Note: Oh wow. This is the first ever fanfiction I've submitted here in a long time. Anyway, I found a thirty day one true pairing (otp) challenge post in Tumblr made by Ericandy. Since one of my otps is Sirius/Mary, I thought I'd have a bit of fun with the challenge in terms of experimenting with the themes, not so much with keeping with the schedule of the challenge, which I can't do anyway because I really suck at being on time. This is day one of the challenge.

I hope you like it. Reviews will be much appreciated.

Revised: 5/02/2016

One

Nyctophobia

(Holding Hands)

"Scared, Macdonald?" Sirius asked mockingly when Macdonald snatched his hand after Peeves snuffed out all the candlelight at once. She didn't say a word to his jibe, but he wasn't waiting for it anyway. Glee tugged his lips in a smug smile as he savoured the beautiful mess the poltergeist created.

They were in the middle of Potions when Peeves decided to visit. With a cackle, he made the already dim classroom pitch black. Most of the class squealed in fright and made an unnecessary fuss over Peeve's handiwork. Tables and chairs scraped against the stone floor as some attempted to escape the classroom—to no avail as they couldn't find the door. Others were sharp enough to light their wands beforehand. Meanwhile the rest… Merlin knew what they were doing. Slughorn's voice boomed through the chaos and blubbered threats against Peeves. Soon enough, the sound of shattering glass reverberated as the Potions Master, with a cry of panic, fell or collided against the shelves. Amongst the throng, Peeves fired obscenities and cackled madly.

This was the perfect opportunity for Sirius to find the boys and scarper—actually, he'd do just that. He reached for his wand when, suddenly, pain shot up his left arm. "Merlin," he gasped, finally noticing the chokehold on his hand and to whom the grip belonged. "Macdonald. You're killing my hand."

She did not release him. Irritation niggled at the back of his head and he frowned. He leaned towards her and felt for her wrist. The tension of her muscles was incredible… and unsurprising considering she was holding onto him for dear life. "Oi," he said, voice gruff and impatient, as he tried to pry her hand off. "Let go so I can get out—" he stopped when he heard her whimper. He scowled—what was her problem? He held onto her shoulder, drawing back when he felt her trembling violently. His impatience and irritation dissipated, replaced by dread and apprehension.

"Macdonald," he said, voice loud as he took her shoulders again and shook firmly. "Macdonald!"

She didn't answer. He closed the distance between them and heard her breaths coming out in short bursts through clenched teeth, accompanied by a whimper or sob. Though she still trembled, she was frozen—standing so still that anyone would think that the Body-Bind Curse hit her. Cold panic trickled slowly down his spine and it dawned on him that there was something serious happening to the girl. What could he do? He didn't even understand what was happening to her. He could alert Slughorn, but everything was still chaotic. Sirius was not at all confident that the Potions Master could appreciate the severity of Mary's panic.

So he decided to help her himself.

"Mary," Sirius said, placing his hand on top of Mary's. The least he could do was bring her back to the present, where none of the demons in her mind could follow. "Mary, can you hear me?" no answer, but that didn't discourage him. "Mary, it's Sirius. It's Sirius. Listen to me—listen to me, yeah? You're in Potions. You're just in Potions. Listen, Mary, you're going to be all right, yeah? I've your hand. I've your hand right here. Nothing's hurting you—"

"Mary!"

A beam of light obscured his vision, making him jump. He blinked a few times and saw Lily's face emerge from the light. She stood in front of them, holding her wand aloft. Sirius couldn't miss the worry on her face. She ignored him as she stepped closer to Mary, looking over her like a mother would her daughter. She clucked her tongue and gently pried Mary's hand from Sirius'—an amazingly easy feat considering. Lily's light danced around the room and illuminated different spots as she wrapped her arm around Mary's shoulders. Mary's reaction was instantaneous. Sirius started and moved towards Mary when she, like a marionette cut from its strings, lost all stiffness in her body and slumped against Lily.

"Is she okay? Did she black out?" Sirius demanded, rocking back to his feet when Lily caught Mary with ease.

"You're going to be okay," Lily said to Mary, rubbing her shoulders. "Let's get you out of the dark, hmm?"

They didn't move right away. Lily had to properly support most of Mary's weight. She also had to coax her into straightening up slightly so they wouldn't fall on their way out of the classroom. Meanwhile, Sirius watched. He noticed that Mary had stopped shaking—she was like a leaf in a storm in his care. It seemed that Lily was Mary's shield, able to keep the demons away more effectively than he—or anybody—could. He hurried to follow the girls as they turned from him and slowly shuffled their way out of the classroom. Lily kept the beam of light in front of her to see the path.

When they were halfway out of the room, the lights returned. Peeves was gone, leaving destruction in his wake. The tables were in disarray—some were even stuck on the walls. Parchment and various writing materials littered the floor. Many of the bottled ingredients on the floor had crashed. The potions Slughorn left brewing had spilled, doing different kinds of damage to the floor and leaving a mixture of strange smells in the air. Some of the students had managed to scarper during the chaos and only a handful of the class remained. Some were quick to exit as soon as they're able to see the door while the rest, for some reason, simply floundered about. Slughorn's robes were damp and covered with Merlin knew what. His face was red. With an angry wave of his wand he began to clean up, muttering under his breath about being underpaid. There was no point to officially dismissing the class.

Sirius barely noticed the state of the classroom as he followed Lily out. His eyes were on Mary, though. With Lily's support, she could finally walk—weakly. But she didn't seem to be growing stronger; each step she took looked heavy.

"We're out," Lily said, visibly struggling. "We're out. Good, Mary, good. You're doing so well. Just breathe now, all right? Just breathe—remember what we learned? Count your breaths. Inhale at one and exhale at two… inhale at one… exhale at two… very good. That's good, Mary."

"What's wrong with her?" Sirius asked as he caught up.

Lily clucked her tongue. "I don't have time for you, Black. Go bother someone else."

"You need help," he insisted, letting the acerbic answer pass.

The glare Lily shot at him was so sharp that his steps faltered. "Not. Now." She gritted. "I need to get Mary out of here."

Sirius stopped following them at that. Lily's voice held a compelling tone of anger than made him realise that his need for answers did not trump Mary's urgent need for help. He watched the girls walk the length of the hallway and as they disappeared around the corner, Sirius hoped Mary would be all right.