[For Cassie]
There have been very few places Sirius Black has ever felt at home. The Potters' had been one of them-James' parents house, where he first spent summers and then was taken in after he left the dim, dank corners of Grimmauld Place. Hogwarts had been another, but for a long time that was it; his habit of bouncing from place to place kept him from connecting much with any one place, even on the island.
He's got this place with Cassie now, though, just a small and thoroughly humble hut close to the beach, and the last few weeks, he's been getting a feeling when he steps up to the little porch that he's not had since he was sixteen. There are flowers and paper birds and other pretty, dainty things in all the nooks and crannies, and the breeze comes in off the ocean all sweet and salty, and it just feels…right. For once in his life, Sirius is actually letting himself appreciate that feeling rather than doubting whether it will last.
Most of this, naturally, is owing to the wild-haired ingenue who inhabits the space with him. When Cassie is happy, she lights up the entire place, so Sirius does his best to keep her that way.
Today he's got a pocketful of seashells and two shiny apples in his hands when he pads his way barefoot up the front steps. If he's lucky, she'll actually eat some of the fruit instead of just arranging it prettily along the little, rough-hewn table that stands in the middle of their all-purpose parlour.
"Cass?" he calls as he bumps open the door with a bony hip. "You home yet?"
He's got this place with Cassie now, though, just a small and thoroughly humble hut close to the beach, and the last few weeks, he's been getting a feeling when he steps up to the little porch that he's not had since he was sixteen. There are flowers and paper birds and other pretty, dainty things in all the nooks and crannies, and the breeze comes in off the ocean all sweet and salty, and it just feels…right. For once in his life, Sirius is actually letting himself appreciate that feeling rather than doubting whether it will last.
Most of this, naturally, is owing to the wild-haired ingenue who inhabits the space with him. When Cassie is happy, she lights up the entire place, so Sirius does his best to keep her that way.
Today he's got a pocketful of seashells and two shiny apples in his hands when he pads his way barefoot up the front steps. If he's lucky, she'll actually eat some of the fruit instead of just arranging it prettily along the little, rough-hewn table that stands in the middle of their all-purpose parlour.
"Cass?" he calls as he bumps open the door with a bony hip. "You home yet?"