One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 26

The Marauders knew that Sirius hated his birthday. And while he just said that it was too close to Halloween to be cause for celebration, the truth was November 3rd only served as a reminder of the day he was born into a vile family.

He stares blankly at the deep red curtains that hang above his bed. In less than time than he'd like to admit he would be back at Grimmauld Place for Christmas, staring at the crumbling ceiling there.

His stomach growls, finally alerting him that it may be a good time to finally get out of bed. Firewhiskey hadn't been of comfort to him, cigarettes sure hadn't. Perhaps a trip to the kitchens would be.

He doesn't bother changing, just pulls on a jumper and grabs James' invisibility cloak. It's nighttime, he can tell not just from the darkness of the windows, but James and Remus and Peter are all lounging in front of the fireplace. He nearly goes to them, sits and tells them what he's thinking.

But his feet carry him forewords. James looks up when the portrait hole swings open, a sadness in his heart as he realizes who has just left the common room.

Sirius slowly climbs down the stairs, waiting patiently as some of them shift and change. He's not exactly in a rush. He slips past a door in the entrance hall and meanders down the stairs, passing pantings and portraits of drinks and foods and desserts. He finally stops in front of a picture of a bowl of fruit. He reaches out, tickling the green pear in front of him. The fruit giggles quietly and then turns into a large handle. Sirius yanks hard pulling the portrait back and then climbing inside the doorway.

He can hear the house elves before he can see them, bustling about and talking to each other happily. He's not sure if they notice him under the invisibility cloak. House elf magic was fascinatingly different and if anyone could see through the cloak, it was probably them.

He nearly pulls the cloak off over his head, and then he sees something so astonishingly odd it stops him dead in his tracks.

Gwenyth Whitlock sits happily on one of the long empty tables, her feet swinging happily above the ground as she reads her magazine in one hand and scoops ice cream into her mouth with the other.

Sirius smiles for the first time that day, slowly tiptoeing over. He freezes when she mumbles around her spoon,

"Oh, good. I've been looking for you."

Sirius sighs, his attempts at spooking her foiled again. He finally pulls the cloak off, meeting the sparkling eyes of the Veela. She smiles faintly and grabs another spoon from nearby, holding it out to him.

Her heart clenches slightly at the cold look on his face. He's sad, she realizes. But his lips twitch slightly when he takes the spoon she's offering and scoops up a large bite of ice cream from her bowl.

"I didn't mean you could eat all of it," She grumbles. He smiles slightly and replies, "There's not much left. And it is my birthday after all."

Gwen gently pulls the spoon from his hand, setting the spoons and bowls down next to her forgotten magazine.

"I know," She says softly. "That's why I've been looking for you."

Sirius looks away from her eyes, because she can see right through him. Those pale blues can read him like the back of her hand. She takes in the way his jaw is clamped shut and the way he won't look at her, only through her.

She sighs and slides off the table, saying flatly, "Come on, you bloody dog."

Sirius looks down at her outstretched hand. He slides his palm into hers, smiling faintly at how small her hand feels in his. Then she's tugging him out of the kitchen while he throws the cloak over them.

"I was meant to eat, you know," Sirius mutters from behind her, not sure why they're still holding hands as they walk. But he doesn't complain. Just follows her mindlessly up and up until they round a corner and stand in front of a large door with no keyhole and a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. When Gwen steps out from under the cloak it stirs awake, asking in a deep voice,

"When you need me, you throw me away. When you're done with me, you bring me back."

Sirius looks at Gwen in amusement when she says cheekily,

"Well I'd like to say boys, but I believe the answer is an anchor."

The door swings open, and Sirius swears he can hear the knocker chuckling quietly.

Gwen gestures for him to follow so he does, but he stops short in wonder. The Ravenclaw common room is so large, so open, it leaves him momentarily stunned. His eyes linger on the midnight blue sofa, the bronze fireplace. Then he looks up and sees the round ceiling glinting with stars.

He doesn't realize Gwen has left him alone, invisible in the ocean of blue. Not until she returns with a package wrapped in familiar print. Her magazines. She grins sheepishly and whispers, "Sorry. Forgot to buy wrapping paper."

Sirius swallows past the lump in his throat, mumbling quietly,

"What is it?"

Gwen smiles faintly and looks around. It's late, the only remaining Ravenclaw's studying so furiously that they don't notice when she gently tugs the cloak off to reveal his stiff frame.

"Go on then," She encourages, biting back laughter when she sees a hint of excitement in his eyes. He carefully peels back some of the paper, glancing up when she lets out an exasperated sigh at his painstakingly slow pace. He chuckles and tears the paper away, flashing her a brief but grateful smile when she takes the paper from him.

He eyes the black leather box in his hands, gently rubbing his numb across the embossed letters. His name. He slowly opens it and his mouth runs dry at what he sees. Laying amongst red velvet is a silver telescope. It's pristine, untouched. With the greatest care in the world he lifts it from the box and raises it to his eye. It's pitch black. He furrows his brow, lowering it to look at Gwen.

She laughs quietly, "Look through it again."

He does as she says, peering through it. He feels it move slightly and hears a clicking sound. Suddenly the lens shifts and reveals a beautiful map of the stars. When he moves his head the telescope shifts with him, like he's standing beneath the real night sky.

Gwen smiles at the wonder on his face as he squints through the end. She stands on her toes, reaching up and turning the lens again. Sirius suddenly sees very faint glowing on the horizon when he moves the telescope. There's a red light, a purple light, a silver one, and a very faint blue.

"Wh—"

"It's charmed of course. So you can see the position of the stars no matter the time of day. And the second lens is a map."

He lowers the telescope and stares at her as she explains further,

"Silver is your house, purple is James, Red is Hogwarts."

"What about blue?"

She grins and shrugs, saying simply, "That's if you ever want to come to the beach."

Sirius feels prickling behind his eyes. He could cry, standing here in the veela's common room. Instead he smiles weakly and pulls her into a tight hug.

Gwen closes her eyes and hugs him back, feeling his beating heart against her cheek.

She wonders briefly if he can feel hers, beating just the same.