ᴅɪsᴘᴇʟ ᴍʏ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅᴏᴍ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴅᴇᴜʀs' ᴇʀᴀ

Chapter 13: The Christmas Ball p.1

"James, you talk too much," Black grumbled, skeptically listening to friend's monologue.

"I just wanted to say that if I didn't know you, I'd call it love, but-"

"You're out of your mind!" Sirius immediately protested, but somehow it was very unconvincing. "Me and Beata? You-"

"What's so interesting about Malfoy's diary, Padfoot?" Remus tried to switch their attention to something less destructive.

"There's a cipher that I'm trying to solve," Black glanced at James with annoyance. Potter fell silent, snorting angrily. "But there's something interesting here."

"Like what?"

"Later," Black said, shaking his head. "It's dangerous to discuss here."

✨✨✨

We must pay tribute to Sirius Black - no matter how fiercely he denied his affection for Beata Sprinkles before his friends, he wanted to be honest with himself until the very end.

In his life, there were a lot of girls and, as it often happens with guys like Sirius Black, he couldn't be at least a bit serious towards any of them - he just didn't allow himself such a possibility. He didn't want a relationship.

When all your childhood you observe a very dubious marriage of such soft and submissive person as your father and strict, even cruel mother... What ideal of the family can develop in a naive and immature childish mind?

Sirius sometimes thought that if it was not for Walburga, father would be reconciled with his son's points of view. Perhaps, even if he wasn't put under such severe pressure, Sirius would become softer with time and return to the family, even if he kept being a "wrong child".

But now, after leaving home, fights with his mother and younger brother, after all rude, cruel words that he expressed right at the reception arranged on occasion of his birthday... There was nothing to talk about. He had burned all the bridges behind and saw no reason to look back.

And with Beata... it was easy. This was the great value of it. He didn't need to watch his manners, he didn't need to play the role of an aristocrat, which he hated to the core, even though he was soaked in it like in Bubotuber pus. He could yell at her fiercely, could quarrel with her till he turns blue, despise her in words, but he couldn't deny that after James she was the only person who saw him as Sirius Black - regular guy from Gryffindor.

Everyone else saw him as a cross between "bad boy" and "prince on white dragon". And of course, they wanted him to measure up to their ideal. Sirius was almost sure that if he hadn't been "Black the Destroyer of Traditions", they would've paid no more attention to him than to Peter.

Idea of inviting Beata to the Christmas Ball came so unexpectedly that it took Sirius a while to realize what he had just thought. It was the same feeling as when he escaped from home right in the middle of celebration, when for the first time he dared to contradict his mother when he bought his broken motorcycle. Irrational, inexplicable act, but it happens that you feel that it was right thing to do.

The only problem was somewhat strained relationship between Sirius and Beata after recent events. Since that night, they haven't spoken at all, but as always Black was hoping that the girl would forget about the fight in a couple of days.

This was one of the best of her traits - she didn't know how to hold on to anger, she was quite sincerely surprised when a person continued to ignore her or avoid even a week after the fight. Sirius was counting on this feature very much when he descended into Slytherin dungeons to make peace and invite her to the Christmas Ball.