Mischief Managed Year One: Mayhem of the Moon

Chapter Forty-Seven- Becoming What One Hates

"Yeah, it's better than nothing," Sirius echoed, feeling hollow.

.................................................

Remus didn't return that night, or the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. It was two days before James' birthday and they were all beginning to worry he wasn't going to make it. It was also that Saturday that Sirius sought his cousin out, deciding he really needed to talk to her.

"Shhh, Ted. Stop that!" Andromeda chided gently. She had been trying to focus on studying while Ted leaned on her shoulder. It didn't seem like either of them were trying to be particularly subtle about their relationship.

Of course Sirius found her where he gambled she'd be. In that courtyard, where he had first seen her and Ted snogging and where he had first found out he was going to be an uncle. Well, close enough to one. If he considered any of his cousins his sister, it was Drommie.

"Drommie, can we talk?" he asked, not even bothering to make it seem like he stumbled across them accidentally. Andromeda looked at his sad eyes and kissed Ted on the cheek, whispering something to him before they both walked over.

"Alone," he muttered, shooting Ted a dark look. Ted didn't seem at all surprised or bothered by the glare, really. Instead, he stuck his hand out with a wide and friendly grin.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Ted Tonks, your cousin's boyfriend."

"I know," he muttered darkly.

"Sirius..." Drommie said in her warning tone. But he didn't want to behave, not in front of the idiot who would cost Drommie her family.

"I'm not shaking his hand. Not after what he did to you!" he shouted, upset at himself for thinking this was a good idea.

He ignored the look of shock, then horror, on Drommie's face and took off running. He bolted out of the courtyard and to the lake as fast as he could, tears blurring his eyes. Behind him he knew his cousin was chasing after him and could hear her shouting after him. He heard Andromeda call his name but he didn't listen, didn't want to listen. It was Drommie that was supposed to be the one who would listen, who would make this all better.

Because Sirius didn't know what to do about any of it and he hated it.

"Sirius Orion Black!" she shouted, now almost caught up to him, her face flushed with exertion from the run, her hair that had started in a ponytail now flowing freely behind her. Andromeda did not look pleased. He stopped at the water's edge, wishing he had some food to throw to the giant squid. "We need to talk." Drommie continued now softly from behind him. He shrugged his shoulders a bit, feeling moody even though he knew she was right.

"You didn't tell me," the Black heir muttered, trying to keep the childish hurt out of his voice and failing.

"I didn't tell anyone, Sirius. But I was going to tell you." She put a hand on his shoulder which he quickly shrugged off. Sirius wouldn't be consoled that easily. He heard the frown in her voice as she continued, clearly worried, "Which begs the question of how you found out."

She put a hand on his shoulder again, but this time it was firmer and she used her hold to spin him to face her. Both her eyes narrowed in a way that Sirius was accustomed to which meant he was in trouble. Despite being mad at her himself, he folded quickly> With Drommie, he was unable to stand the mild look of anger, and even worse disappointment, in his dear cousin's eyes.

"It was an accident. Remus and I were in the courtyard that I just found you in. We were there one night and you were talking about it..."

Drommie gave him a weird look, but seemed to calm down. The disappointment had left her eyes as soon as she could tell he wasn't lying. "What were you two doing? Surely you weren't snogging, were you?"