Black // Marauders

20. Regulus

It had been six weeks since Persie had agreed to teach Regulus the spells against her will. She snuck out of Gryffindor Tower easily every Wednesday night now. Ava was always the last to bed and she always came up at half past eleven at the latest and was the fastest to get to sleep. Persie got up in response at ten to midnight, leaving the door pulled slightly to, instead of fully closed before taking the steps down to the Common Room, grateful they were made of stone so they never creaked. She peered her head into the Common Room, stepping out before someone sat up from the sofa and she froze.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, as her shoulders relaxed and she folded her arms, "Do you mind? You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Sorry. I just thought I might catch you if I stayed up. I never saw you come back from dinner is all." Sirius mentioned as he pushed himself off the sofa and hopped over the back, making his way over to her before sighing, "I know you're avoiding me."

"Do you blame me?" She questioned, before he shook his head and traced a hand down her arm towards her own hand, "No. I've been trying to avoid you too."

"Looks like it." Persie answered sarcastically as he threaded his fingers through hers and smiled, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I can't stay away from you."

"Well, maybe you should try a bit harder. Apparently, if you stop your habit for three weeks, you're more likely to stop it altogether and it's been six weeks so the thoery states..." Persie started to inform him, as he leaned down to her left ear and said quietly, "I don't think that theory's working for me. If anything, staying away just makes me crazier."

He leaned in and began to kiss her jawline, starting just below her ear as her eyelids fluttered closed and her hands ran into his hair. She smiled to herself as she leaned forwards and breathed into his ear, "Maybe I should just disappear."

"Please. I'd lose my fucking mind." Sirius muttered, as his hand slipped up the side of her face and pulled their lips together. She moved away from him, pulling her head back, "Go to bed, Sirius."

"That's not allowed. You can't do that and then send me to bed." Sirius told her as she gave him a look, "You'll know it was for the best when you wake up in the morning."

"Doubt it." He sung to himself before she gave him a look, "Please? For me?"

"You can't start using that on me." He informed her with a smile, before she returned the gesture and pushed his hands off her hips gently, "I can and I will. I am not getting involved with you until Ava's out of the picture."

"And what about Justin?" Sirius asked skeptically, folding his arms as she shook her head slightly and let out a sigh, "Please. We're barely together now. I haven't spoken to him in weeks. I've kissed you more in the last two months than I've even touched him."

"If that's not telling you something, I don't know what else I can do." He mentioned as she gave him a look, "When you're single, we'll have this discussion again."

"When?" He replied in slight surprise, before Persie gave out a small, breathy laugh, "If you think you're going to stay with Ava when you can't keep your hands off me, you're insane."

"It's not that." Sirius told her, before scratching the back of his head, "It just sounded like you meant ... when I break up with Ava ... you'd want to be with me?"

"One step at a time, Casanova." Persie told him, patting him on the arm before pointing up the stairs to the boy's dormitories and smiling, "Go and sleep and I will stop avoiding you tomorrow."

"Really?" He asked, his eyes lighting up at her words before she nodded once, "Yes. If that would make you leave me alone now."

"That might be a bit far." Sirius commented quietly, cracking a smile as she started to push him towards his bedroom, "Off you go. Your tired brain is taking over your mouth."