A Circle of Flame- Sirius Black x OC

Chapter 36

Her attempt at a joke fell flat and Pandora stirred her cauldron seriously. "If I fall in love, I want it to be real. I don't think a person ever forgets they're pretending. No matter how much they convince themselves."

Grimacing at the memories of the times she had tried to impress the Slytherins, Liza dipped her head in agreement. She carefully dropped a trio of peppermint leaves in the left side of the cauldron. The placement symbolized the heart's position within the body.

Thankfully, Pandora remained silent the rest of the period. Evidently, the witch had grown bored of their conversation and had gone back to entertaining herself with rapid murmurs. It would take a strange partner to fall in love with Pandora.

A faint aroma rose from the cauldron. As it reached Liza's nostrils, she placed the pewter lid firmly over the rim. That was not a question she wanted answered. Just another thing to obsess about.

Turning in a sample to Professor Slughorn, Liza was fairly certain that her brew would achieve an "O". It had been one of her better batches despite Pandora's interference. She even had a bit of spare time before Transfiguration started. It would be beneficial to prepare for McGonagall's NEWT class. Her curriculum was infamous for its complexity.

"Hey, Prewett."

A sharp pang clenched her stomach and Liza looked up from where she had been scanning the corridor. Sirius walked a few paces behind her, closing the gap quickly with a pair of textbooks beneath his arms. It was a bizarre sight.

Reminding herself to forget their past, Liza pressed her lips into a sly grin. "I didn't know you could read."

Sirius just rolled his eyes. As usual, several buttons on his shirt remained open, revealing pale glimpses of skin and the dark ink of a tattoo. Liza refrained from asking its nature. The question was certainly too personal.

"James and I are entering the training program for Aurors next year. Shacklebolt and Moody run a tight ship."

The names sounded vaguely familiar. It was likely Regulus or Arthur had used them during their Ministry rants, but Liza could not recollect a face.

"Homework certainly doesn't suit you." Liza scanned the dark circles beneath Sirius's eyes. His skin, although flawless, had a rather sallow complexion. "Taking after Severus, are we?"

A hateful flare sparked in Sirius's gaze as his expression twisted into a scowl. "That git and I aren't even on the same playing field."

There was a dark silence as Liza scuffed the sole of her flat against the ground. It had been a bad idea to mention the Marauder's enemy. Clearly, Sirius hadn't forgotten the events at the Whomping Willow.

"Speaking of fields," it was Sirius who finally broke the tension between them. "Up for another Quidditch practice?"

It was becoming rapidly more difficult for Liza to ignore the memory of the last time they had played. "I quit the team. Talkalot graduated and I didn't fancy flying under Rosier. Probably would have kicked me off even if I tried to stay."

"Bastard." Sirius mirrored her steps as they headed towards McGonagall's classroom. It was one of the few classes Slytherins and Gryffindors still shared. Liza figured Dumbledore had given up on house unity at this rate.

"You should still be playing," Sirius eyed her figure carefully as though assessing whether she had remained in shape. "You're a natural."

Liza tried not to draw too much into his attention and offered a slight smile. "Thanks, Black. Think Potter will give me a shot on the team?"

"If you convince the Sorting Hat to switch your houses."

She peered up at Sirius's expression. It was always impossible to tell when the Marauders were joking. They were nearly as bad as her brothers. "Is that even possible?"