minnow // sirius black

twelve

12 : lasagna

James was finally able to coax me off of the floor.

Mum and Dad had gone downstairs to check on the others, and set up the table for dinner.

So James convinced me to let him pick me up, and then he carried me to my closet. He ran to the bathroom, bringing back a towel, and helping me dry my hair. It was a tangled mess, but at least it was dry.

He did his best to help me into clean, dry clothes, but since he was uncomfortable with helping me with my underwear, I told him to leave. So he turned around, keeping an arm held out for support.

When I was in dry underwear, he pulled a nightgown over my head, pulling my arms through the sleeves before handing me a black robe.

The nightgown was red, and James apologized when I commented that it was the same color as my blood. It came down to my knees, with an inch of lace below that. It was cinched right under my boobs, with a square neckline. There was a bit of lace around the neckline, and the sleeves were lace too, coming down past my wrists. I pulled the sleeves down over my hands, gripping them in my palms as James slid the robe onto my left arm before the right. The main fabric wasn't actually satin, nor silk, but it was smooth and a little shiny. None of my night clothes were actually silk, but I really liked the way silk looked.

I was allergic to real silk, something we learned when I was ten and Mum had gotten me a silk blue robe for my birthday. So my parents found a fake silk, that was just as shiny, and smooth, without giving me massive hives.

This nightgown was a gift for my 16th birthday, sent to me by Mum. Lily thought it was beautiful, commenting that Sirius would love it.

"Why this one?" I asked quietly.

"I didn't actually look," James confessed, rubbing his neck. "I kind of just grabbed the first one that felt long."

I snorted.

James smiled, and opened the closet door.

He handed me the brush off of my nightstand, and kept me upright as I dragged it through my hair. When I was done, I tossed the brush onto the bare bed.

I pulled the two sides of the robe together, the left side over the right, and walked over to where the puddle was. "No, Jemina. Flora said she would clean it up. She can't remove the stains, but she can clean the water."

I didn't stop, but James grabbed my arm.

I whipped around to him, ripping my arm out of his hand.

"I'm getting my wand, you prat."

James furrowed his brows, but let me go. I turned away, stepping over the puddle and grabbing my wand off of the nightstand next to the picture frame. I shoved it into the left pocket of the robe, crossing my arms back over my chest, keeping the robe closed.

I walked past James, leaving my room and walking down the hallway. I heard James groan, before following me. He shut my door, and jogged to keep up with me.

I didn't say anything to him, walking down the stairs.

When we were 8, Mum and Dad put the thickest, softest, carpet they could find on the stairs so our footsteps weren't so loud.

Now, we could run down the stairs while they were asleep, and not wake them.

As soon as my feet were on the dark hardwood flooring in the living room, I wished I had worn socks.

The floor was ice cold.

It literally always was cold, but my slippers had blood on them.

James put a hand on my upper back, gently leading me to the dining room, where I could faintly hear Lily complimenting Dad's cooking. I smiled just the slightest, knowing that even if she had hated it, she would've said that.