One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 153

Sirius grins and shoves Remus slightly, muttering playfully, "You're staring, Moony."

Remus turns bright red at Sirius' laughter, quickly averting his gaze from the Ravenclaw table. Regulus had taken to sitting there with Dorcas and Gwen, something that had gotten him a lot of flack from the Slytherins. But he was happy. And that made Remus happy.

Sirius rolls his eyes, but it's Remus' turn to snicker when his friend sits straight in his seat, eyes lighting up at the sight of pearly blonde hair. He gives her a once over, assessing her from afar. Her first few exams had taken it out of her, most of their time spent studying now that she'd caved. Though it had quickly turned into Sirius studying while Gwen napped in her favorite armchair.

His eyes narrow at the circles under her eyes, but she seems brighter today, glowy almost. Tired, but not too tired. His lips twitch and he reaches down to twist the ring on his finger. He watches in amusement when the Veela pauses her conversation with Dorcas to look up. She quirks a brow at him and Sirius secretly ticks away the sight of her bashful smile when he crooks a finger for her to come over.

She hesitates, visibly deciding whether or not to be stubborn. Sirius decides he should buy Dorcas Meadows a rather nice present when she rolls her eyes and climbs to her feet, gesturing for Gwen and Regulus to do the same.

The Veela gives a reluctant sigh that Sirius can practically hear across from the great hall, his eyes narrowing when she lazily traipses over behind Regulus and Dorcas. The curly haired Ravenclaw quickly takes a seat by Marlene, Regulus following suit and sitting by Remus.

Gwen however blinks at Sirius, lips twitching as she takes a seat between Peter and James. Sirius frowns, grumbling to himself when Peter flushes but leans up to whisper something in Gwen's ear. The Veela laughs then turns to James to whisper something as well. The grin on his face instantly irritates Sirius, his voice gruff as he barks, "What?"

James covers up his smile with a hand, glancing sideways at Gwen. She quirks a brow at Sirius, her tone deadpanned as she replies, "It's a secret."

Sirius clenches his fists, eyes widening slightly as an exasperated huff leaves him. This girl. He checks to make sure that her attention is focused on Peter and James before sneaking an arm under the table and grabbing her knee.

He staves off a triumphant smirk when her pale eyes fly to him, wide and surprised. He can't resist squeezing the skin below the hemline of her skirt, savoring the way her cheeks turn the faintest pink. Her eyes narrow and Sirius can't help but laugh at the way he knows her so well now. He knows exactly what she's thinking.

"Don't you dare, Whitlock," He says firmly, his voice full of amusement he wishes he could suppress. Her lips turn into a frown, her plans to charm him and take him by surprise ruined.

She crosses her arms across her chest, staring at him flatly. Sirius gives her knee another meaningful squeeze. When he goes to pull back, she pushes her legs together, trapping his hand. Sirius lets out a stuttered breath, eyes quickly looking around to make sure no one has noticed before glancing back at the Veela. He silently curses at the sudden mischievous look on her face, finding that his mouth is suddenly very dry.

Gwen smiles and sits up straighter, his hand still trapped between her legs as she asks, "Want to help me study for Astronomy, Padfoot?"

Dorcas suddenly sits upright, sharing a look with Lily before saying slowly, "Gwen...since when have you wanted to study?"

Lily gapes at the Veela over James shoulder when she shrugs and replies simply, "Since now."

Sirius chews on the inside of his cheek, heart thumping obnoxiously in his chest. Study. Yes, they should study. But then her eyes slide to his and she holds his stare for a few beats of silence. Her lips twitch and Sirius sucks in another breath, eyes narrowing at the hint of challenge in her voice when she muses, "If you're not interested, Sirius, I'll do it by myself."