(no subject)

[constantprisoner]

Being outside felt weird.

Not in a bad way, but just in a sense that he hadn't really been outside in a long time. There were the times when he'd escaped briefly, but those has always been accompanied by a sense of worry and stress and couldn't really be enjoyed due to those feelings. Today though, today Sirius Black could finally stand outside and not worry about that.

Because he was a free man.

It had been a whirlwind past few weeks. The Department of Mysteries felt like a bad dream, where he'd been severely injured at the hands of his cousin, who'd later escaped much to his chagrin. He'd woken up about a week later in Grimmauld Place to learn that the war had escalated without him, Voldemort had officially moved out into the open, Dumbledore was back at Hogwarts and he was cleared of all charges. That had probably taken the longest time to sink in.

Not that any of it really mattered, because he was free.

Sirius took in a deep breath of fresh air. How nice it was to be outside without having to be in his dog form. He could wander where he wanted and while certainly, he would likely strike terror into the hearts of civilians still, he could laugh about it. He was free.

Taking another breath, he started down the steps and began to wander, not really sure of where he was going until he found himself in a familiar park. And spotted a familiar figure.

"Hello! Lovely day isn't it!"

Comments

[mosthexcellent]

Lorelei was enjoying one of the rare sunny days that ever happened in England, and was halfway into a deep breath with her face upturns to the sky when a shout made her jump, and she was up off the bench before she's really thought about it. And when she saw who it was she just dropped back down with a laugh.

"Sweetheart, you really have to work on that shouting-at-single-girls thing," she chuckles, scooting over to give him room to sit. "So. Free and clear, huh?" she asks.

"After what's in all the newspapers, I kind of have to assume."

[constantprisoner]

Sirius drops down beside her, leisurely, as if he hasn't a care in the world (he does but they're mostly on hold right now). He flashes a charming smile, barely able to keep the grin off of his face.

"Would you prefer I snuck up on you?" he asks, "But yes, I'm off the hook, though the article could have been a little more flattering. Granted, the Prophet's never been big on retraction."

It was no surprise that more people seemed to be paying attention to The Quibbler as a result.

"Probably going to take a bit of time for the public to accept it as well. Not that I care."

[mosthexcellent]

"Hey," she says. "It's a start, and it could have been worse. You don't want to see what's in the US papers about you."

She's been looking them up on the internet--being that transatlantic mail owls are not yet a thing--and has been by and large very disappointed. "You definitely look better now, I'll give you that."

[constantprisoner]

"I don't know, I could always use a laugh."

Public opinion's never really bothered him, if he's being honest. The opinions of those closer to him matter more.

"I would hope so. I'm actually being allowed out of the house, though Moony's been on me for bed rest until I'm fully healed."

[mosthexcellent]

"You'd get one, they're saying you're the next Charlie Manson," she says, a little amused grin already pulling at her mouth.

"Personally, you're way less crazy, and you don't yet have the 'lights are on and ain't nobody home' look," Lorelei teases. "So who's Moony? You talk about him and I'm beginning to think you've got a mouse in your pocket."

[constantprisoner]

Anymore, thinks Sirius, quite glad that Lorelai had met him a few years after he'd gotten out of Azkaban. He hadn't had much of a chance to look at himself, but by all accounts he'd been an absolute wreck. But that was the past, and he passes the remark off with a bark of laughter, though his eyes might look a little haunted.

"He's an old friend, who's been put in charge of my recovery. Moony's just an old nickname."

[mosthexcellent]

"Nocturnal, or is it a woman?" she asks lightly. "It's just a joke, you know. The Charlie Manson bit, at least from me."

She's not one to discount out of hand that the nickname might be rooted in something else, but of the three most viable options, she's opting to not go with actual werewolf right off the bat.

[constantprisoner]

"Nocturnal, he prefers being up when the moon's out," Sirius replies. It's a lie. Lupin does prefer sleep but Sirius would rather not reveal the origins of the nickname. After all, he's still working as a spy.

"I had a feeling, but I actually have no idea who that is. I'm assuming he's a muggle."

[mosthexcellent]

"Can't blame him, it's pretty," she says lightly, and thinks nothing more of it. There's little in the way of expectation for people to tell you the absolute truth when you're a witch that didn't come from an insular community as extreme as the one in Britain.

"...He is," Lorelei replies to the muggle comment, a moment late as she gets over the fact that if it's non-magical half the wizards she's met here don't know about it. It's amazing to her. "Serial killer. He wanted to start an apocalyptic race war, it's kind of a long story. You seriously don't know about it?"

[constantprisoner]

"I've been busy," Sirius says, simply. Although in truth that's an understatement, between two wars, a prison sentence and everything in between.

"Plus muggle news doesn't usually make a big splash in the wizarding world here, especially if it's across the pond. Bit more concerned with what's happening here, to be honest."

He gets the feeling that should change, since he's been pretty isolated for most of his life. Information isn't a bad thing after all.

[mosthexcellent]

"This was back in the sixties, early seventies," she says, eyeballing Sirius a little more. Not that she doesn't understand other countries being less than on top of America's news, but the idea that nonmagic news isn't really paid attention to throws her for a hell of a loop.

"Why don't you guys pay attention to what the muggles are doing? I mean, most of them are pretty okay, long as you don't try to scare them to death."

[constantprisoner]

"Must be different in America, since the Wizarding community here is pretty insular. Probably because there's a pretty heavy Pure-blood influence among other things. Some of us are more interested than others, but there's a pretty heavy divide."

And Sirius doesn't see that ending any time soon. Especially with the war they're facing presently.

"Also I was a kid in the seventies, so I probably wouldn't have paid attention anyway."

[mosthexcellent]

"Oh, it's pretty different," says Lorelei. "Less bias on bloodlines, that's for sure. Part of it's me, because I didn't go to any kind of wizarding school. I went to a public co-ed school system for twelve years, got taught everything else after class. Boarding schools aren't really a thing in the South," she says, shrugging.

"It's a Yankee thing." And then she raises her eyebrows, holding in most of a grin. "I don't think I was a sparkle in my mom's eye in the seventies, you're ahead of me."

[constantprisoner]

"So you went to a muggle school?" He asks, incredulously.

He's fascinated by the very idea, having grown up in the wizarding world all his life. And while the muggle world was always a fascination, he really only experienced it on the surface. He's also curious about America now, having never been there. He likes the idea of less focus on bloodlines, since that is all too prominent in Britain.

"That must have been so weird. I mean, not being able to do magic and everything."

[mosthexcellent]

"Oh yeah, public school all the way," she says with a shrug. "I could do magic if I wanted, though really I didn't want to do anything all that showy when I was in school? I liked saving that for when I was alone, or just with family. I mean, I got taught by my family, my parents and grandparents. They never really discouraged any of us doing it in public, but we knew early on that we'd bear consequences--good or bad--for whatever we did."

She remembers hexing someone with chickenpox once. That was fun. (In hindsight.)

[constantprisoner]

"So, I'm assuming you're a pure-blood then?"

It's a question asked more out of curiousity than anything else. He's certainly not judging either way, having long let go of that particular bias.

"Still, sounds a lot more fun than my upbringing. Not that Hogwarts wasn't fun."

After all, it had been the setting for some of the best times of his life and he still looked back on them fondly.

[mosthexcellent]

"Yeah, I am. Pretty long ways back, but it's never been terribly important to me. Breeding is for dogs and horses, not people."

She clearly hasn't gotten on anyone's bad side about this yet, but it should be very entertaining when it does happen. "I keep hearing about that school and wondering what in the world it's like, everybody seems to have gone and loved it." Her schooling was rather radically different in several areas.

"And where Diagon Alley is, since ain't no one managed to give me a map yet."

[constantprisoner]

"Too bad no one told my parents."

Lineage was far too important and Sirius doesn't want to remember the night he heard his parents discussing possible partners for him. Thankfully he'd put a stop to that by running away. Everyone likes a bad boy but no one wants a rebel.

"Well, it's kind of hard to describe to someone who's never been there. But it's a beautiful castle and grounds. I remember it more fondly because of the friendships I made though, rather than the location itself."

Though he does have fond memories of that as well. Especially since he and his friends had been pushing just about every boundary there was exploring them.

He stands up with a grin.

"Diagon Alley, however, is doable. C'mon, I'll show you."

[mosthexcellent]

"Maybe someday I'll get the tour," she says lightly. "You know, when there's not a war brewing."

She'd had many second thoughts about staying, and had gone so far as buying a plane ticket home (yeah, she liked riding a broom as much as the next girl, but the ocean was a bit much) before rethinking. And that phone call to her parents had been fun in so many ways she couldn't even begin to cover.

"...For real?" Lorelei asks at his offer, looking up at him with eyebrows raised. "Ain't that gonna get some looks from folks who know you?"

[constantprisoner]

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Doesn't matter because I'm a free man and there's nothing anyone can do about that," Sirius replies with a wide grin. It is an excellent feeling.

"We can start with Diagon Alley, and then get you to Hogwarts somehow. All things considered, it's probably the safest place in Britain, so we'll sort something out. For now, let's go."

And he holds out his hand.

[mosthexcellent]

This was not exactly what she anticipated doing, really. Certainly not today, maybe not ever, but still.

But what the hell? How many chances is she going to get for this? Lorelei stares at Sirius for a minute, eyebrows raised, and then reaches out to take his had. "Sure," she says. "Why not."

She could totally be heading into a mess here, but it'll be fun. Loads of fun, she thinks, as Sirius grins like that. This man could have been dangerous for girls like her when he was her age. Not that she's thinking that's diminished any with age. "Show me the way, then."

[constantprisoner]

He certainly had that reputation at Hogwarts, but sadly it stopped following him when he left and picked up another one. Being framed for murder really made your life difficult.

Still, if his grin could get any wider, it did when she took his hand.

"Well, depends on how you want to do it. We can walk through London or just apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. Whatever you prefer."

[mosthexcellent]

"I'll take the walk," she says. "I've never gotten used to the whole disappearing act. And it shouldn't be far, is it?"

[constantprisoner]

"From here, shouldn't think so. Granted I rarely walked from here. My parents would insist that we floo," Sirius says with a roll of his eyes as he starts heading out of the park.

"I should be able to remember the way though."

[mosthexcellent]

"Never done that either," she says. "The fireplace in my house didn't work, so I usually avoided it. Apartment I had before didn't have one."