Sirius' morning was going pretty decently, all things considered. Even though he took longer than usual to get dressed because James threw his boxers on the Black's hair after it was all styled (washing his hair took effort and time, dammit), there was still some butter croissants and jam left for breakfast. In fact, his morning was downright pleasant until he saw the Black Family's owl heading towards the Gryffindor Table. Only after it pecked Mitran on her head and gave her a letter did Sirius relax.

"I'm not the only one it does that to, then," Sirius snickered, catching the attention of James and Remus. James seemed like he was going to add in his two Knuts, but one look from Sirius made him shut it.

"Shove off," Mitran groaned, eyeing the letter suspiciously.

Strangely, at those two words, Patil laughed.

"What's so funny about Mitran telling me to fuck off?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Well, telling me to fuck off in a slightly polite way," he amended when Mitran glared at him.

"It's just... she says it all the time, and I never really noticed until recently." Patil grinned. "She says it's so that she's less vulgar, but I don't buy it. She's plenty vulgar despite it."

"Mm," Sirius hummed, already losing interest.

"Say, why is she getting letters from your family?" Patil asked, sobering.

Sirius would've been offended, but his family wasn't the greatest to be associated with. He would know. He was surprised Mitran didn't tell her, though. Both Patils were her closest friends. If it weren't for her surname, he would've thought them triplets.

"She didn't tell you?" Peter asked her curiously, though that look faded into regret when Remus elbowed him.

Patil turned to face the four of them, glaring. "What do you four know that I don't? When did you become so buddy-buddy?"

"Hey, Mitran, you coming to DADA?" Sirius asked weakly.

Instantly, the other three Marauders looked up, desperate for an escape from Patil.

"Um, yeah," Mitran mumbled, pocketing the letter and looking quite pale in Sirius' eyes as she got up. "See ya soon, Preethi."

Sirius grabbed his third jam croissant and got up, glad to escape Patil's questioning, and followed Mitran out of the Great Hall.

As the door closed shut, James said, "So, what was in that letter?"

Sirius winced. Mitran already seemed unhappy, and this was not going to help.

Mitran turned around, her hair smacking him in the face as she did so, a look of pure anger on her face. "I've downgraded from Black to his brother, alright? Now, fuck off."

She stormed off, but not before her hair smacked him in the face. Again.

"Mate, I love you, but you have terrible timing," Sirius sighed.

"And you know I hate agreeing with Sirius, but..." Remus trailed off.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You're kind of terrible at timing, too," Peter squeaked.

"Shut up." James groaned. "At least we know Sirius ain't getting married soon."

Sirius winced. I feel bad for her. Out of me and Reg, I was definitely the better option.

"Yeah..."

✧༺ ༻∞

After Defence, Sirius was cornered by Patil. He knew his escape was too good to be true.

"What was in that letter?" Patil hissed, pushing him to a wall, wand at his throat. "I was ready to let it go, but the last time I saw her that upset it was bad."

Internally, Sirius was confused. Mitran seemed a lot more like herself in class, but he didn't exactly know her that well.

"Tell. Me." Patil demanded, punctuating each word with a stab at his throat.

Sirius sighed. "It's not really up to me who she tells, and she's plenty mad at me already."

"But it's important, isn't it," Patil said, furrowing her brow and lowering her wand.

"Yeah," Sirius said softly. "Yeah, it is."

At this, Patil slumped, as though all the fight had drained out of her. She looked to the ceiling. "Why is she like this? She'd take on the burdens of the world if she could, and she'd say she's fine until her back breaks and someone realizes she isn't. And then she'd push them away because they know. I just want to be a good friend, Black, but she never lets me in," she finished, her voice cracking at the end.

Oh shit she's crying, isn't she. What do I do, what do I do?

"You looked ready to murder me, so I'd say you've got 'being a good friend' down," Sirius joked, opening his arms slowly.

Girls like to hug people when they cry... right?

Apparently not, as Patil shook her head and wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm.

"Look, she's let you know her issue, for whatever the reason," Patil said bitterly. "Just look out for her, will you?"

"Yeah, I'll... I'll try, Patil," Sirius sighed.

And then, Patil hugged him, soaking his tie with her tears in the process.

"Now that you've seen this, call me Preethi," Patil—no, Preethi—sniffed.

"Then it's Sirius for you," Sirius said, smiling at her.

Mitran, you have a really good friend. It's only been hours since she's noticed and she's already worried and trying to help. Don't keep pushing her away.

Once the sniffles stopped, Sirius said, "C'mon, let's go to Muggle Studies."

"Okay..."

✧༺ ༻∞

Once she calmed down, Preethika was mortified. She had just yelled at, cried on, walked with and was now sitting next to Sirius Black. A boy she barely knew.

Merlin, I'm such an idiot. The things I do for you, Netra.

"Good morning class," said their Muggle Studies professor, Professor Eulalie Hicks. "You all have your copies of Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles?"

From beside her, Sirius snorted. "We've only needed it since third-year," he mumbled.

"Quite right, Mr Black," Professor Hicks nodded, smiling. "Today we will be learning about how electricity works. Tomorrow we will be leaving Hogwarts' grounds to build a circuit, so today's theory is very important. Now, who can remind us what electricity is?"

Half the class raised their hands.

"Ah, yes, Ms Lestrange?"

"Ec— Electricity is a kind of Muggle energy. They use it to power their lights and things," Preethika's roommate, Alice Lestrange, said.

"That's right," Professor Hicks said kindly. "Does anyone know what it's made up of?"

This time, only Sirius' hand was raised, and Preethi glanced at him curiously. When Hicks asked questions like this, it was always Sirius that knew the answer. And it was always only Sirius. He projected an easygoing, devil-may-care attitude and always acted out in class, but in Muggle Studies, he was completely different. Maybe it was because Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew weren't around, but if Preethi had to hazard a guess, it was because Muggle Studies was a subject he actually cared enough to learn about.

It was kind of cute.

... Preethi—No you can think someone's cute and not have a crush on them.

"Mr Black?"

"Electricity," Sirius started, not tripping over the odd Muggle word at all, "Is made of a charged atom, called an electron. Atoms, according to Muggle science, are the most basic unit of chemical elements, which are what makes up the world."

Most of what Sirius said went over the class' head. Even Professor Hicks was staring at Sirius, shocked.

"Yes," Hicks said, sounding vaguely incredulous. "You've just went into the basics of Muggle chemistry and physics. Now, explaining atoms and chemical elements won't come up in your O.W.L.s, but all of you should know that electricity is made up of electrons. Electricity is an energy, much like thermal energy—heat," he clarified, seeing the class' confusion. "Electricity is made when electrons start moving around and create a current, which is a stream of electrons moving.

"There needs to be a path for the current, and that's where all the Muggles' wires come in! Before we put them together, though, we'll be learning about their circuit diagrams. Now, does anyone know what they are?"

Yet again, Sirius was the only one to raise his hand.

Preethi looked at him from out of the corner of her eye, biting her lip.

Now that I think about it, his only shortcoming was his personality, and now I can tell it's not that bad. And he is pretty attractive. His eyes are pretty, and he rocks that long hair...

If Netra's experience is anything to go by, I might actually have a crush on him.