Under normal circumstances, Sirius would have loved the summertime. It was his favourite season; he adored the way that it was always warm, the sky impossibly blue and the grass a lively green. He felt in tune with the nature around him, finding a place among the trees and the fluttering butterflies.
Now, it was like he had been messily glued into the picture, a disjointed instrument in an orchestra.
Sitting in the Potter's' garage, he absentmindedly fiddled with the tools sprawled around him. There was grease on his hands, and his hair was pulled into a messy top knot on his head. Instead of savouring the heat, the sweltering weather made his tank top stick to his skin in a way that made his insides crawl. Even his beloved motorcycle couldn't take his mind off of it.
Today was Clara's birthday. She turned seventeen years old today, the age every witch and wizard looks forward to. No more Trace, free to do magic to their heart's content, without having to be monitored by the Ministry. He wondered whether Clara was looking forward to it, like everyone else her age. Or was she dreading it? Dreading another day spent in a silent manor, void of the life she deserved.
Truth be told, he felt Clara's absence like a knife to his heart.
The sound of a door knob jiggling broke his thoughts. A second later, James' head popped into the garage.
"I've been looking for you for, like, an hour, Pads," James grumbled, stepping into the boiling room. "What are you doing in here?"
"Well, I'm trying to work on my bike," Sirius explained, pointing to the disarray of tools around him.
James stared.
"It's not going very well." Sirius snorted, throwing the screws in his hand onto his work bench.
"What are you even trying to do?" James inquired, leaning against the wall. "I thought it already worked?"
Sirius blew his bangs out of his eyes in frustration. Not at James, but at himself, for not being able to focus. "I wanted to make it fly."
James blinked. "That's ambitious,"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Do you need something?" He groaned.
"Not really," James shrugged. "Just came by to see how you were doing,"
"I'm fine," Sirius sighed, but the attempt sounded fake even to his own ears.
James nibbled on his lower lip, a nervous tick Sirius had noticed back in their third year. "Today's her birthday, right?"
Sirius nodded.
His best friend cocked his head to the side. "Did you buy her a present?"
"I... Well, no," Sirius realised. "It didn't seem important, considering how I can't send her anything,"
With a sigh, James crossed his arms. "You're going to see her in a week, you idiot. Don't you think she'd like a present when she comes here?" He prompted, hazel eyes meeting grey.
There was a moment of silence, Sirius' brain starting to feel more alive every passing second. "She's coming here next week," Sirius repeated. "I'm bringing her here."
"You know, I was thinking," James' lips pulled up in a small smile. "Lily would probably want to get her a present too. How about all three of us go together?" He opened the door leading into the house, nodding at Sirius in the direction he was urging him to move towards.
Sirius felt his feet move towards him, leather boots thudding against the concrete. As the pair drifted into the house, Sirius felt a little lighter. Because James was right; next week, Clara would be with them.
She would be with him.
Not for the first time, Sirius felt gratitude flow through him at the fact that James Potter was his best friend, for reminding him of that.
~*~
Daniel's car rolled to a stop outside a local coffee shop in the town of Presteigne. The community was small, comprised of small brick houses built close to one another and neighbours who knew each other's names. There wasn't many people out that day, the swirls of grey clouds and gusts of chilly wind scaring residents into the comforts of their homes. Nevertheless, there were a few people in the shop, couples and groups of friends, who spoke in hushed voices. There was a woman sitting by the window who looked an awful lot like Clara, Daniel observed with a pang.
"I'll be back in an hour," Daniel tore his attention away from the window to talk to his driver. "Please, enjoy yourself in the meantime," He urged, before stepping out into the stormy weather.
With one last breath, he allowed himself to walk into the shop.
It was warm inside, the smell of cinnamon wafting through the air and getting caught in the folds of Daniel's clothing. There was a barista up at the front desk, a handsome young man with a lopsided smile, who looked like they were friendly enough, so Daniel made his way towards him.
"Hello, sir," The barista greeted. "How can I help you this afternoon?"
Daniel cleared his throat. "I'm actually looking for someone," He explained. "A man named Aaron Campbell? I was told he worked here,"
The barista nodded. "He actually lives in the room above the shop. He's not working today, so he should be up there," He said, pointed to a closed door on the other side of the shop.
Daniel smiled politely. "Wonderful, thank you very much," After quickly shaking hands, Daniel crossed the shop and opened the door, revealing a rickety staircase made of uneven steps that lead to a small landing. Making his way up to the top, every step creaking under his shoes, he stopped in front of another door. A sign labelled 'Aaron Campbell' hung on the wall released a flurry of nerves in Daniel, his heart beat speeding slightly.
He was painfully aware that he didn't really have a plan of action, other than trying to reconnect two siblings who had gone too long without seeing each other. That, and, ultimately, trying to save Clara from her abusive father.
Finally, he gathered the courage to knock.
A couple of seconds passed. Then, a muffled, "I'm on my way!"
The lock clicked open from the other side, and the door was pulled open to reveal Aaron Campbell. He looked a lot like Clara, Daniel realised, with curly hair the colour of bronze, and a pair of bright blue eyes that always seemed to catch Daniel off guard. Their build was different, though, Aaron tall where Clara was not. Daniel was vaguely aware of his heart threatening to break out of his chest.
Across from him, Aaron observed him with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. The contrast between the two was interesting; Daniel was dressed in an expensive coat that hid a high-quality button down shirt and slacks, a pair of leather shoes on his feet, whereas Aaron stood in a pair of jeans, dressed in a soft sweater, hair endearingly askew, with a pair of house slippers to hide his bare feet.
"Can I help you?" Aaron asked. His voice sent a current down Daniel's back, reminding him of smooth chocolate and honey.
Daniel attempted to ground himself. "My name is Daniel," He began, not understanding why Aaron Campbell's blue eyes intimidated himself so much. "I'm a... er, friend of your sister's."
Something shifted in the depths of Aaron's eyes. When he spoke, his voice had become tight. "You know Clara?" Daniel nodded gently, and Aaron moved to admit him into his flat without a word.
The inside of his flat was an odd assortment of expensive wizarding decorations, and humble muggle inventions. The combination provided a sense of conflict, as if the viewer was caught between the two worlds. Yet, at the same time, the apartment was oddly soothing.
Aaron led him to a small sitting area, furnished with a small leather sofa and a coffee table. With a wave of his arm, Daniel sat on the far end of the sofa, back straight and hands clasped in front him, just as his parents had taught him.
Aaron sat himself on the other end of the sofa, facing Daniel with nervous eyes. "Is she okay?"
Daniel took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "That's a little difficult to answer," He explained. "She's caught in a complicated situation,"
Aaron's eyes slipped closed, his mouth in a hard line.
"She's being forced to marry," Daniel admitted, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. "To me."
Aaron's emotions were shown through his features, raw and unfiltered, switching between anger, worry, and sadness so quickly that Daniel couldn't keep up.
"Why are you here then?" His voice surprised Daniel, full of bitterness.
The statement riled him, just a little, and he tried to keep the bite out of his next words. "Because I don't want her to get married to me,"
His blue eyes opened.
Daniel hurried on before he lost his nerve. "She's not okay. Not really," He said.
"Is it my father?" Aaron asked.
He nodded.
"That son of a bitch," Aaron laughed coldly. "I hate him."
"How could you leave her?" The words jumped out of his mouth before Daniel could hold
them back. "Even when you knew what type of a man he was!"
"It's not like I wanted to!" Aaron growled, leaning forward slightly.
"Then why haven't you gone back to get her," Daniel said, voice hardening. "After all these years,"
"I don't need to explain myself to you," He retaliated, standing up. "Why are you here!" His body was stiff, face flushed with anger.
Daniel forced himself to calm down. "I'm here for Clara. She's not okay," he repeated. "Like I said, Joseph wants to get her married to me." He paused, nothing the way Aaron's face closed at the sound of his father's name. "But, I don't. I mean I do, I think she's lovely, but I don't, because she doesn't want it." He took a breath, and continued in a quieter tone. "I visited her today, for her birthday. I saw your father try to hit her as I rang the doorbell, which thankfully distracted him before he could actually commit,"
"I've only met her recently, but even I can tell she's not healthy. She's thinner every time I see her. Today," His breath hitched. "Today, she had a breakdown Aaron. She told me she doesn't want to do it anymore. She's not okay, not in the slightest,"
Aaron listened silently.
"After that, I knew that we couldn't get married. But I also can't just leave her in the cursed house. So I'm here," He explained. "I want you to take her away."
"How?" Aaron's voice was tiny. "How would I be able to do it? He'd kill me if he saw me there again,"
Ice formed in Daniel at his words. It was difficult for him to visualise someone so cruel, a fear so gripping. "There's a party one week from today," He said gently. "To celebrate the engagement. As far as I know, there'll be at least a hundred guests, if not more. You'll be able to get in and out without anyone noticing,"
Aaron took in the words. "August first?" He clarified.
Daniel nodded, and Aaron closed his eyes again, muttering something under his breath.
"Okay," He said. "Okay. But Clara can't know,"
"Why not?"
"Something you should know about Clara is," He explained. "Is that when she's hurt, she's also angry. And in my case," He ran a hand through his hair. "She's going to be furious. I'm afraid that she'll try to convince you to think of another way if she finds out."
"Why didn't you see her?" Daniel asked again, with less heat behind his words this time. "She misses you so much,"
Aaron sighed. "I didn't want to make things worse. If I went, and our father found out, he'd take it out on Clara. It was a risk I didn't want to make until she was unTraceable," He quieted, blue eyes pointed at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Daniel assumed that the conversation was over.
Then, a quiet confession:
"That, and the fact that fear," Aaron whispered. "Fear makes us do unthinkable things,"
~*~
Daniel said his goodbyes shortly after. On his way to the door, Aaron piped up.
"How did you know where to find me? I haven't told anyone from my family where I live,"
Daniel reached into his pocket, his fingers clasping around the cold, heavy ring, and pulled it out. He held it out in his palm. "I took this from Clara and cast a tracking spell," He admitted. "Perhaps it was out of line, but I hope you understand."
Aaron stared at the ring before gingerly picking it off Daniel's palm.
As Daniel stepped out of the apartment, he couldn't help but notice that the blue gems on the face of the ring were the same colour as Aaron's eyes.
~*~
Clara was exhausted.
It was close to six o'clock now, but the weariness set in her bones, making her eyelids droop and her head heavy. Daniel had left a couple of hours ago, and she had not left her room since then.
She was laying in bed, under her covers, feeling oddly emotionless after her stressful day. In her hand, the ornate mirror glinted even in the darkness. Clicking it open, she set the object down on her mattress, mirror facing herself, and hoped that Sirius' face might appear in the reflection.
She might've been waiting for a couple of minutes, or a couple of hours (it was hard to tell), but she found her thoughts were struggling to choose between sleep and staying awake.
Choose, they seemed to say. Sleep, and have another nightmare, or stay awake, and have to feel a little longer. Live, a little longer.
In the end, Clara chose to relinquish life for some time and sleep.
----
Hello, lovelies! Two updates in a week? Who am I?! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Finally, Aaron makes an appearance! What do you guys think of him, based on his initial meeting? I'd like to know.
I hope you guys have a great day, wherever you all are.
xoxo,
iesha