Anything But Ordinary

Chapter 11 - Caricature of Intimacy

Dorcas was well aware that she should warn her sister about Falcon. Considering the fact that the two of them weren't exactly on the best of terms, she felt it was in her best interest to just let her concern go. If only it were that easy..

She knew who Falcon Malley was. It'd be impossible for her not to. He was your typical rich boy, born with a silver spoon protruding from his pretentious mouth. Wealthy, charming, incredibly good-looking, Falcon had not only been born with that silver spoon, but with desirability. It was natural for the girls of Hogwarts to be attracted to his carefree way, his smooth words, his almost convincing reassurance.

Dorcas had never first handedly been disappointed, but she had watched over the years as girls in her year, sometimes younger, began to realize that they weren't exactly lucky to have a boy like Falcon in their lives.

Despite the fact that Dorcas knew she shouldn't care, despite the fact that she knew Kelsey needed to make her own mistakes, she couldn't let it go.

And so, she went to the one person who she knew could help her, putting all personal differences aside for her sister's integrity.


She found him on the grounds, a lit cigarette clenched between his thumb and index finger, dark stubble growing on the cheeks that had once been cleanly shaved regularly. Sirius Black, the former king of popularity, looked like shit.

He didn't even bother to look up at her, didn't bother to even acknowledge her presence. Not that she blamed him much. She'd given him hell during the time that he'd dated her sister. She didn't expect forgiveness; she didn't even want it.

All she wanted was someone who cared and sadly, as much as it contradicted what she'd once believed, he was the only one she could honestly say did. He knew Kelsey better than even she did. Perhaps not so much anymore, but deep down, he knew the part of her that mattered.

"She needs help, Sirius," Dorcas voiced, her brown eyes settled on his downcast eyes, the eyes that refused to meet her own. Sucking on the tip of his cigarette, releasing the smoke after several moments of thought, he turned his head, meeting her gaze.

"Not my problem," he insisted, shrugging his shoulders.

"I realize that," Dorcas assured him sarcastically, fighting off how perturbed she was and reminding herself that this wasn't about the two of them. This was about Kelsey and that was more important than some stupid grudge that had formed between herself and her sister's ex-boyfriend. "But I'm making it your problem."

He looked at her, almost disgusted by her words, but she'd caught his attention. "She's a big girl," he reminded Dorcas, ironically reflecting back to how childish she'd seemed the night they'd broken up. "Apparently, in case you haven't heard, she's no damsel. Which means, luckily enough, I'm no knight."

The look upon her face seemed to ask him once more, begging him to reconsider that thought. The two of them both knew how foolish and stupid Kelsey Meadowes could be.

"No dice, sweetheart," he told her, dropping the cigarette to the ground and walking away. He'd never smoked in his life. At least, not before Kelsey Meadowes. He supposed he needed a new bad habit now that she was out of his life.

"Falcon Malley," Dorcas yelled across the grounds, hugging her arms to keep warm from the chilly wind breezing by. She watched as he paused, his steps coming to a halt. Of course, she knew that name would help him reconsider.

He turned to her, his stony gray eyes empty and broken, so unlike the reckless charmer Dorcas knew him to be. "I can't," he told her quietly, sighing under his breath and running a hand through his hair. "She doesn't need me anymore. I know why you're asking, Meadowes, but if he's the kind of guy she wants in her life, then you've just got to let her carry on."

Of course, deep down, he was sort of grateful that a jerk like Falcon Malley was interested in Kelsey. Perhaps it'd help her realize that she did need saving; she did need him.


"The Hog's Head?" Kelsey asked, her tone clearly disappointed as Falcon took her coat. The two of them had arranged to meet in front of Honeydukes and Falcon had told her that he had 'a surprise' for her. Of course, she'd assumed that they'd be going to a restaurant or even take a walk through the village. But, the Hog's Head was certainly not first date material.

"Just trust me," he whispered into her ear, leading her by the hand towards a dusty staircase, the ceiling lined with broken cobwebs above the tips of their heads. He led her up the creaking stairs, winking at the old bartender that owned the pub. Apparently, they knew one another.

"Falcon," Kelsey protested, a bit curious as to how he'd gotten approval from the bartender. As they came to a door, Falcon tapped on the door, footsteps following his knock.

And immediately, Kelsey knew why they'd come to the Hog's Head. Not only was it a bar, but it was an inn as well. And currently, there was a party taking place in the lounge. She did her best to hide the disappointment. She'd been to more parties than she'd ever want to attend in the past two weeks. This was sure to be the same as the other parties.

But, if this was what he wanted to do, she figured she needed to loosen up. She'd straightened her hair once again, hoping that maybe this time she'd have a bit more luck, and applied her make-up carefully. She'd only wanted the occasion to be nice, to be memorable. It was her first date, after all. But, how was Falcon supposed to know that? She had, after all, dated Sirius Black for awhile. It was only fair for him to assume that she'd been on other dates before.

She watched as he grabbed a large drink for himself, downing half of the bottles contents and throwing back his blonde head in laughter, passing the bottle to her. She politely refused, walking away from him and his buddies to go amuse herself in the corner.

She hadn't expected a party. She felt sort of bad for Falcon. She'd set high expectations for their date, hoping it'd surpass anything she and Sirius had done together.

But, as life tended to be cruel, the outcome had only served to disappoint her.


Sirius watched in the corner, sipping on a shot glass of gillywater. Of course, he hadn't told Dorcas that he'd come. That'd only prove that he wanted Kelsey back. And he didn't want anyone to know that at the moment. He wasn't ready to fight just yet.

He was close enough so that he could hear her, even if only slightly, but secluded enough so that she wouldn't notice him. He wasn't ready for that particular confrontation yet. He wasn't ready for her again, if ever. But, he just couldn't seem to give her up.

His eyes narrowed as Falcon walked towards her, his steps staggering from the buzz of his drink. Sirius listened as the prat directed his words towards Kelsey, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Even half-way drunk the bloke could sound convincing. And it bothered him so much that Kelsey was still there, still waiting on Falcon Malley.

Abruptly, Sirius couldn't bear to hear what she had to say to him. He knew it would only make matters worst.


"I've been looking everywhere for you."

His voice had come out of the dark, sending chills up her spine. She hadn't expected to hear his voice. She figured he was off enjoying himself, doing what she should have been.

He set beside her, hugging her bare shoulders and resting his chin on the exposed skin. "Tonight not what you hoped for?"

Her eyes peered into the distance, spotting a blur of windswept hair and a familiar leather coat. Of course, it was Sirius. She should have realized that he would have been there. She should have asked Falcon to take her somewhere else. But, a part of her had been hoping he'd be there. A part of her had been hoping to confront Sirius, to prove to him that she was fine without him.

"I guess I just thought we'd be alone," she told him quietly. "That this date would be a bit more intimate.

He sat in silence for a couple of moments, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones, as if proposing a question. And she didn't seem to be turning him down. He stood up slowly, his hand finding hers, dragging her to one of the empty rooms.


The only noise she could hear was the sound of her own beating heart nervously thumping against her chest and the sound of their hot, tentative breathing. Their limbs were intertwined, the sheets serving as a wall from the rest of the world.

As she sat up, buttoning her camisole, she heard him pass out on the bed. Walking away after slipping into the rest of her clothes, not bothering to fix her smudged make-up, she let the tears run their course along her cheeks, knowing she'd make a mistake.

Maybe she was still the damn damsel. Maybe Sirius had been right after all.


The Gryffindor common room was crowded as always, the thickening sound of the turning of pages, the buzzing chatter, filling the room completely. But, as Sirius watched Kelsey walk up to her dorm, her eyes filled with tears, her mascara running down her rosy cheeks, the only sound that he seemed to hear was no sound at all. The silence filling his eardrums was deafening, the loudest noise of them all.

And he felt a hand fall on his shoulder in sympathy. Looking into Dorcas Meadowes' eyes, he knew she'd come to the same assumption as him.

"You're not mad at Falcon," she told him, her voice casting off a maturity he hadn't expected. She hardly seemed sixteen years old, in his opinion. "He's not the problem. It's her. It's always her."

"You're right," he croaked out, fighting back tears of his own, clenching his fist just to feel his knuckles tighten. "I just thought she'd wait for me."

"And she would have," Dorcas told him, beginning to walk up the stairs of the girls' dorm. "But you weren't there to save her."

A/N: Well? Let me know what you think. Please review.