Harry Potter One Shots (Vol. I)

The Dangers of Pride (Sirius Black)

Continuing down the train towards the carriage, I headed inside and immediately started when my friends crowded around me in one go to get their food. Once everyone settled down again, I sat down comfortably in my seat and couldn't stop my thoughts from straying back to Black. Rowena, he'd had Pettigrew leave him, so he could wait for me and, I assumed, talk to me. But what could he possibly have to say? If he'd been planning on giving me some sort of excuse for his behaviour, then I really wasn't interested in hearing anything he had to say. Merlin, I couldn't believe –

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked suddenly, noticing my silence.

Startled by the sudden question, I blinked out of my daze and looked at her in surprise. "Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're really quiet." She frowned, eyebrows furrowed as she leaned towards me, lowering her voice as she asked, "Did something happen when you went to get the food? Did you run into Snape and his group of evil gits?"

"Thankfully I didn't," I assured her with a small smile to ease her worries. "Even if I had run into those slimy snakes, I'd be able to handle them. Muggleborn or not."

"So, nothing happened?" she asked again, just to check.

"Nothing happened." Opening a packet of jelly slugs, I held it out towards her and she reluctantly took one. "Believe me."

**********

Not even a week into the new school year and I was already sleeping through my alarm. Rowena, that was just so typical of me!

The moment I'd realised that not only had I slept through my alarm but that I'd somehow managed to sleep through breakfast as well, all the sleep left me in an instant. Scrambling off of my bed, I changed into my uniform in record time and quickly brushed my teeth. Slinging my school bag over my shoulder, I practically ran through the school to get to the first lesson of the day. Dodging quickly past the students that lingered in the corridors, I finally turned into the Transfiguration classroom and pegged all my hopes onto the possibility that McGonagall wasn't there yet.

But of course, there she was, standing at her desk. She looked at the door when it opened, peering at me from behind her glasses and I shuffled a little on my feet.

"Sorry I'm late Professor," I apologised quietly.

"Late to the first lesson of the year," she started slowly, "not a good start Miss Moore."

"Sorry, Professor." What else could I possibly say?

"Come in and take a seat," she said gesturing around the classroom to the rest of the students who I realised were watching me. "Take a seat beside a student not from Ravenclaw house Miss Moore, it's Professor Dumbledore's new bid at inter-house unity."

Walking into the room without another word, I scanned each desk and to my utter despair, the only person without a partner that wasn't a member of my house just happened to be the one person I was going out of my way to avoid. Black realised it just moments after I did and straightened up in his seat. Clearing my throat, I took a deep breath as I walked the rest of the way to the desk. Settling down in the empty seat, I put my bag on the table and sat down for the start of the lesson.

Making sure to keep some distance between us, I pulled my inkwell and quill out from my bag. My actions slowed slightly when I caught Black turning towards me, looking at me as if he wanted to say something. Side-eyeing him, I warned quietly, "Don't."

"Of course," he agreed quickly, his voice seemingly lacking any emotion. "I wouldn't want to make you lose your temper, Moore. Not when I've been on the receiving end of it before."