Stranger From the Past

Becky Snaps

Becky pulled back her hand. She wiped her damp palms on her jeans before raising a hand to the doorbell again. Her hand froze in mid-air for several seconds before she withdrew it for the second time.

"It's not going to work," she mumbled to herself, before making her way slowly back to her own house.

She could not bring herself to face Sirius, despite the long pep talk she had given herself earlier that morning.

Once back in the safe haven of her home, she collapsed onto the carpeted floor, silently berating herself for her cowardice. Hot tears stung her eyes and poured down her cheeks as she contemplated her next course of action.

I'll sell this place and move away. Once I find a buyer, I'll somehow summon the courage to go to Sirius to apologise. Then I'll promise him that he'll never see another Pettigrew again.

Becky could not ignore the strange sense of loss that threatened to consume her when she thought of never being able to see Sirius again. She had gone through so much to finally earn a little of his affections. That was before they were abruptly torn apart - one at Azkaban and the other at France. A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she recalled the happiest day of her life - three days after the wedding of James Potter and Lily Evans.

============= FLASHBACK ===============

Becky went in search of Sirius after the wedding ceremony. It was held in a church - a request made by Lily's parents that James was only too happy to oblige.

She found Sirius in the church backyard. He was seated on a muggle swing, shoulders slumped and looking very forlorn.

She gingerly approached him, and said in her gentlest voice, "Sirius, don't be so down. I know exactly how you -"

"No one will know how I feel right now!" he snapped.

"That's not true!" she protested. "You're feeling as though you've just lost your best friend."

He jerked his head in her direction before looking away again.

"You still have me," she added softly, kneeling down and laying her hands on his knees.

He slapped her hands away. "No one can replace Prongs."

"I'm not trying to replace James! But I can make you feel better -"

"You're just a kid," he said bluntly. "I'm not in the mood to babysit."

Becky gasped at his words. "I'm not a kid. And I'm certainly not a little kid sister whom you have to babysit. I can take care of myself."

"You're still schooling for Merlin's sake."

"I'll graduate in a few months' time!"

He snorted. "So what? Becky, it's time to grow up. You're not my type. If you think you can get me to change my mind when I'm feeling like shit now, I'd say you're out of your mind."

"Sirius!" she clung to him but he loosened her grip and stood up. "You said you enjoyed our dates!"

"Sure I did," he said easily. "You were always there when I needed a girl to kiss and cuddle." Part of his conscience told him that he was being cruel, but another part of him wanted to transfer the hurt and loss he felt to someone else. And Becky unwittingly became the unfortunate target.

Her face had grown pale. "Is that it? I'm just someone you make out with? What do you take me for? A slut?"

Sirius looked surprised at her choice of words. "You're not a slut, Becky. I've never thought you as one. It's just -" He sought the words. "It's just that you're always conveniently there when -"

"When you need a girl to kiss and hug?"

He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "That's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"I thought we were past that stage. I thought we've made progress and I'm no longer a Quaffle that you toss around when you're bored," she said in a quiet voice, on the verge of tears. "I thought we had something special."

He felt sorry for her. But he decided to be cruel in order to be kind. "Move on. I'm not the one for you. Go find someone else."

"Is that what you want?" she asked miserably. "Is that what you really want me to do?"

He nodded wordlessly.

Becky ran away as tears blinded her, coming to a halt only when she passed the refreshment table and saw a waiter mixing a new batch of punch.

"I'll take care of that for you." She snatched a bottle of brandy from him and raised it to her lips.

"Miss -"

Waving a hand dismissively at the stunned waiter, she took another swipe as she made her way to a more secluded corner of the church.

*

About half an hour later, Becky was feeling considerably happier. Her head felt lighter and she caught herself giggling aloud. She raised the bottle to her lips again, only to toss it away in disgust when she found it completely drained.

"Becky!" Peter scrambled to his sister's side. "Becky, are you alright?"

She tried to get to her feet but found it impossible to stand still without swaying.

"Hey, careful!" Remus cautioned as he grabbed her hand to steady her.

The two young men exchanged worried looks.

"Have you been drinking?" Peter asked needlessly. The stench of hard liquor under her breath was unmistakable.

Becky stifled another giggle as her eyes began to glaze over and then refocus again. She noticed Remus and to his horror, wrapped her arms around him. "Do you want me?" she asked in-between hiccups.

"You're...you're drunk!" Remus replied as he pried her hands away, whilst looking to Peter for help. The latter understood his plea immediately and pulled his half-sister away.

"I'll go get Padfoot," Remus said hurriedly. "He's the only one she listens to."

Peter nodded desperately. Just as he was watching his friend's hasty departure, Becky suddenly felt a wave of nausea, and retched right into his rented tuxedo. Swearing helplessly, he hurried away to get himself cleaned up.

Left alone, Becky surveyed the wedding guests. She soon shortlisted a dark stranger and marveled at how he shared Sirius' height and dark hair. Perhaps if she tried hard enough, she could pretend he was the love of her life.

She staggered towards the man who was probably in his late twenties. She lost her balance just when she was about to reach him and promptly fell into his arms. "Do you find me attractive?" she slurred, smiling up at him. "You know, I'm not a kid anymore. I can prove that to you, if you want."

The stranger looked at her with interest, as though considering her offer.

Her hands snaked to the back of his neck and she attempted to pull his face towards hers. Before their lips met, she felt her arm yanked away by someone who also pushed the stranger aside.

She turned her attention to the intruder. "Hi, Sirius darling! How nice of you to join us! I'm just about to do exactly what you asked me to. See? Isn't Becky a good girl?"

Sirius looked as though he was about to slap her hard across the face, before deciding against creating a scene at James' wedding reception. He roughly shoved the girl to Peter. "Get her home and make sure she stays there," he instructed his petrified friend.

"You can stop me today, but you can't stop me tomorrow," Becky hissed. That was the last thing she remembered before she passed out.

*

Becky gave an exasperated sigh. It was the third day after the wedding and Sirius Black had moved into a spare room at the Pettigrews' residence. She had never realised that her home was so small - for it seemed that every corner she turned, she'd bumped right into him.

"Hi there," Sirius greeted her smilingly, leaning his tall lanky frame against the kitchen doorway.

Becky's hands trembled a little as she carried on making the tea, feeling Sirius' full stare burning into the back of her head. Finally, she slammed the spoon onto the cabinet and turned around frustrated. "Can't you occupy yourself somewhere else?" she snapped.

"The rest of your family is already taking up most of the space in the hall and I don't feel like staying in my room. Your house is not that big, you know," he pointed out.

"Fine. If this place is too small for you, you don't have to lower yourself to squeeze with the rest of us commoners."

He brushed off her sarcastic remark and shrugged. "I don't mind."

"Why don't you just move into your rented place sooner?"

"It's not ready yet," he reminded evenly. Sirius had been staying with the Potters for the last few years and had found a rented place to move into after James' marriage.

Becky remembered bitterly that she had been the one who had persuaded him to stay with the Pettigrews till his new home was ready. But that was a week ago. Things were different now. She wasn't anyone special to him afterall. She was just some girl he could hug and kiss at his own convenience and whim. A slut, she reminded herself.

She still felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw Sirius or even hear a mention of his name. But now, she also felt a sense of shame, disappointment and bitterness that came with being used.

She decided to give up her futile attempt at making tea.

"Going to Diagon Alley again?" Sirius blocked almost the entire exit from the kitchen.

She felt a sense of triumph. She knew that the boys were worried after she had created the scene at James' wedding. Since that day, Peter and Sirius and sometimes even Remus had mysteriously turned up whenever she tried to chat up a guy during her daily trips to Diagon Alley. And she knew that Peter and Sirius were taking turns watching her at home too.

"Are you trying to follow me again?" she confronted him.

"Follow you? Of course not!" He put on an innocent look that could have fooled her if she did not know him as well as she did.

*

Becky pulled on a pair of tight jeans and the skimpiest top that she owned. She knew the boys would not leave her alone in that outfit. This is so ironic, she thought. It's not too long ago that I was the one who tagged along with them as an unwelcome guest. But now they're the ones not letting me out of sight. The smile was abruptly wiped off her face as she remembered the reason for their paranoia. She had seemingly gone crazy for men and shamelessly flirted with almost every one she came across. She did not fully comprehend why she had to do it. The one thing that mattered was this seemed to be the only way she could still get Sirius' attention, however pathetic a way it was.

*

Becky smiled for this first time since she reached Diagon Alley almost an hour ago. She finally found the person who would get on the Marauders' nerves.

"Severus! How lovely to see you!" she greeted the greasy-hair young man warmly.

Severus Snape eyed with wary eyes.

"I'm so glad you're here! I need help. Will you be a dear and help me out?" She leaned closer and Severus immediately took a step backwards.

"Is this some kind of joke, Pettigrew?" he asked suspiciously, eyes darting around, looking for signs of the Marauders.

"I'm here alone," she cooed, reading his mind. "You'll help me, won't you?"

She slipped an arm through the crock of his elbow and he froze. She smiled to herself and chose to take it as a good sign that he did not pull away. "I'm dying of thirst but I don't want to go to the Leaky Cauldron by myself. You'll go with me, right? Please? I'll buy you a drink."

Snape cleared his throat nervously. He was certainly not used to getting accosted by women, particularly not one as persistent and in-your-face as the one before him. "I can get my own drink," he replied after much thought.

And she beamed at him as though he was the most attractive man alive.

*

Becky stifled another yawn and widened her eyes to look interested. She regretted encouraging Severus to talk. It was more bearable when they were both silent. Now that he was on the roll, it seemed as if he couldn't stop.

"Severus," she interrupted him abruptly. "Shall we take a little walk? I need to run some errands back at Diagon Alley." She let out a breath in relief when he gave a curt nod and obliged.

As soon as they passed the brick wall that parted for them, Becky caught sight of a familiar figure lurking in the shadows. She smirked. Acting fast, Becky grabbed Severus and fell heavily against him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, startled.

She rolled her eyes discreetly and carried on the pretence. "I suddenly feel faint, Severus. Will you hold on to me for a little while?"

He hesitated. "I -"

She feigned another fainting spell and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Please -" she whispered, burying her face in his chest.

"Rebecca, would you like to take a seat? We can go back to the Leaky Cauldron."

To Severus' horror, she suddenly pulled his head down and began to kiss him passionately. He almost choked when he felt her tongue in his mouth.

Then suddenly, with equal lack of warning, he felt a pair of strong hands pulled him apart from Becky and slammed him onto the hard ground.

"What the -" his angry words stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed the identity of the newcomer. "Black -" he spat before his eyes traveled to the girl who was struggling to free herself from Peter's grip.

Severus' lips curved into a sneer and addressed the three Gryffindors coldly. "I suspected this is one of your preserve jokes. I'm not far from wrong."

"It's not -"

"We're going home, Rebecca," Peter interrupted Becky with barely contained anger. It was the first time he had lost his temper with her, and Becky cringed involuntarily.

"Stay away from her, Snape. Do you hear me?" Sirius glared murderously at the Slytherin.

Severus got to his feet slowly and wiped his sore lips with the back of his hand. He was beginning to realize that Sirius and Peter did not like what Becky was doing. "I'll keep her under lock and chain if I were you," he said in his most condescending voice. "Instead of telling me to stay away, why don't you just tell her to stop throwing herself at me?"

Sirius' fingers tightened around his wand, knuckles turning white.

"I'm ready to go home." Becky spoke up abruptly, distracting Sirius from what he was about to do. "I've had enough," she declared before turning her back on them and huffing away.

The men threw one last disgusted look at Severus before following behind Becky, hoping that they had witnessed the last of her antics for the day.

*

It was a good thing Mr and Mrs Pettigrew were not home when the younger ones returned. It would no doubt warrant some explanation when Sirius and Peter practically dragged the girl into the house.

Tossing her bodily onto one of the overstuffed cushions, Sirius exploded. "What the hell were you thinking of?"

She did nothing to hide her smirk. "Doing what you commanded me to," she shot back, gaining satisfaction to note the disapproving look Peter threw in his friend's direction.

Sirius was stunned for a while. "You're doing all these to spite me? Don't you look how stu -" He stopped abruptly as he noticed Peter leaving the hall. "Wormtail! Where do you think you're going?"

"Out," Peter replied evenly. "I figure that you two should solve whatever problem there is between yourselves. I need a breather." With that, he disappeared into the direction of his bedroom.

Sirius returned his frustrated gaze to the remaining Pettigrew. "Can we stop this game?"

"I'm unaware I'm playing one with you."

"What the -" He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just leave me alone."

"You really want that?"

She stared at door longingly, as though hoping to make her escape.

"Answer me!" he demanded.

"You know what I want, Sirius," she said quietly. "You just can't give it to me."

"I told you we're not -"

"I remember what you said." Her eyes flashed. "If you don't care, then why are you so upset that I'm with those guys?"

"Of course I'm upset! You should just take a good look at yourself! Do you really have to cheapen yourself to get back at me?"

"I just wanted your attention!" she yelled.

"But it's -" Sirius began but did not have the chance to complete his sentence as Becky had stood up and grabbed him by his elbows.

"I don't want to be your kid sister. I want you!" she pleaded. "Can't you love me just a little?"

"Becky -"

"I'm not asking for much."

"I know. But -"

"Don't you care just the tiniest bit? Am I asking too much of you, Sirius?"

He frowned deeply. "You know I can't give you any promises."

"I don't need them. I just want to be with you."

"Are you sure that's what you really want? I can't -"

"I can't stand not being with you," she sobbed, pressing her wet face against his chest. "Even if you treat me like a sl -"

"Don't say that word again! You're not one and you know it."

"I don't fancy any of those guys, Sirius. I really don't. I just wanted -"

"To make me mad," he finished for her. "I was mad! You've succeeded."

"So -" she asked in a small voice.

"So?"

"So what do you say? Can I...will you...can we pretend that the past four days didn't happen and continue from where we were before the wedding?"

"No," he stated plainly.

She pulled away, looking so miserable that he felt some of her unhappiness too.

"Why don't we start from the beginning? From we first met?" He broke into a slight smile. "We'll make sure that we start on the right footing this time."

She was confused. "How is that possible? We can't be getting to know one another all over again."

"Why not?" he questioned. "Just pretend you're on your way to your first class at Hogwarts."

She was beginning to catch on, and a faint resemblance to a smile appeared on her lips.

Sirius took a step backwards. "So you're the little sister," he said dramatically, repeating his first words to the girl years ago.

"Do you know my brother? He's Peter Pettigrew," she played along, suddenly transported to the forbidden area on third floor at Hogwarts.

"Sure I know him. But Peter never told me his sister is such a looker!"

She giggled. "I'm his half-sister. Same Dad, different Mum."

He pretended that was the first time he was hearing this. "That figures. I'm Sirius Black."

"And I'm Becky Pettigrew."

"So can I help you, Becky? You look lost."

Becky's grin disappeared, and she cleared her throat nervously. "Actually, yes. I'm lost."

"Where would you like to go to?"

"I want to find the way into Padfoot's heart. Can you help me?" She looked at Sirius uncertainly and his expression turned serious too.

"I know Padfoot well. I may be able to help."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Sure! And he'd just told me that he would like to get to know you better," Sirius mumbled as he drew Becky closer and planted a hot, passionate kiss on her lips.

=============== END OF FLASHBACK ===============

Becky smiled wryly to herself.

That was the beginning of her happiest days. But all good things must come to an end, right?

***