Lone Wolf | SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Two

| G I R L S   T A L K   B A D  BOYS |

September 1st, 1975

"HURRY UP!" Petunia screeched.

Her incessant yelling from behind Lily and I was startling my poor Siamese cat, Simone. She buried herself further down into the red jacket I wore, feeling shy and scared of Petunia. I didn't blame her. From the day I got Simone as a tiny, impressionable kitten, I took her everywhere with me, and she loved people but she hated Petunia with a passion. It must've been somewhere after the hundredth tail pull or tail stomp that Simone took a dislike to her.

I was fairly certain most people just took an instant dislike to her because of the scowl she always sported. The uppity way she presented herself probably garnered no friends either. Yet, life always endeavoured to surprise.

"My friends are coming over in an hour!" I heard the clomp of a foot on concrete indicating that Petunia had stopped running to throw a temper tantrum. Was she really not twelve instead of fifteen?

"That's sixty minutes we mustn't waste, darling, now let's go." Her mother encouraged a sullen Petunia onward as Lily and I pushed our trolleys faster.

Petunia had been the one to cause this rush. Lily and I were ready, all packed and proper, when Petunia threw a fit over coming with us to the train station. If it had been up to me, I would've said stay home — or I might've just summoned up a hole in the earth to swallow her. But their mother had been adamant Petunia come along since Lily's dad couldn't because of work. Or maybe she was afraid of leaving Petunia alone at home. One never knew if her angry nature would be enough to make the house randomly combust.

Now here she was, pretending the fact we were about to be late to platform 9 3/4 was our own doing and she hadn't been clawing at furniture and door-frames to keep from being dragged along.

"Too bad it's really not my problem." I muttered and Lily laughed quietly beside me.

"I don't think I can take much more of her whining." Lily's grin was a mischievous one and I could practically see the wheels in her head turning. "Ditch her?"

"Definitely-"

"We go together. As a family." My aunt appeared over us, Petunia at her side with her arms crossed. It was truly astounding how she looked like she'd swallowed a really sour lemon all of the time.

Lily held back from heaving a dramatic sigh. I was feeling the same way about Petunia going any farther with us. It was times like now I was certain Lily really wished that muggles related to wizards couldn't cross through the barrier that hid the Hogwarts Express.

"On three."

Lily and I — to separate ourselves from Petunia's glum face and to avoid a collision — ran on one. We materialized on platform 9 3/4, crowds of students, parents and pets surrounding us. Over the din I heard Petunia exclaim,

"It smells in here."

As always, her mother had a ready retort. Nothing cruel, but subtly matter of fact. "You must be smelling your own perfume, dear."

Petunia scoffed, deeply offended at her mother's comment, and she stalked off back through the barrier. I paid her no mind, wrapping myself up in my aunt's warm embrace instead.