Serendipity (S. Black)

THIRTY-EIGHT

"you chose willingly to walk into fire with her. that's what love is."

*

The next few weeks dragged on. Eva barely spoke at all, usually only talking when someone addressed her. Looking back, even years later, she remembered almost nothing from the days after her mother's death. Recovery, getting her things, the funeral - all of it blurred in her memory. She felt like she was sleepwalking through life, like she just existed while the world kept turning whether she was ready or not. It was the first time since he'd met her that Sirius ever saw all ten of her fingernails painted the same color, and she painted them black.

The Potters opened their home to her, an offer she gratefully accepted. Out of fear for her own family's safety, Lily left after a week. Sirius also returned home to his apartment, but he frequented the Potter house more than he stayed there, opting to spend his days with his two favorite people, even though it tended to be more calm than exciting.

Both James and Sirius noticed the drastic change in the girl's temperament and it worried them. As someone who dealt with depression in the past, Sirius noticed that her face seemed thinner and she didn't have as much energy anymore. Often, he transformed into Padfoot and just sat with her outside.

It bothered him that she was so quiet. She was just a colder version of the girl she used to be. He missed her laugh most of all.

The summer of 1977 was peppered with visits from friends, all who tried their best to lift her spirits. Marlene sent red flowers multiple times and Remus lent her new books. Kriss brought her kitten, Gray, over for a weekend, which went well until a big black dog ran out of the woods and scared the cat out of its fluffy mind. It took an hour for Gray to even consider leaving the safety of Remus' arms, and Sirius continuously lamented about how sad he was that he missed it.

The Prewett twins showed up for a memorable afternoon of broomstick racing through the orchard which went well until Remus crashed into the kitchen window. The group spent the evening fixing the kitchen while Mrs. Potter fixed Remus. Peter managed to coax the first smile out of her a few weeks after when he brought rolls made from the recipe Hogwarts house-elves used, but anyone could see she just couldn't figure out how to shake her grief. It followed her around like a dark cloud and she hated it.

In the days following her mother's death, James wouldn't let Eva sleep by herself, choosing to camp out on a chair in her room instead. At first she protested, but her objections faded each time she woke up with a nightmare. Having spent years waking up to a horrified Sirius across from him in the dormitory, he knew the right things to say and the things to keep to himself. Unfortunately, dealing with nightmares wasn't new to him. The two had always had a sibling-like bond, one that only strengthened as she began a slow recovery for both her mind and body.