･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. .**.☽ .*
Dear Sirius,
Have you ever been to Regents park? It's beautiful. Like in the middle of Industrial London, there's just acres and acres of grass, trees, with statues and fountains and a lake...it's like something out of a book. There's quite a few parks like it near me, but this one's my favourite. You should go if you haven't before, it's actually just a short tube ride from my house. We could go together? On a nice day of course, it hasn't rained for a few days now, the weather's been great.
How's staying with James? Has he calmed down since the Christmas holidays? I remember you talking about the early morning runs...sounds like absolute torture if I'm being completely honest. But every households has their traditions, and I definitely won't scare you off by telling you any of the ones in mine.
I do hope you're okay. It's strange not seeing you every day. No one else makes me laugh like you do.
But we'll see each other soon.
Mille baisers,
Caroline x
Sweet Caroline,
For some reason I don't think I've ever been to Regents park, despite living in London for the majority of my life (although to be fair I wasn't near to that part of London). But I would love to go, you make it sound amazing. All around us here at the Potters is greenery, just fields for days. It's in a little village, it's nothing like London and admittedly the quiet was something I had to get used to.
If you want, I can come visit soon and you can show me round the area. We could even go to Regents park together like you said? I don't mind what we do, I just want to spend time with you to be honest.
Staying with James on the whole is honestly amazing. He's my best mate, basically my brother now, I can't imagine my life without him. Does that sound incredibly sappy? I just read it back and I'm cringing hard. The runs are still a thing unfortunately, but now I want to know what traditions you have in your house, you make them sound embarrassing so obviously I want to know now.
It's strange not seeing you every day too...I miss making you laugh, just hearing the sound. J'aimerais vraiment vous voir bientôt.
Yours,
Sirius x
Dear Sirius,
I would love to go to Regents park with you, show you around the area, that would be nice. And you know Regents park is near Camden? I don't know if you've heard of it but it's a great area of London with loads of art places and music and record shops. We could make a day out of it! Look at me, planning ahead. You can say if that'd be something you like before I decide anything for us haha.
Right, I'll just tell you one of the rules/traditions in my house. Every Sunday, if you're in the house you have to speak French. Like all day. Admittedly it has improved my French, but it really does hurt my head trying to speak another language all day. And on a Sunday too!
Speaking of languages, I've started to try to learn Russian. I'm applying for the Advanced Course for Magic Medicine at Koldovstoretz which is the Wizarding school in Russia. They recently opened up to more International students, so now there's five places. There's not a high chance I'll actually get in, but it's worth a shot, right?
Je veux vous voir aussi. Chaque jour je me réveille sans que vous vous sentiez incomplet.
Bien affectueusement,
Carrie x
"Mum says dinner's nearly ready...ooh, another letter from Rutherford?""
Sirius looked up at James who had entered the room before smiling back down at the parchment in his hand, "yeah."
"What did she say?"
"None of your business," Sirius grinned at him, before crouching down and reaching for the box under his bed.
Inside the box was a pile of all the letters she had sent him, tied up with a bit of string. He slipped this one onto the top for safety so then he could write his reply that evening.
"Dinner, then?" Sirius asked, walking past James out the door.
James shook his head before following. He had never had known his best friend to act like this before. Even though he had dated the most people out of all of their friends, he had never seemed to care about anyone as much as he cared about Caroline. There was something deeper there. Something beyond just a relationship.
Sweet Caroline,
I'm free any day, any time, just give me a day and we can meet up. And I've actually been to Camden before - Remus took me and James there last summer to look for Peter's birthday present (he's an August birthday). He's quite into art and Remus thought it'd be a good place to look. It's amazing, I really want to go back!
That French rule sounds so fun, honestly. You probably hate it after 17 years but I think it'd be cool for a day, just a day, any more than that might hurt my head like you said. I've always wanted to go to Paris actually, to test my French...et aussi à cause de la nourriture ... comme les baguettes et les croissants, allez.
What do you have to do to apply for that school? And do you need a certain number of NEWTs? I don't think you should doubt your ability to get a place, you're literally like the smartest person ever, so. Although there is the tiniest part of me selfishly hoping you don't get a place because Russia is very far away...but don't let that influence your decision at all (maybe a little bit). I'm kidding, of course, you've got to go for your dreams. There is no doubt in my mind that you can achieve everything you want.
Ogni giorno che cammino e tu non sei accanto a me è un giorno che non posso godermi appieno. (A bit of Italian for a change...I'm not sure if it's completely right, my French is better than my Italian).
Bien affectueusement,
Sirius x
･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽
Caroline waited in an armchair by the fireplace for Sirius to floo in from the Potter's. She was finishing off a mug of green tea, and was mentally prepping herself for the day. She knew she could be herself with Sirius and she knew she could feel safe, but she still felt nervous for some reason.
Maybe she was nervous because she knew who he was. She knew under all his exterior he was this beautiful soul, with a lot to say, so much ambition, so complex and genuine and kind...but at Hogwarts she had constantly heard and seen his many girlfriends and boyfriends...he'd move on within days of breaking up with people and it would be nothing to him. It was why she had tried to stop herself from feeling things for him in the first place, she didn't want to get her heart broken again.
She knew she was so far deep, that if he hurt her, it would hurt as much as Julian and Eloise's betrayal. It would rip her heart in two. She trusted him, she cared for him, she couldn't imagine her life without him now...if he hurt then that would be it for her and love, she couldn't do it anymore.
Had she invested too much into this? Probably, but that was Caroline.
The fire flared up in tall green flames and Sirius came striding through.
And all of a sudden, all of her anxieties had been forgotten.
She smiled brightly, putting down her mug and jumping up from her seat.
"Hi love," he grinned, opening his arms for a hug to which she stepped forward and accepted.
"Safe trip?" She asked jokingly as they hugged.
They pulled away and he smiled, "only a bit of traffic."
"Ah," she said, shaking her head, before smiling and holding out her hand, "come on."
He took her hand and she led him out the living room to the kitchen and to the front door.
"Your house is so cool," he commented, looking round at the walls which were decorated with funky artwork and up at the ceilings from which there were different hanging lights.
"Bye, Luther!" She called up the stairs before opening the front door.
"Where are you going?" He called back.
"Regents park with a-" she looked at Sirius, smiling slightly, "-with a friend!"
Sirius grinned, nudging her playfully.
"Okay well I'd bring your keys because I probably won't be here when you get back," Luther said, coming to the top of the stairs before spotting Sirius, "well...hello. This your friend, Carrie?"
She sighed, letting go of Sirius' hand, "Luther this is Sirius, Sirius, my older brother, Luther."
"Hey, nice to meet you," Sirius said, smiling cheerfully up at him.
Luther looked suspiciously at him, "yeah, we'll see."
The older boy walked away, back to his room.
"Okay, let's go," Caroline said to Sirius, grabbing her keys before leading him out the door and shutting it behind her.
"He didn't really seem to like me," Sirius mused as they walked down the road.
"He's my older brother, and I mean...after what happened with the last one I don't think he wants another boy in my life again."
"Well that's a bit inconvenient for me," Sirius said, taking her hand in his and swinging it between them freely, "but it's fair enough...Julian was..."
"A twat?"
He snorted, "yeah, that."
The hot sun beat down on both of their faces, a bright beacon in the otherwise clear sky. They walked past the rows of tall, white townhouses, making their way to the tube station.
He squeezed her hand before looking down curiously, "you're wearing the ring."
She looked down at the thick band around her thumb with the silhouette of Freddie Mercury on it, the ring he had given her.
"I wear it a lot."
"I'm glad I gave it to you then," he said, "James made fun of me but it was worth it."
She chuckled, "do your friends make fun of you often?"
"Oh all the time, it's a very hard life," he said dramatically, making her giggle, "nah it's fine, we make fun of each other, but it's all with love."
"Same with me and my friends, although sometimes it confuses me because, um," she shook her head, laughing slightly to herself, "okay so I don't really get sarcasm."
"What do you mean?"
"I just don't get it, same with jokes sometimes, they just go over my head. It's just how I'm wired, that's what my Mum says."
"Regulus is a bit like that," Sirius said quietly.
"Your brother?"
He nodded, "although I haven't spoken to him in nearly a year. Things might have changed...but when we were growing up together he was very logical, always the smarter one, but he struggled socially and jokes always went over his head..."
"Sounds like my double," Caroline said lightly, before looking ahead, "do you miss him?"
He cleared his throat, "yeah. But we don't have to talk about that. How's learning Russian going?"
"Well...moy kot goluboy i tolstyy," she said.
"That's beautiful, what does it mean?
"My cat is blue and fat."
Sirius burst out laughing, "oh you should definitely say that to the people on the board when you apply."
She giggled, "well if I get through to the next round in the process I'll get an interview with them, so perhaps I will."
"I'm sure it'll impress them," he said, "I mean it impressed me."
"Only because you didn't know what it meant."
"Ah yes, very true," he said, grinning at her, "I don't know, the whole blue and fat cat thing is kinda intriguing."
"If I think cat's can actually be blue I don't think they'll let me onto a medicine course," she laughed.
"So that's definitely what you're doing, then? Medicine?"
She nodded, "if I don't get into this course, I'll just go straight into training at St. Mungo's, I'd be more than qualified enough for it."
"So why don't you just do that?"
"Because the course in Russia gives loads of international work experience, and they also have a program where you can go and do medical research at real facilities."
"Oh yeah I remember you said you were interested in that," Sirius nodded, "how long would the course be?"
"Two years."
"That's a long time to be in Russia."
She looked at him with a small smirk, "don't worry, I'd come back for weekends and holidays..."
Sirius just pouted, looking ahead.
"Don't make that face," she laughed, "you make it seem like you'll miss me or something."
He scoffed, "miss you? What? Never...of course not...not me..."
"Ogni giorno che cammino e tu non sei accanto a me è un giorno che non posso godermi appieno - every day that I walk and you are not next to me is a day that I cannot fully enjoy," she recalled softly, "that's what you said in one of your last letters."
His cheeks turned pink, "yeah, I guess I did say that."
"Is it true?"
He just nodded, looking a bit embarrassed, "I'm not normally that guy."
"What do you mean?"
"The romantic guy, with a lot to say...in different languages...I've never been like that."
"So why are you like that with me?"
He looked at her, squeezing her hand again, "you make me want to be romantic."
Her heart swelled in her chest, "I do?"
He nodded, "yes...you disarm me somehow, leave me all vulnerable and...it's very annoying, you know?"
She laughed, before saying softly, "yes, I'm sure it is."
"Do we go down here?" He asked as they reached the stairs to go down to the tube.
"Yep, stay close," she grinned up at him, before leading him down the stairs into the busy tube station.
･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽
"That was so fun," Sirius said as they got back into the cool house, "and Camden is even better than I remembered."
"Want a lemonade? Me and Mum made a whole fresh batch yesterday."
"Oh Merlin yeah, I'm so thirsty."
"It got really hot," She said as she went to get the jug from the fridge, "I had a lot of fun though."
"Me too," he smiled at her as she poured out some cold lemonade for them both, "is your brother home?"
She shook her head, "no he said he was going out this afternoon...both my parents are at work too so it's just us."
"Just us, eh?" He raised a brow.
She laughed, "what's that look for?"
He put down his lemonade and walked round the table to meet her.
"Well hi there," she smiled slightly, "what can I do for you?"
"Today's been really great."
"It has indeed."
"And I really enjoy spending time with you."
"I enjoy spending time with you too."
He grinned, and stepped closer.
"May I kiss you, Carrie?"
Her eyes brightened up and she nodded.
He leaned in, cupping her jaw with his hand, and kissed her. She hummed contentedly against his lips, stepping in closer. They were basically the same height, he was perhaps an inch taller, but it made it a lot easier to kiss.
He turned her round so her back was against the table, still kissing her, before pulling away and tapping the table, "jump up."
Without a second thought, she pulled herself to sit on the table and he moved to stand in between her legs. They were face to face, breathless, and for a brief moment they just smiled at each other.
And then they kissed again.
She gripped his shirt to hold him close to her and after a few more moments he pulled away and began to kiss down her neck, making her eyes flutter close and her mouth open as she leaned her head to give him access. She reached a hand into his soft hair and fiddled with her fingers. He kissed back up to her lips before pulling away again.
"I really like kissing you," he breathed.
She cracked a smile before pressing another short kiss to his lips, "yeah it's alright actually."
"Alright? Just alright?" He repeated, laughing.
She shrugged, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"I think I'm gonna need a bit more than alright love, I'm doing my best work here," he joked, "come on, at least say good."
She smiled, mustering up all her courage before saying in a very small voice, "make me."
"Oh man," he groaned, smiling wickedly before pulling her in for another kiss.
She felt his tongue run across her bottom lip before kissing her more deeply and placing both hands on the back of her waist to press her body into him.
"Hey sorry the door was unlocked and I needed help on the o-oh my God."
They both turned sharply to see Tyler standing in the doorway, his jaw hung open.
"You...you two..." he looked at both of them with wide eyes.
"Hey, Ty," Carrie said awkwardly, before gently pushing Sirius away so she could slip off the table.
"Sorry, um..." he backed away, still in complete shock, "I'll go! I'll leave you to...you know...um, please use protection! Okay bye!"
And with that he ran out, shutting the front door behind him.
"Oh my God," Caroline said, face palming as she laughed.
"Poor guy looked traumatised."
She looked at him, shaking her head and smiling before reaching for her lemonade and taking a sip.
"Oh shit is it really six already?" Sirius said, looking at the clock on the wall.
"Today's gone way too quick," Caroline smiled.
"I know," he sighed, looking at her, "I promised Mia - James' Mum - that I'd be home by six and help with the dinner."
"Oh," she frowned, "well..."
"I'm sorry to leave you," he said, pulling her in by her waist gently.
"Can I see you tomorrow?" She asked innocently.
He smiled widely, "yes, and every other day after that if you want."
"I'll write you," she whispered.
He kissed her softly, lingeringly, before pulling away, "bye for now."
"Bye, Sirius."
He stepped back and disapparated.
She breathed out heavily, her whole body tingling with the aftershocks of Sirius Black. But then she remembered Tyler, and left to go talk to him.
But what on Earth would she say?