Roses All The Way Down【Sirius Black】

ⅩⅩⅩⅠⅩ. 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

Virginia found herself at the top of the Astronomy Tower with increasing frequency. She usually studied. Sometimes random people joined her. Once it was Johanna again who went on a wild rant about how much she hated her family. Once it was Cassandra Moon who launched into a stream of apologies for Regulus Black. Once it was Emmeline Vance with her hair turned an alarming shade of pink, another victim of Fabian and Gideon. Once it was Dorcas who was going on and on about the person she liked but refused to tell Virginia who it was. Another notable occurrence was Frank Longbottom who encouraged her to come back to the Slug Club. She declined politely.

And once it was Pandora Sailstream. As soon as she saw Virginia on the ground, flipping through the well-worn pages of Dracula, her expression became murderous. When Virginia looked up and saw her, she got the distinct feeling she was about to be pushed off of the tower.

"Mudblood," she said like it was a greeting.

"Hi Pandora," she said simply, looking back down at her book and absently flipping the page.

There was a long pause.

"Do you ever go to the bathroom?"

"Excuse me, what?" Virginia asked, her eyes snapping away from the pages out of sheer shock at the absurdity of her question, "obviously I have. Why do you ask, do you not? Don't tell me peeing is a muggleborn thing too."

Pandora snorted. Actually snorted. Not cruelly, just like she was amused. This was weird.

"Johanna has told me often of the escapades of a girl she meets up with in bathrooms to discuss all her worldly troubles," Pandora was pacing back and forth. She'd clearly wanted to confront her about this for some time. Virginia felt herself freeze. "and she tells me snippets of what the other girl is saying... things like that boy that wronged her, she forgave him. She almost kissed him but he was dating someone. Something about the aunt requiring A's. So a muggleborn." She tapped her chin with mock curiosity, "so let's think, who do we know who settled an argument right after a quidditch match, who is filthy mudblood and has a frankly nasty crush on a boy she can never have."

"We didn't kiss Pandora. Not while you were dating. And I don't like him," there seemed to be no point in denying it. She stood up, letting the book thud to the ground.

She raised her eyebrows, "thank you Waters. For helping her."

Whatever she had expected to get in return, it hadn't been that. But that was all Pandora said before leaving the tower. Virginia felt frozen and annoyed that she hadn't been to conjure up a response. So Johanna was Bathroom Girl. An interesting turn of events indeed.

The drafty corridors were slowly getting worse as January persisted. Virginia stopped going to the bathroom to meet with BG or, as she corrected in her mind, Johanna. The two girls knew who the other was. Someone who detested them. What was even the point?

When she retreated to the Astronomy Tower on Friday night she found someone crying, kneeling on the concrete floor. Their head was in their knees and she had been able to hear their sobs about 5/8 down the staircase. She stared at the figure. It wasn't Johanna or any of the girls in her dorm. She began to retreat back down the stairs when her brows furrowed. She did recognize whoever it was. And that's when it hit her - it was Sirius Black.

She shakily walked towards him, "hey," she said from above him before sitting down, "I- are you okay, dumb question," she shook her head. Virginia wrapped her arms around his shaking frame. "sh, sh, it's all going to work out." She rubbed his back soothingly.

"He hates me," he choked out.

"Regulus doesn't hate you, no matter how many fights you have - he's still your brother," she wished she could suck all the pain out of him.