Before I Go

This'll probably be my last entry for a week or so, but seeing as though I post sporadically anyway, it really doesn't make a difference.

I'm not quite sure if my dad's bringing his laptop along for the ride. I mentioned it to him again on Saturday and dropped hints about the questionable battery power, but he really didn't answer me. Plus, I disappointed him yesterday by not trying out for softball again, so he might not take it along just to spite me.

Last night I finished the majority of Chapter Twenty. There's about five paragraphs of filler I still have to write in Sirius's scene, but I'm pretty much down to the last, incredibly important (and long) scene. Even if I don't have a laptop, I'm going to try and have this scene written longhand by the time I come back so all I have to do is roll it into the story.

I'm also printing off what I have so I can edit it on the way down. It's going to be frustrating, editing and not being able to fix it on the computer!

Ah, well. I need to get ready for school.


Here's something to tide you over while I'm away.


Edit: And since I suck at cuts and it's too early in the morning, I'm just going to leave the raw contents out.


“Muh – Muh – Mr. Black, sir!” his exclamation was loud and Sirius winced. The stairwell quieted and the balding English passenger standing next to him stiffened. “What…What are you doing here, in steerage?”

The practice of “slumming” was quite common among his peers, who thought the steerage passengers were too dull to tell the difference

“That’s none of your concern, I think,” Sirius responded, gulping. Though his tone was quiet, his voice echoed ominously throughout the stairwell. “Do you mind opening the gates? I’ve had about enough of White Star Line’s so-called service tonight.”

“Y – Yes! Certainly, sir!”

Sirius felt a stirring of relief in his belly. He glad for once that throwing around his name and status was a benefit to others and not an embarrassment to himself.

The relief, however, lasted only a moment.

Sirius glanced at the balding man next to him. Instead of looking relived or even grateful, the man glared hatefully at him. He looked around, noticing the other passengers were glaring similarly or sharing a contemptuous whisper. Sirius couldn’t understand why, until the steward spoke again.

“Here, move aside, you! Step back, we need to let a first class passenger through!”

They were opening the gates, but they were only going to let him through.

Only him.

A great wave of indignation ripped through Sirius and, gripping the gate tight in his grasp, he demanded, “What are you doing?”

The steward stopped mid-wave, surprised once again.

“I – I’m opening the gates, sir, just like you – ”

“You’re only opening the gate for me.”

The stairwell seemed even more cramped than before – he could hear every baited breath from those behind him, he could feel all the eyes focused on the back of his neck.

“Yes. That’s what you requested, isn’t it?”

“No,” Sirius said slowly, making sure he got the point this time. “I asked you to open the gate for everyone.”

The steward looked over his shoulder at his two lackeys, both of whom shrugged their shoulders. Sirius caught balding man’s shoulders soften just a bit out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Black, sir,” the steward said, turning back. “I have my orders…I’m not to open the gates until the captain gives the command.”