Sirius Black

More often than not, he found himself restlessly strolling through Diagon Alley, still hearing the whispers that seemed to surround him, though they had died down in the past year, people had other things to talk about. Sirius knew that he needed to get some supplies for a potion that might help him get his mother’s portrait off the wall, so he approached a shop, spotting a familiar tuft of fading ginger hair in the distance. 

“Arthur!” he called out with a grin. “Slacking off from work, are we?”

@arthur-percivalweasley​

Over the year that Hannah had been working at the Leaky Cauldron, she’d slowly learned the regulars that frequented the bar. She had gotten to know them and their orders. Sometimes she made simple conversation with them. Sometimes she gave them the things that she’d baked or was testing in the kitchen. Other times, there was little conversation. Some were the quiet type and Hannah respected it. Sirius Black was a regular and Hannah enjoyed his company. Even if he was claimed to be a mad man only a couple of years ago. It was clear that wasn’t true. 

“The usual,” Hannah replied with a smile as she went to grab the drink that she’d already prepared the moment she saw him walk in. Sliding it over to him, Hannah leaned slightly against the bar top, her eyes flickering across the rest of the bar. “It’s been pretty slow, although you might have just jinxed it.” 

“Am I that predictable?” he teased, picking up the drink with a grin and taking a sip. He’d have to change up his order one of these days. The man placed the glass down on the counter, turning his head to look around at the rest of the pub, noticing a couple more people entering. “Oh, they just heard that I was here and knew that they couldn’t pass up on a opportunity of seeing me in person,” he joked, turning back to the barmaid. “Have you baked anything today?” 

Theo wasn’t sure what to make of the man who walked through the door but then again it wasn’t often he understood the strange customers that frequented Mr. Worme’s shop. He simply nodded, keeping an eye on the man who seemed like he demanded attention the moment he walked in. Realization dawned that the it was Sirius Black quickly. His third year had been marked by the posters of this very man, wrongfully accused, everywhere. As well as his own father’s commentary on one of the last remaining Blacks, masquerading as one of their own. He was a tall tale for pureblood youth on what happened when you acted out. Theodore never did in his youth.

“I’m afraid we don’t have that exact title but we do have some on portrait removal if the matter of the mother is less important.” He explained, leaving the confines of the til to come around to the shop floor. Picking up on the man’s gaze, he stopped in his steps. Eyes flickering around the shop before he regained control of his nerves. It always took him aback, when the lines of what was proper for Purebloods were questioned in ways he didn’t anticipate. Theodore had long made peace with his own stature in life. It had been hinted about too many times for him to get shy at comments about the remaining funds left in his family accounts. He never thought someone with Mr. Black’s history would judge him for having a job. It made no sense. Unless his place of employment wasn’t what Sirius Black was judging about him and it was a more personal issue. “I’m sorry. I’m not quite too sure what you mean by that, Sir.”

Sirius put down the book that he was looking at, not that he had any interest in it, he was just looking for something to do. At the mention of a possible book, he turned to the man, a single eyebrow raised, “Portrait removal could help- though I do think that the insufferable mother part is quite important,” he replied. 

He was surprised to see someone from a traditionalist pureblood family working here- in fact, he was surprised to one working at all. His family would never of been caught dead working here, or anywhere else for that matter. Sirius lumped all the Malfoy’s, Nott’s, Goyle’s and so on, all together, he knew what it was like to come from a pureblood family, and yet here he was entirely estranged from it, they could do the same if they wanted. He had little sympathy for people who supported those ideologies anymore. 

“Your family, have the mighty finally fallen?” he questioned, realising that he might need to elaborate more. “Do they approve of you working here?” 

location: sirius’ house

status: closed starter for @siriushqs​

Harry didn’t bother flooing Sirius before coming over anymore, just coming straight over and shouting into the house that he was there. The two of them had grown a lot since their first meeting, and Harry got a quiet thrill out of this permitted, welcomed, intrusion into Sirius’ life. 

He didn’t hear a call back though, and assumed Sirius was out. Which was fine, it happens when you pop over unexpectedly. Harry wandered over to the living room, flopping down on the couch without looking, nearly sliding right off as he sat on Sirius’ leather jacket. Harry paused. He’d always been a little curious about it, since Sirius always looked so effortlessly cool. And Sirius wasn’t here, so…

Harry quickly stood up, throwing on the jacket and conjuring a mirror. The coat smelled like Sirius, which was oddly nice. He looked at himself in the mirror, noticing where the jacket fit and where it didn’t. On the whole, he thought he looked quite good! (If he ignored the persistent feeling that he was playing dress up.) Feeling dorky but having fun, he struck a pose in the mirror, conveniently forgetting that he was still in Sirius’ house, where Sirius lived. 

Sirius, who had been preoccupied with trying to clean out one of the rooms upstairs, didn’t hear the front door open. It wasn’t unusual for Order members to invite themselves in, Sirius had grown accustomed to it by now. He hated staying in this place alone anyway, tried to avoid doing it as much as he could, but not many people wanted to hang around the portrait of his mother and he couldn’t blame them. 

On the days he was alone, he would try and get the house in some sort of order. He knew that it would never look entirely presentable, but he was trying. Sirius had been debating over selling the place for years, but still hadn’t been able to get his mother down from the wall. He’d tried everything. 

The man descended the stairs, hearing movement in the living room. Sirius silently moved to look in the door, spotting Harry with a smirk. He leaned against the doorframe, a hand slipping into his pocket as he watched the other in the jacket for a second, before speaking up, “I’d say it suits you, but I feel like that might involved having to give it up and I’m quite fond of that jacket, I must say,” he chuckled. “I didn’t hear you come in.” 

where: the leaky cauldron  status: open to all !

When Hannah left Hogwarts, she had dreams of being a healer. However, she didn’t have the confidence to go along with it. She had the debts left to her after her mother’s death and chose to go into work instead of training. The job that she secured at the Leaky Cauldron was purely by chance. The innkeeper took one look at her, more than likely took pity upon her, and immediately gave her the job as a barmaiden. It was a learning curve at first. The patrons of the Leaky Cauldron liked things a certain way and it took her a little while to learn that. Now, a couple of years later, Hannah was still on the job, but she excelled at what she did. 

“Evening,” Hannah greeted the latest person who had sat down at the bar with a smile. “What can I get for you?” 

Sirius was quite the regular at The Leaky Cauldron, in fact, he’d grown to know the names of the regulars, though he would not count himself as one, no matter how many times he visited. Usually, it was just something to do, a way to take his mind off of his situation, his life that seemed fairly wasted since his first day of freedom. It wasn’t that he’d been trying to wallow in his own pity, but he’d found himself doing it more recently. He’d always expected that if he were to get his freedom he’d do great things, incredible things, and yet here he was in almost the same position as before.

“A firewhiskey,” he nodded at Hannah with a smile. Though if he’d said the usual she probably would’ve know what he was talking about. He glanced around, it wasn’t that busy tonight. What day was it? Wednesday? Friday? “Not that busy tonight, guess I’ve scared everyone away- drank you out of your alcohol.”

It seemed a common thread to be in Grimmauld Place and had seen it change over the years as everything else had. Since the second war, Remus had been trying to keep a low profile as there were many effects and changes. It had only been in the last few years that he was beginning his connection with Sirius again. It was maybe in the last couple of years that he had actually started to trust Sirius in a way that was more personal. After Tonks, he felt a mourning period and it was a silent one. He wasn’t sure how best to isolate himself but with Sirius around, he was reminded he didn’t have to do anything alone. 

“And then you would be alone and what’s the fun in that?” he asked with a lilt of humor. It seemed that most conversations were aided in alcohol lately, something that he wasn’t put out by. “Wellness check if you will.” Remus slipped into the chair and poured himself a drink. “I wanted to see how you are doing…it seems doing enough…And I came to get away from my place for a little bit.”

“Alone? I’m never alone Remus- in fact, if anything getting rid of him would be a break,” he looked over at his friend with a grin, though the man was right, he’d grown so used to being alone. Even when he was younger, he wasn’t physically alone, but amongst his family he had felt it, and somehow, actually being alone in Azkaban still hadn’t been as bad as his childhood had been.

“And as you can see, I’m fine,” he took a sip from his glass and then outstretched his arms. It wasn’t often that Sirius found himself alone inside Grimmauld Place anymore, he tried to stay out for as long as he could. He’d spent too many years forced to stay here, so now he was taking every opportunity he had to get away. “Ah, so that’s the real reason you’re here, to escape yourself. That’s all you needed to say, Remus, I would happily accepted your company had I known.”