Chapter 387 - To hug or not to hug? (2/2)

It was still snowing, when Regulus and Sirius, both returned the day right before the start of the term after New Year. Regulus quietly thanked Rowan for taking care of Bram, before curling up with him in the common rooms. Bethanie quietly remained at his side offering the sole comfort that she could. While Bram allowed himself to be hugged and squeezed by his master.

Sirius was rather quiet and out on the ground walking with the other Marauders. Rowan had been dragged outside into the wet, cold by Severus. According to Severus, she wasn't getting any exercise. As if he knew anything, she exercised at least three times a week in the room of requirement!

Eventually one of them started a snow fight leaving Rowan to take a seat on a bench far away to watch. She watched Severus and Terry team up against the marauders. Surprisingly the two of them were doing rather well despite being outnumbered. But then again, Terry was a tactician, and Severus had plenty of experience from their primary school days on how to dodge snowballs with rocks in them.

Sirius breathlessly left the group and jogged over to where she was sitting. Rowan warily watched him lest he throws some sort of snowball at her. Breathing hard, Sirius sat down next to her and said, ”Whew, that was fun!”

”It doesn't look like it,” Rowan grumbled at seeing his soaking wet figure.

”You're just no fun at times, Rowan,” Sirius grumbled back.

”I beg to differ,” Rowan sniffed. ”You really should see what we Slytherins get up to. Trust me, it makes the Gryffindor's seem tame when in comparison.” Sirius looks rather curious but deems it more prudent not to ask. And yes, miracles do occur every once in a while.

Sirius tugs on his wet Gryffindor scarf and says, ”My favorite uncle is dead, you know. He was a spy despite being ill. And he was a Slytherin!” Sirius seemed to be rather proud and surprised at that fact.

”I don't know why you seem so surprised that a Slytherin can be brave?” Rowan snorted. ”It's not as if Slytherins are all bad, Sirius. We just tend to be more complicated than most. We wear many faces and sometimes we tend to wear one mask more than others.”

”I know,” Sirius croaked as he sniffed. ”But he really was sick, and mother was really worried about him, all the time. And now, he's dead! He was really brave, but I've never seen mother, so sad. She was actually crying at the funeral and later! And I've never seen her cry before!”

”You seem shocked to learn that we Slytherins have feelings,” Rowan ironically muttered. It was something that Slytherins tried to pretend that they didn't possess. But they were as much human as everyone else.

Sirius murmurs, ”I know that! I've seen you and Severus. And I've got Regulus, and he's all soft and kitten-like if not for being so annoying at times.”

”Then?”

”It's just, I wish I could do something about mother. We don't really talk about in our feeling, you know. And Uncle Alphard was always the one to hug us and give us affection when we were younger.”

”Well, it sounds like that's your answer,” Rowan matter-of-factly stated. ”Just because Severus and I rarely hug in public that doesn't mean we don't do so in private. We're even a bit touchy-feely at times too, you know.”

Turning to gaze, Sirius in the face, she adds, ”It's okay to hug your mother, Sirius. Even my grandfather and Aunt Georgine hug Severus and me. And they rarely ever show public affection, but they still do despite being mortified half of the time.”

”A hug, huh?” Sirius muttered to himself. ”Think I should start practicing with Regulus?””That's what younger siblings are for,” Rowan smirked back.

In that instant, they both devilishly chuckled in agreement. After all, the two of them were the oldest sibling. And what the use of a sibling if not to have fun with them? (Usually at the younger sibling's expense.)

”Thanks, Rowan, you're always a good friend,” Sirius beamed at her, before rushing off to join the snow fight. At this point, Terry and Severus had somehow managed to corner the three marauders. Sirius bravely entered the fray to no avail only to tragically perish as a martyr.