Disarranged

I hadn't anticipated Sirius to open up to me after our unconventional heart-to-heart, and was glad I wasn't a delicate soul. After our sunrise tea he had returned to his habit of disappearing into the manor and silently reclining on the daybed when I retired to my sofa.

I decided it best to give him time and let him come to me. I was certain he trusted me more at this point, and I decided that was all that mattered.

Sometimes I peaked into the library to find him sitting in one of the chairs like a lazy schoolboy: slouching with one leg over the chair's arm. The only difference was that he seemed focused on the book in his hands, eyes moving left and right as he absorbed the printed lines. I smiled to myself and continued down the hall, making sure I avoided all the creaky floorboards as to not disturb his peace. I vaguely imagined being back in Hogwarts, Madam Pince hissing a firm, "Quiet in the library!"

After tending to my roses I spent the day remembering my time at Hogwarts. I had been sorted into Slytherin, so I suppose I was proof one could never judge a book by its cover. My older brother was in Ravenclaw, a full six years ahead of me, very smart and a self-proclaimed lady charmer.

I had a large social circle in Hogwarts, but very few close and dear friends. They were all Slytherins: Lucille Deitra Hart, Cecil Casius Caldwalder, and Liatrus Azura Soldaster. All were Pureblood, but some, like Liatrus and myself, higher up the ladder than the others.

Cecil was a sweet boy with a hair never out of place. He was well-read and could recite the oldest wizarding world poetry upon request. He enjoyed watching Quidditch, but not participating, and excelled in all his studies. He wasn't as mischievous as my girl friends, and preferred to stay in the Common Room while we gallivanted through the halls after hours. He now held some position in the Ministry, and I didn't really know more than that.

Liatrus was a tomboy, and one could surmise as much from her position of Beater on the Slytherin Quidditch team. It seemed she was never free of a bandage or bruise, and often loudly showed it off to our classmates. "That's one against Gryffindor!" she'd exclaim, earning a round of hardy cheers. Every first snow Liatrus and I would have a snowball fight to commemorate the change of seasons. We often forgot our mittens, leaving our hands cold and stiff from the game, but our hearts and spirits elated. She eventually moved to St. Petersburg to marry a wealthy Russian Pureblood. The last thing she said to me before her departure was: "It will be wonderful, I'll have snowball fights everyday!"

Lastly, was Lucille. I don't try to think of Lucille much anymore. It's quite a painful memory for me. I suppose the most I allow myself to recall is that she was my confidant, the one that would sneak with me to the kitchens for brownies, and the one that would lovingly coo to me while I cried over some recent heartbreak. Beyond those thoughts, Lucille was a long time ago.

"You look quite gloomy," Sirius' voice broke my daydream. I hadn't expected him to address me in any particular way. I turned toward him and shrugged.

"There's a lot to be gloomy about," I remarked with a quirk of an eyebrow. He moved over to sit on the daybed, but did not lie down.

"You don't get many visitors here," he observed. I knew there was a question underneath his statements, but I wasn't quite sure what he was trying to get at.

"Well, being ostracized will do that to you," I jived, leaning my cheek onto my hand. He gave a small chuckle, knowing exactly what I meant.

"I guess, I mean," he fumbled over the words. "Don't you have a man in your life?"

My jaw dropped and I stared at him a few minutes. I then began to laugh. He sounded like my father!

"No," I simply responded, still giggling.

He seem flustered and asked, "Well, I mean, with a name like Urquart I'd expect you to be shipped off and married to some tosser already."

I let out another loud laugh. "Do you really think any traditional wizard could handle me?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm quite content being single and living alone. I'm also still young, if you hadn't noticed, and I haven't really planned on settling down until all this insanity passed." It seemed he was about to say something, but I added: "And if it doesn't pass over in my lifetime, so be it. I have enough money and DeeDee for company and that would be fulfilling enough for many."

He seemed pensive for a minute before saying, "You're all right, Pyrope."

I groaned. "Oh please, don't call me by my first name, I usually go by my middle or last. I can't believe Dumbledore didn't mention that! He knows how much I dislike it."

"What's your middle name?" Sirius queried.

"Scout."

"Scout?" he asked in confusion. To be fair it wasn't common in the magical realm, and I was sure Azkaban didn't have a library.

"It's a character's name in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee," I explained. "My parents loved the novel. My brother's middle name was Atticus, another character from it."

He seemed to be thinking again before asking, "Do you miss them?"

"Everyday," I immediately remarked. "They were good people."

"Harry's parents were as well," he nearly whispered. "Lily and James." I could tell that this was big. He was showing me something important about himself.

I didn't know what to say to that, and I was sure I'd ruin whatever tenuous amicability we had built if I tried.

"I wish I could be with my nephew right now," he growled, suddenly feeling useless.

"You know you can't right now," I logically shot back. "To do so would not only put yourself in danger, but put Harry in danger as well. You will see him in time."

"Well then, when?!" he yelled and stood up. I was quickly beginning to realize that Sirius' moods were erratic.

"When Dumbledore says so," I rebuked with a frown. "Like I said when we first met, it's not just you now."

He growled but settled back down on the daybed.

"I know it's difficult," I continued, "But you need to learn to keep calm. You managed to get this far, don't blow it now."

He let out a huge sigh and his head hung low. I knew he was having a hard time, but there was no sugarcoating the situation.

"Don't you ever feel bound to this place?" he finally asked.

I had never considered that question. "Well," I began slowly, "I'm not being kept here upon orders from someone else, but rather by my own volition. I do quite like my solitude here, and although I hope to one day avenge my family, I am in no hurry to jump into the fray before I am called upon or before it is the correct time."

"And when is the right time?" Sirius asked.

"When the bishop is vulnerable," I vaguely answered, imagining who I associated with the bishop chess piece in my mind.

Sirius examined me for a few moments before coming to the realization. "You're waiting for someone."

"Yes, I am," I divulged, any levity leaving my tone. I clenched a corner of my cardigan tightly, knuckles going white.

"The person who killed your family?" Sirius inquired.

I looked him straight in the eyes. "Who else?"