GOOD DOG || Sirius Black

(Twenty Two: Astrophile)

Astrophile: A person who loves stars, astronomy. 

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It was strange.

Sirius Black had thought he was special. Not in the centre-of-a-prophecy, save-the-world kind of way. But, stupid as it sounded when he rethought it afterwards, he had believed that perhaps he- or, more accurately, Snuffles- was the only one that Alex could ever be as relaxed around as she was when she was alone. 

He was wrong.

Winking at her as he stepped through to her dining area, Sirius couldn't help but feel that knawing in the pit of his stomach. Jealousy? Of course she would be comfortable around her own family, Sirius had only been in their house for ten seconds but he was already fully prepared to curl up in a chair and let her dad make him a cup of hot chocolate. There was an edge of anxiety that was missing to Alex now, even though Sirius could see the way that her spine snapped straight upwards when she had recognised their dinner guests. He doubted even she realised the difference in her character.

In the dining room, with its smartly polished oak table and laminated side cabinets, Sirius worked hard to spot baby pictures of the girl. These seemed less frequent with each year she had aged, but he guessed that was a result of her photography more than a lack of parental care. Her childish handprints, preserved forever in ornamental clay dishes and flimsy coloured sand paper pressed lovingly into frames, were everywhere, mirrored in most by her brother's. Sirius swallowed around a lump in his throat.

This was what he wanted. So badly. Whatever it was that this family had, Sirius decided right then and there that he would try to capture it in every instance of his life.

His father instinctively, and rather rudely, took Alex's father's place at the head of the table, with his mother instantly claiming the other end. This placed Sirius in between Alex and her father, facing his brother wedged in the middle of Micah and Mrs Fawley.

It would be fair to say it was without a doubt one of the most awkward dinners Sirius had ever eaten. Full of thinly veiled references to the little fun club known as the Death Eaters, peppered with anxious glances from the Fawley parents to their children. Micah and Alex, for once united in a cause, just seemed to be waiting for the whole thing to be over.

"So Sirius," Alex's mother said to him after a rather long sip of wine, "Professor Dumbledore tells me that you will be assisting with Alex's astronomy."

Sirius almost choked on his broccoli. He didn't look at Alex as he responded, "Yes, um, Ma'am. Although we haven't actually started working on anything specific yet."

"Well, we have a fully equipped room upstairs," Mr Fawley offered, "Alex could show you after dinner."

Sirius dropped him a nod and pretended he couldn't feel Alex vigorously shaking her head at her father from behind him, "Thank you, sir."

"Please," Alex's dad smiled warmly, "Call me Mike."

"Thank you... Mike." Sirius corrected himself. 

"Knowledge of the heavens is an ancient family tradition." Orion Black's voice thundered from down the table, "It is imperative in the education of any of the young hoping to make an impression at social gatherings." 

Sirius thought about the last 'social gathering' he had attended. In his, he must admit, rather foggy memory, there drifted the images of James riding an inflatable hippogriff around the common room while Remus shook his head in despair. It was odd, but he couldn't recall his knowledge of constellations coming in at all useful in that scenario, although his knowledge of enlarging balloon animals was another story.