Maybe Memories

By the time I was in fourth year, I suppose I realized how much I really liked her...

Finally, before summer had actually began, even Peter was able to turn nearly any object into something that it wasn't originally. They made a pact to practice all summer and work on people next year.

Sirius was, again, not looking forward to summer. His parents were apparently on the verge of murdering him. When his mother picked them up from King's Cross Station she hugged Regulus, helped Regulus, and ignored Sirius, except for a few glares.

The silence was almost worse than being lectured continuously. There was no eye-contact during dinner, except when the greatness of Regulus was being addressed. Regulus wouldn't look at Sirius when they were praising him. He tried to talk to him at other times, but the conversation always ended the same way.

"Mum, what's your point in ignoring me?" Sirius said, finally, one afternoon, unable to stand it anymore.

"My point is, you not only broke the rules, but disregarded the families beliefs. Therefore, you are ignoring my authority as a mother, and I'm simply repaying the favor," she said without looking up from the Daily Prophet.

"This is really ridiculous. You honestly can't expect the world to be full of pure-blood wizards," Sirius said, "There are plenty of great non-pure-bloods--"

She folded her paper roughly and sent him a blazing glare, "You will not question our family beliefs!"

Sirius lowered his head, he didn't feel much like arguing.

The misery didn't last too long, James invited him to stay for a while over the summer.

The two of them were slumped in James' bedroom staring out the open window at the blistering hot summer day. Until, an owl flew in and landed on Sirius' shoulder. He recognized the owl as Estelle's and stroked it's wing after he removed the letter.

Dear Sirius,

I hope your summer isn't too sour. You looked miserable going off with your family after leaving the train. If you need anything, I'll do what I can to help.

Love, Estelle

Sirius let his lips curl up into a smile.

"Where's that from?" James questioned.

"Estelle," Sirius replied folding it and pulling out a piece of parchment.

"What did it say?" James asked.

Nosey today? "She just asked how my summer was going," Sirius said grinning and taking out a quill.

Dear Estelle,

Quite the observation. Thanks for the concern, but I'm staying with James so the misery isn't as bad as you might imagine.

Sirius

He folded it and tied it to the owl's leg.

"You know, she signed it 'love' Estelle," he said watching the owl fly back out the window.

James laughed, "Really?"

"Yeah," Sirius said laughing too, with his cheeks flushing.

The rest of the summer, they continued to write to each other and she didn't sign another letter with 'love'. Maybe he was putting too much thought into it.

On the train, Estelle sat across from Sirius and sent him a smile. She was next to Lupin, who was too busy with a book to even realize who was sitting next to him. Peter was going on about how much he practiced over the summer, from the other side of Lupin. James and Sirius were planning on how to humiliate Snape this year, because once again--and to no surprise-- Lily was sitting with Snape, so James was in a bad mood.

Jasper Bones came to their compartment, which was new. He asked everyone how their summer was. James was pouting too much to be nice. Sirius shrugged because, first off his summer was nothing new, and second he didn't really like Jasper all that much. Peter rambled on for a minute. Lupin didn't even look up from his book. Estelle smiled and giggled a lot, which annoyed Sirius.

Stupid phrat.

Already, on the first week of school, McGonagall was talking about O.W.L.s, that they wouldn't be taking for another year and a half.

"We need to get some practice in soon," Sirius hissed.

"Will you shut up!" Estelle whispered.

"It's not like we don't already know what's going on in this class," Sirius replied.

McGonagall gave them all a very stern look. Estelle sank back into her seat. Sirius held back laughter.

Sirius had become int he habit of receiving and writing letters to his cousin at least once a week. Estelle often asked him about her.

Fall seemed to fade into nothing. Sirius, James, Peter, and Estelle were able to turn each other into animals by late November and they vowed to begin their animagus training after the Christmas Holiday. They were all quite curious of what animal their heart held.

A light snow was already falling in late November.

Jasper and Estelle were awfully close, one night in Astronomy. Sirius found it quite annoying, "Look at them, it's absolutely--"

"Black, shut your trap!" Lily said from the other side of James.

Sirius grumbled something inappropriate.

When they went to leave, Estelle completely ignored Sirius--or so he thought. So, he decided he would say something to her.

"Hey, Estelle," he walked in between she and Jasper, "you know, I think that we should come out here tomorrow like right before sunrise to see Mercury reappear in the sky, to mark it on our charts for extra credit, huh?"

"Since when do you care about Mercury?" Estelle said flatly.

Sirius shrugged, "I don't know, I just knew you would and thought I'd offer to come with you."

"Well, you don't have to, Jasper and I are coming up here," she replied.

He turned his head sharply to glare at Jasper but, he'd already gotten ahead of them. He glanced back over at Estelle, who was clutching an odd piece of parchment with her books.

"What's that?" Sirius questioned, reaching for it.

"Nothing!" Estelle exclaimed, jerking away.

"Wow, Estelle," James said coming from the other side, "you might want to yell a little louder. There was probably someone in Russia who might not have heard you."

She huffed.

"She has some little note that she doesn't want me to see," Sirius said.

"Is that so?" James said laughing.

"Don't flatter yourself, Sirius, I don't want either of you to read it," Estelle replied.

"Why not?" James asked.

"Because!" she exclaimed.

Sirius reached for it, when she jerked away James grabbed it. Estelle scowled as James read it. He laughed, and handed it to Sirius.

You think we can come up here tomorrow night before the sunrise and look for Mercury?

Yeah, that would be sweet. None of my friends really like astronomy enough to come up here for stuff like that.

Well, anytime you need some company, let me know.

Certainly.

The sky looks really pretty tonight, almost as pretty are you.

Aw, that's really sweet, thank you.

I'll be looking forward to tomorrow.

Sirius felt his heart sink, "What a phrat!"

"I'm glad you all find my personal life so amusing!" Estelle exclaimed, snatching the note back from him.

"Why couldn't he have just said that stuff to you? Writing it down! How thick is he?" Sirius said.

"I thought it was sweet!" Estelle exclaimed.

"Well, if he doesn't have to guts to say it to your face then--"

"Maybe some people aren't as arrogant as you and James!" she snapped.

"Hey!" James said, "Why are you bringing my name into this?"

She made a face, and stormed up to the portrait.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Peter asked, when James and Sirius entered the common room.

"Jasper Bones is a git," Sirius muttered shuffling off to the dormitory. It was, after all, past midnight.

James watched him with his mouth hung open slightly. "I really am not sure," James said.

"You boys are so stupid!" Lily said.

"This is none of your concern, Evans!" James replied. He turned and went after Sirius.

The following day, Estelle didn't really want to speak to Sirius or James. During breakfast she kept to herself.

Sirius decided he would make a plan to get back at her for going with Jasper up to the Astronomy Tower. Oh, he would be going too, with Chelsey Botravik. So there, Estelle...

"So, basically, this has turned into a couple thing, and I'm going to look like a total git up there by myself?" Lupin questioned when Sirius told him the 'master plan'.

"No...no," Sirius said.

Lupin sighed, "If you've never said anything to Estelle about liking her, then how is she supposed to know you don't just like Boltravik."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but found no response to that. Instead, he just said, "Well...all that matters is she's going to be jealous."

Lupin began to protest, but decided it was better to let him find out on his own. And, for all he knew, Estelle would get jealous.

Feeling very tired, and with heavy eyelids, Sirius made his was to the Astronomy Tower, ten minutes later than he was supposed to. Still, Chelsey was waiting for him. He gave the best smile he could, as tired as he was.

It was worth it, though. Estelle and Jasper were fixed along a telescope.

"I told you to wake me up when you were leaving!" Sirius hissed at Lupin, who was at a telescope beside them.

Lupin rolled his eyes, and ignored the comment.

Sirius glared at Estelle, and she wasn't paying any attention what-so-ever. It was likely that she didn't even see him come in. Astronomy was her favorite subject...

By the time he was finished glaring at Estelle, Chelsey had already set up the telescope.

He grinned at her, "Thanks."

She returned the smile and looked through the telescope.

The morning seemed to unfold into a disaster. Estelle even smiled at him once. There was no scowls or anything. The only thing that came out of it was extra credit and Sirius having to go with Chelsey to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop next Hogsmeade weekend.

After parting ways with Chelsey, he felt a nap before class coming on.

"How's Chelsey?" Estelle asked when he entered the common room.

Sirius felt a smile form over his lips that he was unable to hide. "Great," Sirius said, "especially now that she's going have tea with me when we go to Hogsmeade in a couple of weeks."

"Oh, isn't that precious..." Estelle replied.

"Yep," Sirius said smiling., "How's Jasper."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Estelle questioned.

He shrugged, "I'd have to contain my laughter to much."

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

He laughed, "Nothing...just he has to go so far as to ask you to go watch Mercury with him instead of just asking you out."

"Like you did with Chelsey?"

"No," Sirius lied, "Chelsey and I...have been...seeing each other."

"Oh, really?" Estelle questioned, "Is that why she was snogging that fifth year, Trent Saunter last week? Or is that just because she's a slut?"

Sirius crossed his arms, "You're just jealous."

"Of what?" she said and turned on her heels and went towards the girl's dormitory.