I had always believed that wild hearts could not be broken, and that belief would come to be the alpha and omega of my relationship with a one Mr. Sirius Black. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
I woke up early to the sharp line of daylight streaming through the crack between the thick crimson curtains that were drawn around the four poster bed. I could see just a glimpse of the window responsible for rousing me and was surprised to see that the glass pane was obscured by an icy frost.
In sharp contrast to the chilly weather outdoors, I felt like I was baking, and it took me a few moments to adjust to my surroundings and realize why.
A tanned arm, covering in dark hair, was draped over me, body heat radiating through the giant tshirt I had stolen to wear overnight. Sirius was still asleep, black hair falling into his face as he snored, bare chest rising and falling steadily.
I wriggled myself up into a sitting position, struggling under the dead weight his arm had taken on in the middle of the night. There was a quick lag in his snores, but Sirius remained asleep- that was how I preferred it.
As silently as I could, I slid my legs over the edge of the bed, bare feet hitting the cold floor as the stolen tshirt fell around my knees- the perfect makeshift dress for my getaway. The wooden floorboards creaked as I shifted my weight onto them and I just now realized how cold it must be outside.
The dress I had been wearing the night before was lying on the floor in a heap. Like clockwork, I made my way toward it, doing a little dance across the floorboards to avoid the loudest ones. I could navigate this path in my sleep by now.
Cautiously, I bent down to pinch the dress up off the floor and I was greeted by a pounding in my skull, care of the Firewhiskey that had not quite left my system from the evening prior. Post-Quidditch parties were my favorite time of all: loud music, lots of alcohol, and nobody paid enough attention to notice when I got the notion to slip on up to the boys dormitory.
The sudden rush of pain caught me off guard, and a soft groan escaped my lips. This small slip up was enough; I heard a sudden stirring from the bed closest to me. Remus Lupin, sandy hair and freckled complexion visible through his own open bed curtains. His hand found his face to begin rubbing his eyes, but I had slipped out the door and down the stone steps to the common room before he was really awake.
The Gryffindor common room was unbelievably warm in comparison to the chilly wooden tower that housed the seventh year boys. The fire was roaring crimson and orange in the fireplace, sending a flushing glow over the stuffed armchairs and tables of textbooks abandoned for the weekend.
The place was completely deserted- it couldn't be later than seven in the morning and since it was now Sunday it would be hours before everyone was up and moving, especially after the events on the night before. It was the ideal situation for me, I thought, a slow smile spreading across my face as I made my way toward the girls dormitory across the tower.
My bedroom was just as stiffly quiet as the boys' had been, but none of the curtains around my roommates beds were closed. I stifled a laugh seeing how each of them had fallen asleep- it was certainly telling of their personalities.
Lily Evans, Head Girl and self-proclaimed mother of the group was sleeping upside down, with her head toward the foot of the bed, red hair splayed out around her like the halo she probably imagined she wore at all times. When she actually took a night off from being Miss Responsible, things often ended up upside down, just like she was now slumbering.
Dorcas Meadowes was curled up into herself, blonde ringlet curls still in a (messier version of) conservative bun at the back of her head, a book tucked into her arms in the same place I had filled in Sirius's. I had no doubt that she hadn't had more than a sip or two of alcohol last night, but fortunately she had been too wrapped up in her secret (she thought it was secret- she is the least subtle person I know. In her defense, she is also one of the sunniest and most positive, so I can forgive it) crush on a bookworm sixth year boy.
Emmeline Vance was last, but I didn't take too long to ponder her appearance. Straight black hair, blah blah blah. She even scowled in her sleep. I couldn't stand her, and I couldn't stand sharing a dormitory with her. Emme was snappy, rude, and far too demanding as roommates go. The others didn't mind her, but her attitude was a little much for me to want to deal with. Lily said the two of us often butted heads because we were so similar -sarcastic, stubborn and the like- but true or not, it didn't phase me. I liked me. We didn't need another me around.
I bounced lightly onto my bed, sitting crosslegged as I peeled Sirius's shirt off and replaced it with one of my own I had left waiting on the pillow. I balled his up and tossed it into my top drawer with the others- a trophy collection of sorts. It drives him crazy that I keep stealing them, but he's never gotten around to asking for them back. We were always around other people, or "otherwise occupied".
The thing about Sirius and I is that...we are friends, I suppose. Our friends all hang out together, and I've known him since I was eleven and started school. We had always been in each others lives and there was a certain level of caring and trust there. I don't know if I could call it romantic.
This "thing"...whatever it is...between us had started at the end of last term. The last big party before the of the year, I had suddenly found myself pressed up against a stone wall, his calloused hands resting on my face as his lips moved against mine. I had woken up the next day lying next to him just as I had this morning- only ten times more confused and in a slight panic.
I still remember how I bolted upright to find him already awake and staring down at me like he hadn't quite seen me before. I had opened my mouth to stammer out something awkward, he cut me off.
The only words out of his mouth were "Hey, don't mention it."
And we didn't mention it. At all.
At the beginning of this year, we just fell into a pattern- it was October now.
And still, we hadn't mentioned it.
It wasn't a secret- all our friends knew (they had to...right?), but it wasn't something that anybody talked about. I don't think they knew how to bring it up, but that suited my preferences just fine. There wasn't anything to talk about. I had been in relationships before- they could be summed up in two words: messy and unnecessary.
I snuggled up down under my down comforter and was asleep before I could dedicate any more thought to the web I was weaving my way into.