BETTY, sirius black

card sharks, playing games

008. CHAPTER EIGHT
card sharks, playing games

          SEPTEMBER and October flew by at Hogwarts. Quidditch games and studying sessions galore, the students all about the school, seeking out any kind of adventure during the last few months of 1976.

Saiorse Evans sat under a tree a bit outside of the magic school, Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them sat in her lap. She had a piqued interest in magizoology a couple weeks ago, right after seeing a Pigmy Puff in real life.

Severus was sat in front of her, using his wand to levitate different strands of Saiorse's hair. "You know, you and Lily have the exact same color hair." He examined, levitating another piece. "I mean, hers is a tad darker, but the same nonetheless."

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Saiorse asked absentmindedly. "You've never been this talkative around me, let alone observant."

Severus sighed, putting his chin in his hand. "I may or may not be going to Hogsmeade with Lily."

"That's great, Sev." She responded. "I know how long you've been pining after my 'sister', if you could even call her that."

"She's not all that bad." Severus sneered, defending the girl he loved.

"I'll take that sentence seriously when she leaves you for the rats." Saiorse sighed, flipping another page. She smiled at the words on the page, reading about how Newt Scamander and a Muggle man had to subdue and recapture a Niffler that had wreaked complete havoc in a New York City jewelry shop.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade?" He asked.

"Can't. Gotta have a parent signature."

"When was the last time you went?" Severus asked again.

"Third year." She responded. "Fourth and fifth year I wanted to stay in because of the snow, and then my parents stopped speaking to me, so."

"You've only gone once?"

She nodded, flipping the page once more to reveal a Bowtruckle. "I would like a Bowtruckle." She said suddenly. "They're adorable, and plus, they just live in your sleeves, so they're always there to talk to."

Severus snorted. "Why don't you just talk to people?"

"I don't really have a lot of conversationalist options." She answered. "No one except for you, and maybe...a couple others would volunteer to actually talk to me."

"Oh yeah, you're an outcast."

"Oh, shut up. It's not like you're any better about it." Saiorse laughed, pulling a piece of her hair back down. "You're the most antisocial person I've ever met."

Severus just rolled his eyes, not being able to suppress his own smile. "Whatever. I'm gonna go see Lily."

"Good luck, lover boy."

He stood quickly, looking around to see the redhead Gryffindor standing near the entrance of the school, smiling brightly at something Alice Fortescue had just said to her. Once the Slytherin had entered her sights, her smiling grew larger, greeting the boy. Her eyes travelled to where he had came from, her sister leaning against a tree, very inversed into a book sat atop her lap.