Sirius had had enough of this festival. Heâd come because why not? but the idea of these things werenât as appealing without a group of mates surrounding him, ready to cause some shit. Those days were long gone, though. And the reason for this very festival was also the reason his friendships had ended. Jamesâ near-death⌠Remusâ distrusting gaze⌠Peterâs cowardliness. If the Marauders were still together, it wouldâve meant that this festival never existed.
And, truth be told, Sirius would often give it all up - this warless life of âpeaceâ - for it back again.Â
He moved through the crowd - only half an hour before he had to head to the pub to begin the open routines, though it wouldnât get busy until night hit, as usual. He expected more people than normal during the daylight hours today, however. Singles stopping in for a drink while attending the festival. No parent in their right mind would bring a child to The Flaming Dragon, however.Â
He moves rather deftly, pushing through without a problem until - BAM! - someone ran right into him, their head hitting into his chest. It knocked the air out of him, made him stumble and gasp. âWhat the fu - â But then he looked up and saw a familiar face, his heart dropping into his stomach.
Mary Macdonald - no Cattermole - a friend from long ago. Someone who Lily still tried to love, despite everything. Someone who had hidden away like a porcelain doll, afraid to be left off the shelf. Siriusâ eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he caught his breath. âYeah, Iâm fine. Iâve been in a fight before,â he says, the implication clear. His eyes moved around her empty spaces, usually occupied by the family sheâd chosen. âYouâre alone,â he commented a bit dryly.Â
Sirius Black. Whatever Maryâs next words would have been, they become stuck in her throat at the sight of the man in front of her. She knew that Sirius wasnât particularly fond of her -- and this might have been an understatement -- after the decisions sheâd made during the war. Theyâd been close, once. Sure, they had come to know each other through a mutual friendships with Lily and James, but spending that much time without becoming friends themselves was next to impossible.
Sirius, of all the people she knew back at Hogwarts, was probably the most enthusiastic about fighting in the war. The most passionate about it. So, naturally, it only made sense that he would have been less than thrilled by Maryâs decision not to participate. To hide. He, like many of her former friends, saw the move as cowardly, as selfish. Perhaps they were right, to some degree, but Mary had managed to escape the war with her family in tact, with her daughter unharmed. She wouldnât trade their safety for anything.Â
Though sheâd tried to rebuild things with Lily and Remus to varying degrees of success, Mary had little hope to salvage her friendship with Sirius. It didnât help that he also lived with Lily, stepping into Jamesâ place as Harryâs father figure and reminding her sorely of what her friends had lost while sheâd been on the sidelines. She knew he didnât approve of the way she and Lily were trying to make amends, but if he didnât want to forgive her, that was his prerogative ( she really wished he would, though ).
She doesnât miss the jab, but she lets it go. Itâs the sort of thing sheâs grown used to, unfortunately. If Reggie were here, heâd probably step in and say something, but, as Sirius so kindly points out, he isnât, and Mary doesnât care enough to defend herself from things that are true. âReggie took the girls to get some ice cream.â She offers in way of explanation, chewing on her lip as she tries to decide what to say next, âHow have you been, Sirius?â She settles on. Itâs innocuous enough, and she really does care to know, though she doubts he cares to tell.