Sirius learns to love.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sirius Black or the Harry Potter world.
Her figure was hunched awkwardly over the desk as she forced herself to continue reading. The fire produced a warm glow throughout the room, its silhouette quivering to the irregular beat of crackling firewood and the quiet shuffle of turning pages. She tossed her hair wearily over her shoulder, the brown curls falling down her back like waves tumbling against the shore. An angry sigh trembled from her pink lips, as she read, and reread, the same line.
'Rumours that a colony….' She begun to read, her mind drifting mid-sentence… 'Rumours that a colony of Acromantula has been established…'.
She slammed the novel closed, particles of dust arising from the aged pages. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, massaging her temples for relief. Her dreams of a career in Magical Law were disappearing with each undiscerned word. She suddenly stood, her seat sliding back against the wooden floor with a shrill squeak, and marched towards the room's other occupant.
"Please leave," She pronounced confidently, folding her arms protectively to her chest. He sat unresponsive, staring motionlessly at her feet. She cringed inwardly at her choice of footwear - pink socks, with cream frills adorning the ankle. A blush rose to her cheeks.
She cleared her throat and tried again: "I'm trying to study and your presence is distracting."
His jaw twitched, his grey eyes slowly rising to meet her gaze. Her conviction faltered as she studied his indignant expression, her hand reaching to nervously tug at the end of her sleeves.
"How about you stop playing hard to get. I know you want me, Claire," He growled seductively, his hand reaching out to grasp her sides.
He pulled her forward with a jerk, and she gasped at the pinch of his hold. Crack! Her hand met the side of his face with a crisp slap. She stumbled from his clutches as he spluttered from the sudden attack.
"Sirius Black, what is wrong with you lately?" She cried breathlessly, rubbing her side soothingly, "You were always a player, but you were never so…"
"Sleazy?" He suggested with a wink, throwing his arm lazily on the shoulder of the crimson lounge.
"No. Disrespectful," She answered curtly, turning back on her heel to collect the books from her desk. She piled them into her arms irately, marching to the staircase leading to the girl's dormitory. Tears clouded her vision and she froze at the base of the stairs.
"I thought we were friends," She finally admitted in a wary murmur, her back to his figure. Tears swelled in her eyes as his betrayal stabbed at her heart. She pictured Lily upstairs with her boyfriend, snuggled in his protective grasp, completely oblivious to her recent insensitivity towards anything that wasn't James. She bit her lip resentfully. Sirius knew how she felt, he had lost his best friend to love as well. It's not their fault, she reminded herself reluctantly, first loves are always the same. A tear crawled down her face.
She jumped at the slither of fur brushing against her leg like a velvet sheet. She glanced down, struggling to suppress a smile at the large black dog pawing gently at her leg. She rolled her eyes, dropping to the floor with a thud. She reflexively reached out, stroking the dog affectionately behind the ears.
"I told you I loved you," She begun, her voice breaking at the thought of the humiliating memory, "and you just walked away."
She imagined how foolish she must've looked being left alone by the lake. The tears were falling faster now, finally unleashed from the brewing storm. Sirius tenderly laid his head on her leg.
She pushed him from her leg: "I need you to look at me."
Sirius glanced up, unblinkingly. Anger welled at the pit of her stomach, rising like lava through her form.
"Stop hiding behind Snuffles, Sirius. I need you to grow up and speak to me like an adult for once in you life!" She exclaimed breathlessly, fury coursing through her veins like poison.
With a blink, he transformed, gracefully folding himself cross-legged on the floor: "I'm sorr-"
"Stop, I don't want to hear it. I want to put this out there once and for all, do not interrupt me or so help you Merlin! I am not another one of your groupies. I am your friend. I know you better than most, heck, after the last few months I think I know you better than anyone! Sirius, I think you are the most wonderful person I've ever met!" Claire announced proudly.
"Oh bull!" Sirius exclaimed incredulously, "How can you say that? My whole family are fricking death eaters! I have no family, no home. I'm average at school, I'm constantly in detention…. ".
"Is that what this is about?" Claire quizzed, comprehension dawning her expression.
He remained motionless, his eyes glued to the floor. Sadness clouded Claire's expression as she tenderly cupped his face in her palms. She gently lifted his jaw, his unshaven skin tickling her hands, so his eyes were level with her own. She could smell the woody scent of his cologne and the peppermint of his breath. She traced careful circles along his jaw with her fingertip, relishing in its warmth.
"You are good," She breathed, "And you are strong, and brave, and resilient. I could never rebel against my own family no matter how bad they were. I could never face all the students in this school knowing that at least a quarter of them resent me!"
He gave her a small smile, pulling her into a firm embrace. He studied her pale, ink-stained hands affectionately.
"Not only all that, but you're also a great friend," She added with a smile, giving him a playful punch, "And I'm crazy in love with you".
His hands latched onto the nape of her neck, his fingers twisting around her soft brown locks. He pulled her face closer, crushing his mouth to hers. He rejoiced in the slightly acidic taste of her lips, caused by the constant chewing on her quill. He inhaled the intoxicating scent of her coconut shampoo that had tormented him each time the wind had picked up and sent the delicious smell in his direction. He stroked the coarse, slightly itchy, fabric of her red sweater and cupped her flushed cheeks, unsurprised by the chill of their touch. She was always cold, even on impossibly hot days. He knew her habits, her flaws and every freckle which graced her complexion that she hated so much. He had followed her for weeks like a lovesick puppy, and he finally knew he loved her too.