Chapter 13

The temperature was below freezing because of the ice coffin in the living room. Jason broke out in goosebumps from the cold and held himself to keep warm. Maisie wore only a dress, but the cold didn't seem to affect her. She sat opposite the ice coffin and stared silently at Sirius's body, her gaze filled with deep sorrow and tenderness. "No one wanted an accident like this to happen, Maisie. Still, you have to buck up. You'll catch a cold if you keep sitting here like this, and you'll make the people who care about you worry. I'm one of them…" Jason said. Maisie didn't react when he first spoke, but she forced a smile when he trailed off. "Yeah, I know Sirius loves me. I love him, too. I'm just staying by his side—he won't worry about me. Now, leave us alone." He was taken aback. After a while, he crouched beside her and held her. "Stop trying to make me mad, Maisie. I'm the one you love. I admit defeat, okay? I know I was wrong in the past for not appreciating you. But now that