No we won't talk, we won't say a word

I know you've heard this before,

Don't speak, liar.

The Truth is Out

Dinner that night was strangely quiet and Riley couldn't work out why. Yes, word had gotten out that she had taken a hit to Claudia, who had a swollen cheek, Riley noted happily.

Everyone at the Ravenclaw table was pampering Claudia as if she was a poor soul, if only they knew the truth about her. Then the tables would turn. She would need to ask for their forgiveness, but this was Claudia. Se always got what she wanted. Especially when she was in the wrong.

Riley looked down the Gryffindor table. This was the first meal in a long time in which they hadn't sat with the other three girls. Lily and Mary of course never usually noticed there presence but Riley missed it terribly.

James, Remus and Peter seemed to be fine, chatting away and having a carry on. Sirius though, was staring into space with a troubled expression. Riley sighed and turned away from them and back to her food.

All she was able to think of was Sirius' reaction about Claudia. She was so worried that he might think she was the same. But Riley knew there was no way possible he would think that. Possibly.

"We're going back up to the common room," Lily announced. "Are you coming, Riles?"

"Yeah," Riley replied and left with the other two girls.

Sirius watched as Riley passed him. He was finding it hard to understand why she hit Claudia and after this morning, Claudia had been avoiding him

He knew that Riley and her sister never got on, but he never pictured Riley retaliating to Claudia's snide remarks with violence. It didn't seem right. Riley wasn't like that.

He knew Claudia must've done something because she had been acting a lot differently around him lately, too. She seemed to want him out of the way all the time and he always had to be gone at certain times. He tried using the map to see where she went once she suggested they departed, but he could never find her.

He had tried to catch Claudia in between classes all day to ask her why it had happened, but he hadn't seen her at all until tonight. He would have asked her this morning but he was too angry at Riley for abusing the use of the map and cloak.

If he had known she was going to use it to do what she did, like hell would he of gave her it. But now, he didn't even feel angry at her. He was confused at the lack of answer's he was getting. Riley told him that it was up to Claudia to tell him why she slapped her and then he would understand. But he couldn't get anywhere near Claudia to get answers.

He sighed and pushed away his plate.

"I'm going back up to the tower," he mumbled and excused himself from the table. "You guys can stay down here."

Without waiting on replies, he was already gone. Except, he wasn't going to Gryffindor Tower. No, he was going to wait outside the portrait at Ravenclaw Tower. He wanted answers and he was going to make sure he got them.

X

It felt like he had been waiting hours for her to show up but it was probably only half an hour after Sirius had left the Great Hall that Claudia showed up with the two lollygagging idiots. The three girls stopped once they saw him and Sirius stood up from his sitting position against the wall.

"I need to talk to you," Sirius told Claudia.

"Can't it wait for the morning, Sirius? I have a lot of homework-"

"Don't lie to me, Claudia."

"I'll be two minutes," Claudia told the other two girls who nodded and entered the common room. "What is it?"

Sirius walked over to her.

"I've done some thinking and I don't believe that Riley just stormed in there last night and hit you. She must've had a reason. So, what was it?"

"What? You don't believe me?" Claudia asked him.

"No, I don't."

"What I've told you is the truth, Sirius." Claudia said. "Now I suggest you leave."

"No," Sirius said, standing his ground. "I want answers, Claudia."

He turned around instantly when he heard the cackle. Bellatrix was with her little crew of Death Eaters to be.

"Claudia! We've been waiting on you!" Bellatrix exclaimed and then her eyes fell on Sirius and she grinned. "Well, well, well. Sirius. What brings you hear?"

Sirius ignored her and he turned back to Claudia.

"What does she mean they've been waiting on you?" he said, trying to keep himself calm.

"It's not what you think-"

Sirius cut her off.

"Answer my question."

"You're lovely little girlfriend has been with us, Black. She's on our side." Bellatrix sneered. "She knows what's right and wrong."

Sirius could feel his whole body starting to shake in anger.

"Is she telling the truth?"Claudia nodded.

"I don't believe you. After everything I told you! I trusted you and you go and throw that in my face! You are despicable, Claudia. Absolutely despicable. So what was I? A little game? Some fun? A way to get information?"

"Sirius, I-"

"I don't want to hear your lies anymore," Sirius said and pushed past her, leaving the group alone.

X

Riley sat curled up on the couch in front of the fire, adding unnecessary information into her Potions essay. James, Remus and Peter had joined them coming back after dinner but upon their arrival, Lily and Mary had left to go to the dormitory.

James and Peter had just started a game of Exploding Snap when the portrait swung open and Sirius when storming by them and straight up to the boys dormitory.

James stopped the game.

"Where do you think he was?" James asked, standing up.

Riley shrugged and James headed off to see his best friend.

James opened the dormitory door slowly and was met with Sirius throwing things around the room, swearing.

"What's happened, Padfoot?" James asked shutting the door and picking up a curtain from one of the beds.

"Claudia's got new friends," Sirius replied and walked into the bathroom, "Do you want to guess who they are?"

"Er, no."

"Bellabitch and the Death Eaters to be," he replied walking back through to the room with shaving foam, shower gel and aftershaves.

"Are you serious?" James asked and cleaned around the room slowly.

"No, I'm Sirius," Sirius joked, "But yeah, really."

"What are you going to do with that stuff?"

Sirius was now pulling James' cloak from his trunk and grabbing the Marauder's map from his bedside table.

"Give Claudia a little surprise, that's what. You coming?"

James nodded and followed Sirius out of the dormitory and back to the common room.

"Riley, c'mon." Sirius declared and kept walking towards the portrait hole. James had stopped and stood where the other three were sitting.

"What?" Riley asked.

"We're going to get back at your sister."

Short, I know, but the next one will be long…Yes. It will be, I promise. I go back to school on Wednesday though so I won't have as much time to work on the story…

Please review

Abbey xoxo