When Sirius left home, one of the things he never thought he’d have again was a Black family dinner. Though he visited his uncle several times while living with the Potters, Alphard wasn’t exactly the traditional, family dinner type. That changed, however, when Sirius reconnected with Andromeda.
Even when he was younger, Sirius was drawn to her. Out of his three cousins, Andromeda was who he felt the most comfortable around. She didn’t seem as committed to pureblood ideals as her sisters, and time had proven Sirius right.
Now they were both exiled and a part of the Order. Together they formed their own new Black family. One that wasn’t founded on the horrible ideals and eccentricities that had made theirs a household name. One that instead valued courage and doing what was right. A Black family where one could speak their mind, be different and still be accepted.
Not that Sirius was doing a great job of that right now. As Andromeda asked what he thought of the meal, Sirius gulped down the food that he had just put in his mouth. She was being kind and gentle about it, but he was sure that she noticed he wasn’t fully present that evening. “Uh, yeah. It’s amazing as always.”
“I just-” Sirius stumbled on his words, unsure of how to open up. It wasn’t something that was encouraged when he was younger, and though he’d been supported in sharing how he felt while living with the Potters, it wasn’t something that came naturally to him. Still, Andromeda was the one family member he had left and since they’d reconnected, she'd been so kind with the reaching out and new Black family dinners. She deserved openness without having to ask for it. “I’ve just felt lately that everyone’s moving forward...”
He was sure what he said didn’t really make sense, but it was impossible for him to come right out and say the rest of it.
And I’m not.
“You know, they’re just...”
No, that wasn’t it.
“Everyone’s...” Growing up, but he couldn’t manage to spit that out either.
Then Sirius finally found the words. “Things are getting real.”
They weren’t the best words, but they were all he could manage for now.
@andyinthestars