ink - sirius black

breaking points and refusal

Anneliese cringed at his response. She had been hoping that he wouldn't say anything like this, but she would also probably do the same if she were Black and without knowing the context.

"I- I didn't mean selfish," Sirius said, instantly correcting himself after his initial anger for the sake of their house, but he knew he couldn't take back his words anymore. "I'm sorry, but- just- just why?"

Anneliese was slowly realizing that he might be right.

James would have to find, train, and teach a whole new Seeker all of their formations and strategy in a matter of days on top of studying for N.E.W.T.'s. The circumstance that she had put him in wasn't fair at all.

"I don't know, Sirius," Anneliese muttered, rubbing her eyes with her hands. "I'm sorry."

"Yea, well, knowing James and the mood he's been in lately, there's no undoing it," Sirius sighed in turn, frowning slightly at Callaway. "I'm going to get some food if they have breakfast out, do you want me to get you something?"

He seemed eager to get away from her.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Anneliese replied honestly. "I'm not very hungry."

That was true. Ever since she had thrown up the previous night, her appetite hadn't returned.

"Alright," Sirius said shortly, standing up and trying to hold in his irritation for her at quitting. "I'll be back in a few minutes if you need help studying."

The portrait hole slammed shut in a way that told Callaway that Black wasn't going to be as inclined to help her study as he had just made it sound.

Anneliese is not a quitter, a voice in the back of Sirius's head said, refusing to go away and stop bugging him. She did this for a reason. But what could have possibly happened after I left her?

Black thought again of going on a short run around the grounds as Padfoot to get some of his energy out before returning to bed, wondering what could have possibly happened in that short time frame between then and Anneliese climbing into his bed.

Sirius didn't even think of the possibility of James being the problem.

Black couldn't help but jump to conclusions about Regulus. His younger brother had news clippings around his headboard about Voldemort's latest attacks like some kind of sick alter, for fuck's sake, was he supposed to learn how to get along with that?

And Sirius had tried, so many times, after he ran away to reach out to Regulus, but he would always have absolutely none of it.

There was the saying don't give up on family, but there was also family is forever.

If the most noble and ancient house of Black had proved one wrong, Sirius felt that he might as well assume that both were gone beyond home for his sake of mind.

James had become his chosen family, and in some horrible way, Potter had replaced Regulus. The youngest Black had watched this happen at Hogwarts before his eyes, only making him grow to hate Sirius even more.

So with the idea of that deep trust in mind, Sirius didn't even slightly think that James had done anything that would make Anneliese quit the quidditch team.

Meanwhile, Remus's attention was wandering away from his N.E.W.T.'s the longer that he turned the events of the past few weeks over in his head.

Lupin could feel the confusion rising in his mind, like he was missing an incredibly crucial piece to the puzzle of the sixth year Gryffindors, or many pieces, that would make everyone's actions suddenly make sense.