By the next day everyone knew that it had been Sirius who sent Evan Rosier to the hospital wing. But nobody seemed to know why. Not even James. He and Sirius were on civil but tense terms since the last time they spoke. They never properly ended their argument from the day before so there was an oppressive air of unfinished business that lingered precariously between them every time they were within ten feet of each other.
Waves of murmuring and hushed rumors resounded throughout the corridors when Sirius walked by. He wasn't bothered by it. It wasn't the first time. Let them talk, he thought. Keep them guessing. He knew they would never even come close to discovering the truth. He hardly believed it himself.
It still struck him the way Mira was able to sit in the same classes as him every day and never even once glance in his direction. Little did he know she was tormented by the exact same thoughts about him. Truth is they were both too adept at masking their true feelings for their own good. Not so surprising given their shared history. For Mira it was a survival mechanism in its purest form. For Sirius, a response to his own hysterical blindness.
It was a Friday afternoon and all classes had finished for the day. There was hardly anyone around and Mira's guard was down as she traipsed through the corridor near the courtyard. As memory served her, Sirius spent Friday afternoons in Hogsmeade with the majority of their year, so she knew she needn't worry about running into him today. Unbeknownst to her though this wasn't a typical Friday. This Friday a full moon was ascending.
Hearing a sudden rush of footsteps she raised her weary eyes. Just as suddenly as she looked up her heart began to race. Sirius came striding down the corridor, wand in hand, flanked by the usual suspects. He caught sight of Mira in her condition, continued to walk, but boldly refused to tear his eyes away from her. He drank in her appearance, knowing the moment would be over too soon.
A deer caught in headlights, she stared back at him as he walked past, feeling the hollowness inside of her rear its ugly head and nearly swallow her whole. It was the first time she had allowed herself to truly look at him since Bella's wedding.
He gripped tighter the wand in his hand, drawing attention to the broken skin and blood scraped across his knuckles. As he drew closer to her she noticed James turn his head to look at her as well. They didn't stop though. They just kept walking until they passed her and were out of sight completely.
Everything else became muted. She turned, without even a second thought and made her way back towards the dungeons. Once in her dormitory she took off her robe and dropped it on her bed. It was uncommonly warm out and she didn't need anything but her wand anyway.