our whole relationship and for being a douche and for not even remembering your name, but my wonderful wife is right over there, and I will not have sex with you." He said all in one breath.
"That's not the Sirius Black I know. What did she do to you?" She looked like she pitied him even more now.
"Besides make me better and love me when nobody else did? I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"Oi, Black." She called as he walked away.
He turned around, irritated.
"My name's Joan."
"Joan? Right. Hufflepuff?"
".... Slytherin."
"Ohh! You're who she told me about! Damn. Okay. Fuck." He said, and walked away, back to his wife, regretting most of his Hogwarts years.

"I hope you two had enough time to catch up." I said, trying to keep the irritation from my voice as I put some nectarines in a bag.
"I didn't know who she was."
"I wouldn't be surprised. You were pissed through your whole week with her."
"She's the Slytherin girl I never hooked up with."
"Why not? She was quite a nice girl. Far less evil than her fellow housemates."
"You know bloody well just why not." He growled.
I said nothing, just continued getting fruit.
"You know what?" He asked, following me down the aisle.
"What?"
"You're jealous."
"I'm not jealous."
"You are! I thought I was the jealous one in this relationship."
"I'm not jealous, Black."
"Oh, but you are!" He shot me a grin. "Eliza Black is jealous!"
"If you don't shut it now, you can be jealous of all the people who haven't been transfigured into owls."