Late December 1977
On December 23rd, 1977 the Jones family sat around the dinner table at home. While Kelsey's mum went on about her job as a landscape architect, her dad related tales of the bad boy juvenile teens he'd hear at the prosecutor's office.
Kelsey distractedly nodded along, remembering her very own bad boy that she had to deal with every day. Not that Sirius was her bad boy to be had. Nuh-uh. The thought had her awkwardly shoving more food into her mouth to distract herself.
"So, honey," her mother said, pausing her story of the case of the missing rooftop plants - attempted sabotage by a rival firm. Amelia Jones darted her eyes towards her husband who took it as a sign of a serious conversation to come. He knew better than to question his wife's motives after 21 years of marriage. "How has your year been going?"
"Oh, you know," Kelsey started. "Same ol' boring stuff. Magic and essays and whatnot."
"Is that so?" her mum hummed with a knowing tone. "Does that boring stuff include sneaking into the boy's dorm to dye some poor boy's hair or flashing your undies to the entire school in the presence of said boy." She took a bite of the pie.
Theodore Jones who was in the middle of eating his pie as well, spat it out in shock at the notion of his precious, too-innocent-for-the-world daughter, entering an all-boys dorm. It was clear where Kelsey got her food spluttering tendencies.
"WHO IS HE?" he bellowed. Theo was 17 once. He knew what went on in their heads.
"OH MY GOD MOM!" Kelsey dropped her knife and fork with disbelief. Sirius Black was the last person she wanted to talk about with them. And he was anything but poor, as her mom had put it.
"You see the thing is.." Amelia Jones calmly, going for another bite. "..I have been receiving very interesting letters from Professor McGonagall this term. Tell me Kelsey: why am I receiving letters from the Deputy Head - the lady who isn't even your Head of House?"
"JUST A FIRST NAME. I have a friend at the local PD. I WILL HUNT DOWN THE BOY WHO STOLE MY DAUGHTER'S INNOCENCE!" Her father made for his gun collection stashed in their basement.
"Dad it's not like that!" Kelsey cried. She got up, trying to calm him down.
Once they were all seated again she began. "It's just a prank war," she mumbled, avoiding their gaze.
"Isn't Sirius Black that the boy we met that one time?"
Kelsey gulped and met her mother's challenging gaze. Crap. She knew.
Her dad grunted upon remembering the scrawny kid he had once glared at the station for being within five feet of his daughter.
He wasn't deaf. He had also heard the stories of how he and his friends spent their time tormenting his daughter and her friend Evans and how she would complain about finding him in closets making out with girls.
His only solace was the fact that she appeared to hate him too. Although as he watched his daughter suddenly look mortified, he wasn't so sure anymore. It was a father's worst nightmare.
"It's harmless fun," Kelsey shrugged. "It's not affecting my studies like seriously. I'm still on track to graduate with good grades and join the Muggle relations department, I swear!"
Her mother let out a tired sigh.
"Plus, we kinda cooled down about it in the last month," she mumbled, turning a little red in the face. Amelia Jones knew the telltale signs of a blush when she saw one.
"Honey, this isn't about your studies. We have complete faith in you," Amelia consoled lovingly while Theo nodded along. "You know you can talk to us about anything right?" she said softly. "And that includes any boys you may or may not like too." The playful tone was hard to miss.
"WHAT?! Ugh. Can you just not!" Stammering her way through how much Sirius was the bane of her existence, she got up. "You know - funny thing - Lily actually started dating Potter. I called it right?" she got up now scuttling about to clean her plate and stash it on the drying rack.
"You mean sweet Lily who is now dating the boy she once claimed to hate?"
Kelsey didn't have a reply because her mum was technically right. So she did the next best thing a 17-year-old teenage girl could do. She let out a frustrated shriek and stormed up instead leaving her mother chuckling back at the dinner table.
Beside her, Theo looked defeated. Amelia placed a hand over his. "It's happened, Theo. Our baby's all grown up," she smiled at him.
Tears prickled at the thought of his daughter about to graduate high school and moving out. He accepted it. But not yet. He had serious doubts about this Sirius dude.
"Never," he grumbled, sinking back into the chair. He couldn't wait to meet the guy. He was already working on his 'You hurt my daughter' speech.
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"Honey, look at this! Wouldn't this be like just the cutest?" Kelsey's mother beamed happily while holding up a colour-changing robe at Madame Malkin's store. Her parents had accompanied her to Diagon Alley for some last-minute shopping supply after Kelsey had insisted on it.
The reports of muggle-born attacks were only increasing and she had convinced them to come along partly because she could at least protect them when should anything happen. Lily was the one who had suggested the idea to Kelsey who had been nervous about leaving them alone. She'd be sure to put some sort of protective charm over their house when she left for school after New Year's.
Kelsey hummed mechanically not really paying attention because she was busy staring at Benji Macdonald who she saw walking down the alley with Mary towards them. She sent them a grin.
"Benji!" she squealed and launched into his arms.
"Kels," he grunted as she hugged him.
Her dad looked up at the name of a boy on his daughter's lips as she exclaimed eagerly and went for a hug. He was about to step in and introduce himself when his wife held him back and dragged him further into the store instead.
"Benji!" Sirius Black too looked up so quickly that he managed to get a kink in his neck. He looked ahead to see Mary and Benjamin Perfect-Prefect Macdonald talking to Kelsey as she gushed on.
He turned, snatched the book that Moony had been browsing, put it back in its place, and dragged him along closer to the three. They crouched behind a tall street display, diagonally across.
"Padfoot what are-" Moony started but Sirius shushed him. His friend followed his gaze to see the trio talking outside a clothing store and muttered 'Of course.'
Sirius narrowed his eyes dangerously when he saw the Macdonald boy smiling at Kelsey, looking a little too happy to see her.
"What is Mary doing?" Sirius exclaimed as he saw Mary excuse herself and enter a different shop, leaving them alone.
Benjamin turned to face Kelsey shyly and made a gesture as if to go for a stroll. She accepted. Letting out a hmph!, Sirius turned to Moony.
"Just go," Remus sighed, giving up completely. "I'm heading back to the bookstore."
Sirius Black started following them, hiding behind shelves, giant Christmas decorations, and a group of shoppers as he inched closer. Little did he know that there was also another man following the pair, just like himself on the other side of the street.
Sirius finally managed to get close. He could finally hear them.
"So er- fancy grabbing a bite? I think Mary might take a while. She says she wasn't buying my gift, but we all know that's a lie," Benjamin let out a low chuckle. Kelsey smiled and was about to agree, wanting to pick his brain for more NEWT advice when she felt a hand snake around her waist.
"There you are, love," Sirius Black's breath tickled her ear. "I was looking for you."
She turned to face him shocked as he smirked back. She broke out of her trance the moment she felt his thumb lightly graze her waist while sizing up Benji.
She pushed him away.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"More like what are you doing with my girlfriend here, Macdonald?" Sirius continued to stare at him. Nothing on his face betrayed the lie.
"This is ridiculous! Black, I am not yo-"
"GIRLFRIEND?!!" A fourth voice interrupted them all. The sight of a flushed Theo Jones tightly clutching that colour-changing robe rested before them. He couldn't hold himself back as he witnessed not one but two boys fighting over his daughter.
"Dad it's not what it looks like!" She elbowed Sirius who dropped his hand just as quickly as he saw her father's murderous gaze.
"Never thought you'd end up with him," Benji mumbled. "Don't matter - You two look great together. Although I shouldn't have been surprised," he smiled genuinely although looking a bit down. "Write to me y'know. If you want more NEWT help. I think I'll go find Mary." He walked away happy to not be on the receiving end of whatever was about to follow with Kelsey's mean-looking father and Black.
"Theo, what are you doing?! We didn't pay for that!" Kelsey's mom jogged over, looking panicked as two sour-looking wizards followed her.
And that's how the four of them were swept up in the shoplifting scandal of the afternoon as the Alley Cops - glorified Mall Cops really - dragged her parents back to the store and demanded payment for the items they had snuck out.
Madame Malkin then banned them for life all while Kelsey frantically tried to explain the situation with her mother introducing herself to Sirius in the background. When things cooled down, they found themselves sitting at a table in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Kelsey, you just told us yesterday that he wasn't your boyfriend," her mom shot her a disappointed look.
"We aren't-"
"So, you talk about me when I'm not around, eh?" Sirius interrupted and grinned at her.
He didn't know what had possessed him to pull that stunt but holding her in his arms, he didn't even have any regrets. Especially not with how well she seemed to fit right in.
"That's it! I think we'll be off now." Kelsey stood up and started dragging her parents away toward the exit through the pub. "It was nice seeing you, Black. Not." She stuck her tongue out at the boy who grinned back in response.
"Kelsey! That is no way to talk to your boyfriend!" her mother scolded undoing her daughter's grasp. "I really don't know how you managed to snag such a caring boyfriend with that attitude," Amelia said. Kelsey was about to protest when her mother held up a hand.
"I think Theo and I can find our way home. Why don't you kids enjoy yourselves? I think I saw a sign for a couples' special at that icecream parlour," Amelia dragged her husband away before either could protest.
Kelsey stood staring at the scene in front of her as her parents left her in the dust. Her dad managed to turn around and mouth 'I'm watching you' at Sirius. Just before they disappeared from sight, she pulled out her wand and cast a temporary shield charm over them to make sure they got home safe. In case the shop-lifting commotion drew unwanted attention.
"Girlfriend?" She jabbed his chest hard, turning to face him. "What is wrong with you? Is this all a joke?" She was upset because she realised that this was all a game to him. He got off on girls' attention and it had irked her for years and it still hadn't stopped.
She turned instead and walked into the main alley, with no goal in mind as to where she was going.
"Jones," he stopped her just outside Flourish and Blotts. Holding on to her elbow, he turned her swiftly. "Wait!" The crook of her elbow hit a stand and sent it toppling over with a loud crash. They both froze as they heard the angry yells of the shopkeeper coming closer.
"Run."
That was all it took for her to grab onto his hand and make a break for it. They stopped only when they were sure that the coast was clear in a more deserted alley.
"Kelsey," he spoke but she cut him off.
'Why is he looking at me like that?' thought Kelsey
"Do you think this is a joke?" She started again. "That feelings are just something fun to play with?!"
He held back a smile as she animatedly continued her earlier speech going on about his incorrigible ways.
"I don't," he might as well come clean and risk the humiliation and get it over it. He wouldn't get a chance like this.
"W-what?"
"I don't think of you as a game, Jones. I never did." He cupped her face with one hand. He noticed her breathing get shallow. Her eyes were light enough for him to see darken.
"Kelsey," she whispered.
"W-what?" It was his turn to be surprised.
"I like it when you call me Kelsey."
She hadn't pushed him away yet as he reveled in holding her close. He took it as a sign.
"Kelsey," he murmured. "Please don't slap me," he said right before connecting their lips.
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A/N: So ya know the drill. Vote and Comment if you're enjoying the story!