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The camera focuses on a modern living room with an orange armchair in the middle and a glass table situated in front. In the back, a grand piano sits in the corner with a few pieces of framed art hung above.
Sirius Black walks into the frame in a simple blue jeans and band tee combo, and of course, their signature red lip. She sits down on the armchair and crosses his legs, one over the other, before smiling at the camera.
“Hi Vogue, I’m Sirius Black from The Marauders and this is what’s in my bag.” She smiles, resting the black leather bag on her thighs.
The camera cuts to a few clips of London on film and a few outtakes of Sirius, throwing his head back to laugh. She holds a hand over her mouth, but the camera captures the striking contrast between the red lip and her white teeth.
“So this is the Jackie 1961 bag. It’s Gucci.” Sirius gently caresses the front of the bag. “People are always so surprised with what I can fit inside here but it’s more spacious than it looks.”
“I’m the only one in the band that carries a bag, so I end up carrying a lot of their stuff, but I don’t mind. I do sometimes feel like a mother, you know, when their kid asks them for a snack, and I have to dig inside for a granola bar, so they don’t get hungry.” They laugh, a small smile curling on their lips.
She unclasps the bag and pulls it open, taking out the first few items. “I’ll get the boring things out of the way first.” He rolls his eyes before holding up her phone. “My phone, very important. Need access to pictures of Remus at all times.” She winks at the camera before tapping the screen of their phone to show the lock screen. “This is our dog, Frankie. A few months ago, we were doing press for the album, and we were lucky enough to do the puppy interview at BuzzFeed. And I just fell in love with this little black labrador and ended up adopting him. You can see he’s Remus’ favourite.” He holds up the phone for the camera to see and on the lock screen is a picture of Frankie curled up on top of Remus’ chest, both sleeping as peacefully as the other.
She then turns the phone around and taps on the Polaroid picture, tucked in behind the clear case. “And then on the back, inside my case is a polaroid of all four of us. This was taken on the day we moved into our house, and we had a housewarming party where we all dressed up as fairies. It was a very, very fun night. I think we’re about 19 in this picture and yeah, I carry it with me all the time.”
“Wallet.” He holds up a small cardcase. “I don’t carry a lot of money, only because people normally pay for me, but I guess I need to carry my driver’s license around in something.” They shrug.
Sirius then pulls out what seems to be the bulk of the bag, a notebook and a novel. They place the book in their lap and hold up their leather-bound notebook for the camera. “A notebook. We’re always writing and thinking of new melodies. Sometimes we’ll hear a sound and since Remus has perfect pitch, he’ll want to jot down the note to see if we can do something with it. We definitely prefer to write things down; helps ideas flow.” He confirms, slotting the pen out of the strap and clicking it a few times.
He opens the notebook up and flicks threw a few pages, eyes skimming the words written below until she lands on a page that makes her smile. “Peter’s the artist of the group and sometimes he’ll leave me small doodles. This is one of Remus wearing a wizard’s costume.” Sirius smiles, turning the book around and letting the camera focus on the small but very neat sketch in the corner of an empty page.
“My brother always buys me a notebook for my birthday. It’s the same one every time, but it’s small and normally lasts me a year; sometimes he has to buy me an early birthday present, but it just saves me from carrying around something really bulky.” She tells the camera before flicking through the pages again. “I wrote this phrase down before we started writing the album. Always an angel, never a god. I'm always just jotting down lyrics or phrases I find interesting. Not all of them make the cut, but you can see how this one did.” He smiles with a mischievous glint in her eyes before setting it down on the table in front.
He then holds up the novel. “I’m always carrying a book. This is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It's amazing, I'm nearly finished with but the way he writes about love, it's incredible. I really, really recommend it; he's an amazing author." Sirius nods passionately, tapping the cover with her fingernail. "This isn't actually mine, it's Remus'. What happened a few years ago, is that he asked me to carry around his book for him because he's always reading, which is fine, I was happy to do it, but then I quickly realised that I don't have any space for a book of my own. So we end up just reading the same one." The camera focuses on the cover of the book, Sirius' mahogany nails wrapped around the sides.
“It’s nice actually, it’s like we have our own little book club. We normally start the book together, but then depending on whoever can get to it first, we sort of take turns and then, when we've both finished it, we get to discuss it which is always nice - something to look forward to. Remus dogears his pages which drives me insane, but I usually take longer to finish the book which drives him equally as insane. It’s a good fit, I think.” Sirius smirks knowingly before setting it down next to the notebook.
“What’s next?” Sirius digs into the bag before pulling out a camera. “A camera. This is actually James’, but we all use it. He’s a way better photographer than I am, but it’s nice to have physical copies of pictures, especially candid ones. I also carry around some extra film just in case we run out.” He places the silver camera down on top of the book and balances the spare reel of film on top. The camera zooms in on the worn-out stickers of flowers dotted around the front of the camera. "James decorated it. He just loves lilies."
“Playing cards. Peter’s mums taught us all how to play poker and rummy so sometimes when we’re winding down for the night we’ll play a quick game. It’s also nicer than sitting around on your phone.” Sirius taps the deck on his thigh. “This deck I brought when we were on tour in Japan. It’s got koi fish on the back.”
Sirius struggles slightly to pull out this next item, only as it looked like it was stuck at the bottom of her bag. “I always carry around some make-up and skincare in this small pencil case. I’ve got perfume. This is from just from Aesop and it’s woody yet fresh and I wear it all the time.” She sprays herself before setting it down on the glass table. "I've also got the Jo Malone Myrrh and Tonka cologne. This is a bit more autumnal." Sirius sets that aside before pulling out a variety of lip products.
“Lip balm because I hate dry lips. I have a lip gloss and two lipsticks. All red, since that’s my signature colour. This is my favourite lipstick, it's the Pat McGrath Labs lipstick in the shade vendetta. It’s a deep red and it’s sexy and sultry, just like me.” Sirius pulls the cap off before applying a layer to his lips and smacking them, before pouting at the camera. “I always carry a black eye pencil. If I’m ever in a hurry, I just apply some, smudge it out, put on a red lip and I’m ready!” Sirius pops the lid off, showing off how worn the nub is before dropping it back into the case.
“Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream. I am naturally a very dry person; I suffer from dry skin and extremely dry hands, so this is a lifesaver. I honestly can’t do anything if my hands a dry; I hate the feeling.” Sirius unscrews the cap and applies some to his hands before massaging them in. He places the lid back and zips the pencil case closed before placing it on the table.
She then pulls out a chunk of old receipts and grimaces slightly. “I was wondering when we would get to this part.” He laughs. “I’m really bad at throwing away receipts. I actually….here we are,” Sirius holds up a half-empty packet of chewing gum. “I always carry chewing gum but then when it gets stale, I just fold it between old receipts and forget to chuck them away. Not my best habit.” She clicks her teeth before releasing her fist of old receipts onto the table, in the corner where the camera can’t see. “Oh, found another. This is a cinema ticket for when we watched Asteroid City. Love Wes Anderson.”
“Headphones.” They pull them out whilst untangling the wire out of their keys. “These are the Koss Porta Pro headphones. I just love how cool they look.” He places them on his ears and models them for the camera. “Also when they fold up, they’re really compact so they’re great to just throw inside my bag.” He demonstrates for the camera and true to his word, they fold into a size, no bigger than the size of their palm. She wraps the wire around and sets them down gently.
“I’ve got a got a little first aid pouch.” She laughs before unzipping the small pink bag. “I’ve got paracetamol, tissues, wipes, ibuprofen, teabags – those are for Remus. More importantly, James’ inhaler and Peter’s EpiPen. He’s allergic to kiwis, which isn’t common but it’s more for my peace of mind than his, at this point.” She shrugs before tucking them back into the pouch.
“More receipts.” He pulls out two more, folded and battered. “Listen, I sometimes write things down on whatever I can find, so I can’t throw them all away!”
“Oh, I have a tampon and a pad.” They hold up them in each hand for the camera. “I have a lot of friends who might need a spare, and they all know they can come to me. I pride myself on being reliable."
“Hmmm, a cloth for cleaning glasses.” He hums, picking a piece of lint off of it. “Both James and Remus wear glasses so I’m always carrying one. I also need them for my sunglasses, where are they?” She rummages around for a moment before pulling them out. “These belonged to Remus’ mother, Hope; they’re her sunglasses so they’re kind of vintage. They’re Chanel and they’re beautiful, just like her.” Sirius puts them on before sliding them up onto their head, pushing her hair back. He throws the cloth onto the table before digging into the bag again.
“Okay, so this might seem like I have a lot of snacks and that’s because I do. I get hungry but more importantly, Remus gets mopey when he’s hungry, so we have to get ahead of that quickly.” He emphasises for the camera before pulling out 3 small dairy milk chocolate bars. “These are his favourites and so I have to be stocked at all times. You’re probably thinking, Sirius, what if they melt? Good question. They won’t, because in order for them to melt, they have to be in my bag for longer than 24 hours.” She gripes, rolling her eyes playfully. “They’re a treat now, for when he’s being good, and he knows that.” He smirks at the camera before opening one up and biting a chunk out of it. “I don’t just give him the chocolate just like that; I’m not that easy.”
“Speaking of treats,” Sirius glances at the camera, hiding a smile behind her lips, “I’ve got a little pouch of Frankie’s treats. They're probably way too expensive and I know I spoil him too much, but he’s my baby.” They coo, pouting as they show off the little bag with a big F stitched on the front. He sets it down before pulling out a tiny rubber shoe. "This is his little chew toy; it looks like a Converse and that's because when we first got him, he was obsessed with James' smelly red converses. I always carry a small chew toy; makes me think of him. Oh, and of course, poo bags. Probably the most important thing."
“Salt and vinegar chickpeas.” She pulls out the snack and inspects the back, reading the facts. “I love salt and vinegar as a flavour, I will literally devour packets of crisps if no one stops me. But these don’t take up as much room in my bag, so it’s a good on-the-go snack.” They rip open the packet and throw a few in their mouth. “Oh! They’re so good.” He emphasises the crunch for the camera. "I always carry sweets with me, just in case my throat goes dry. Right now I have fruit pastilles because they're Remus' favourite."
“Condoms.” She pulls out, unbothered. “More likely than not, an opportunity will arise where you or a friend will desperately need one, quickly and you won’t have time to run to a shop. They don’t take up any space and I can guarantee you; you will thank yourself for having them. Practise safe sex!” He urges, pointing his finger at the camera, firmly. “Very, very important. We should start giving them away at concerts – I’ll have to talk to the guys about that.” She taps her head and then points to the camera, nodding.
“My keys. As you can see, I have a lot.” She holds up the bundle, pulling each one apart. “I’ve got my house keys, James’ house, Peter’s flat, my brother’s flat. Our studio, other miscellaneous locks. Oh! But this is my favourite thing, it’s a star keychain. I got this from the American Natural History Museum in New York. It’s very cool.” Sirius lays the keychain against her palm and shows it off for the camera.
“I always carry lollipops. My friend Lily put me onto them. Strawberry lollipops. Just something to keep my mouth busy.” Sirius shrugs, holding up a couple for the camera. She sets them down, careful of one that starts to roll away and then reaches back into their bag.
“My lighter.” Sirius holds up the vintage zippo and lights it in the air, dragging it side to side as if he’s at a concert. “Probably the most important thing.” She flicks it closed before holding it in their palm, assessing their weight. “I'm constantly getting asked to light things, so I always have this on me. I think everyone asks me because they know I’m always carrying one. Anyway, this,” She holds it up again, “Very important to me.”
"Hand sanitiser. Very important." Sirius places the spray on the table before pulling out a small toy. "Oh! Someone made Lego figures of us and it's the cutest thing ever. They're also great whenever I need something to fidget with." He holds us four small Lego figurines, all unmistakably members of the band. They set them down on the table delicately, mindful that they don't get blocked or lost in the pile.
"I've always got a few granola bars in here. These are from the Kind brand and we all love them. Very good for on-the-go. They're a bit smushed, actually. Might need to buy some fresh ones." Sirius cringes before placing them behind Frankie's pouch. "I always have hair bands with me. I like to use small satin scrunchies or the hair spiral, coil things just because they don't leave kinks in my hair. And I'm very precious about my hair." Sirius leans forward, whispering as if it's a secret.
“I have a couple of crystals. I have this rose quartz given to me by my friend and stylist Mary. It’s a bit chunky but I love how it feels in my hand. And then this citrine crystal that my brother’s friend, Pandora, gave to us just before we headed off on tour. It’s for self-healing and inspiration and self-improvement.” She rubs her thumbs over each crystal before smiling. “I know a lot of people roll their eyes but it’s my bag. I carry poo bags for god’s sake, I’m pretty sure I’m entitled to a pretty crystal.”
“Right, I’m not even going to sugar-coat this. You’re all going to think I’m insane, but I don’t care.” Sirius digs into one of the side pockets and pulls out a very small and compact Tupperware box. She opens it and shows the camera. “It’s a Bakewell tart for Remus. He loves them so I have to carry it around.” She says, unapologetically. Sirius gently sets the box down and the camera zooms in on the neat tart, crimped at the edges and cherry situated perfectly in the middle.
“What is this?” He asks rhetorically, fishing for something at the bottom. When Sirius finally pulls it out of the bag, she blushes, rolling her lips into her mouth. Her eyes grow wide at the sight of it and she sputters for a moment, unsure of what to say to the camera. “It’s a photograph. I-I can’t...show this to the camera.” They whisper, poking their tongue into their cheek. “It’s not a picture of me. If it was, I’d show you but it’s not, it’s of someone else. Yeah…this is just for me. I didn’t know this was in here. Huh. Well, alright then.” Sirius tucks the picture back into the bag and bites her lip, face growing completely red.
Can you explain what’s in the picture? Someone in the crew asks.
“Oh. It seems to be a picture of someone mooning the camera. It’s a…suggestive picture, not exactly appropriate for the people watching at home. Uh, I guess someone knew I was doing this interview, and did it to mess with me. I mean, I can show it to the camera, but I don’t think he’d appreciate it. Also, I’m quite possessive over this person and so that picture is for my eyes and my eyes only.” Sirius replies, leaning his chin on his fist, before turning to smile into it. “Alright. Sorry, I got a bit flustered there.” She coughs, struggling to stop herself from smiling.
"And I have a few more old receipts. This is from Waterstones a few weeks ago, when we got the book. Lovely, that's it. That’s everything in my bag.” Sirus drops the old receipts into the bag and tucks it to the side before gesturing theatrically to the pile in front.
“What film character would my bag be?” Sirius repeats to the camera before looking up contemplatively. She hums, pursing her lips whilst he thinks. “Probably Cher from Clueless. She’s based on Jane Austen’s Emma so her character is sort of timeless, like the bag. I also think that she has good intentions, and she really cares for her friends, and I think that’s evident from looking at the contents of my bag. I just like being helpful.”
“Je pense que mon sac dit que je suis très organisé. Et que, j'aime bien le rouge à lèvres rouge et que j’aime bien écrire au stylo. À l'ancienne...Ouais” Sirius tells the camera with a bright smile, holding up the pen that’s attached to their notebook.
(Translation: "I think my bag says I’m very organised and that I like red lipstick and writing with my pen. The old-fashioned way...Yeah.")
“Well, that’s it. Thanks for watching Thank you to Vogue and I hope you all relish in the fact that I essentially carry around a vending machine in my bag for Remus Lupin. See you later.” Sirius picks up a bar of chocolate and moves out of the camera with a smirk on their face.