Written in the Stars | Sirius Black

II. Good Times Bad Times

"Oh Merlin, that reminds me, mum sent me some money in her last owl. I was supposed to split it with James for the ride home. He'll kill me if he can't get any Droobles." Clara explained as she began quickly digging through her satchel, searching for the small velvet sack of coins.

Once she had retrieved James's portion of their allowance, she shoved the coins into the pocket of her jeans and stood up to exit the compartment. Before leaving she glanced back at the girls, "I'll be back soon, and I'll try my best not to bring James back with me Lil."

"Don't worry, I need to go to the prefect carriage soon anyway." Lily assured the girl.

With a nod, Clara left the girls and made her way through the carriages, glancing into each compartment she passed looking for any sign of the Marauders. If she could find just one of them, she knew James wouldn't ever be too far away.

But she was stopped in her tracks when she heard the muffled sounds of what seemed to be a heated argument coming from up ahead.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she gave up on the search for her brother and slowly approached the area where the bickering seemed to be originating from. The shades of the compartment in question were all pulled down, blocking her view of the situation inside. However, in the heat of whatever disagreement was going on, whoever was inside had neglected to put a silencing charm on the door. As she quietly inched closer to the compartment, she heard the unmistakable sound of Sirius' voice coming from the other side.

"You're a damn fool, Reg. An absolute idiot if you think that is going to somehow bring 'honour' to our family."

The younger Black scoffed, "I have more honour in my left foot than you do in your entire body, Sirius. You're the one disgracing the Black family name."

"Oh please," Sirius replied with disdain, "Our family is a joke. How you can't see that is beyond me."

"There's a reason mum and dad hate you."

"I'd rather be hated than be a puppet with no thoughts of my own."

"Shut up!"

The girl was taken aback by how much rage was coming from both boys who always seemed so put together. Neither ever caused a scene like this in public. Regulus was the shining example of prim, proper, and respectable behavior, while Sirius always seemed cool and level-headed. The elder of the two always had a sly smirk on his face and rarely seemed phased by anything.

Clara couldn't explain what compelled her to reach for the handle. She should have just ignored it and kept looking for James. But she had an anxious feeling growing inside her that made her believe things would escalate to an explosive level if no one stepped in to stop it. To her shock, neither of the boys thought to lock the door, so it slid open with ease.

Sirius had his back to the door, but Clara met Regulus' gaze immediately. For only a split second she saw pain in his dark grey eyes before it shifted to a look of cold hatred. It was an expression reserved solely for Clara as his eyes bore into her soul. It was a look she knew she had rightfully earned for interrupting the brothers' private discussion.

Sirius quickly whipped around and gave Clara a very similar expression upon realizing who had walked in on them. Their family resemblance was rather uncanny as both boys glared at her.

"I'm sorry, I heard-" she stammered.

"Heard what? Things that aren't any of your business?" Sirius spat as he cut her off mid-sentence.