tw: violence
November 3, 1977
11:09 pm
Quidditch Pitch
Bang.
The bludger went flying away from Anneliese and into the misty night air with an echoing collison that rang in her ears, the only thing audible over the howling wind.
It was too late at night for her to be doing this, but Callaway had no desire to go to Sirius's eighteenth birthday party in the room of requirement like everyone else in the sixth and seventh years were.
They had both only gotten a few hours of sleep the previous night, and Sirius had tried to talk to Anneliese all day about him lying to her about being that damned dog. He hadn't suceeded.
The amount of people asking him for details about the party tonight and wishing him a happy birthday in general made it very hard to actually approach Anneliese without getting caught in a crowd.
It didn't help much either that Callaway herself was being hit with more and more invitations to the ball with every day that passed. She was still declining all of them with as much politeness as she could.
Her and Leo might as well just go as friends with the not so ideallyic points they were at in their relationships with Remus and Sirius.
Anneliese swung yet another time, hitting the bludger perfectly again and making it fade off into the grey, dark distance until its magic pulled it back towards her half a minute later or so.
Her hair was tangled and damp from the mist, and the thin ponytail holder she had wrapped around it in an attempt to keep it back wasn't doing much to hold back the strands.
Sirius is probably drunk, she thought sourly. Drinking away all of his issues when he can't come up to me as a dog instead. Fucking asshole.
The bludger went sailing off into the distance with her latest swing, each one becoming more and more aggressive as she thought of Black and what he was probably doing right now.
Or really just their year in general.
And Lily is probably off having a good time like she didn't just give Remus a heart attack twelve hours ago and now the poor boy is trying to act as calm as possible, she continued internally. So that's lovely.
Her first instinct after hitting the ball again was going to rant to Regulus.
But he's a Death Eater and can't be trusted, so even that's not an option anymore, Anneliese fumed, gritting her teeth. So fuck this stupid fucking school and all the people in it for fuck's sake.
Another slam echoed through the empty pitch, but this time it was accompanied by a voice.
"Anneliese, what the fuck are you doing?" James asked from behind her, using his wand as a light and staring in disbelief. "It is night and there is a party and you are out here alone hitting bludgers."
Callaway turned around, bat over her shoulder and eyebrow raised.
"I'm practicing," she said in a flat voice. "Isn't that what you always get onto us to do?"
"Yes, except for the very crucial fact that you are not our Beater, you are our Seeker, just like your shirt says," James pointed out, scanning her up and down. "It is like forty degrees and you're wearing gym shorts, A."
Anneliese looked down at the dark red shorts and quidditch button down shirt with Gryffindor Team Seeker printed across the front and two brooms crossed with a snitch in the middle.
The back also read Anneliese Callaway with her number, 7. Every person on the team had one correlating with their position, name, and number as well.
"I think it's fine," she said. "I'm not that cold."
"You're never cold unless Sirius's jacket is available," James retorted. "Come on, just go to the party. Just because it's his birthday doesn't mean it's centered around him. It's fun."
Anneliese gave him a disbelieving look.
"Alright, maybe it is about him, but who cares?" James asked, shrugging as if it was that simple. "You can still have fun with him there."
"It's not just about Sirius, James," Anneliese sighed, knowing he deserved an explanation but not wanting to spell it out for him. "More than enough people at that party are pissing me off right now."
"Like who?" James prompted, genuinely curious as to who else wasn't in her good graces.
Anneliese sighed yet again, holding up her finger to Potter as she heard the bludger making its way back to her after the last swing.
Potter was in awe that she could detect it's return while the night just seemed thick and untelling to him, even as one of the best quidditch players Hogwarts had ever boasted of.
Sure enough, a few seconds later the bludger came out of the distance and was met by a very strong swing from Anneliese.
This time, however, she hit it at a much more downwards angle. The already loose mud and vibrant blades were released from the ground in wet splatters and shards that plastered themselves to her knees and shins. They instantly began to turn tack and dry.
James immediately understood what she was trying to do and rushed forward as well, not caring much about the cleanliness of his previously pristine party clothes.
They synchronously dove onto the grass, Anneliese whacking the steel one more time to keep it down while James wrapped his forearms around the writhing ball and clutched it closely to his stomach to keep it from escaping again.
Anneliese, satisfied that he could keep it under control for now, dragged the heavy wooden chest over so that they could lock the ball back into place.
They both stood back up a few victorious seconds later, out of breath and muddy.
James initially had been about to hold out his hand to her to help her back up, but then thought better of it and drew his hand back into a fist to restrain his fingers.
He already noticed how she would never stand too close to him in their huddles or sit right next to him in the Great Hall, and he didn't need another cause to promote that.
Besides, it would just be awkward if she didn't take it and left his palm full of nothing but embarrassment.
And James didn't do embarrassment when he could avoid it.
Anneliese placed both hands on her hips as she watched Potter fix his hair in the reflection of the rain polished bludger with mild amusement.
"Alright," he huffed as he stood up all the way, mimicking her pose. "As I was saying, like who?"
Anneliese initially pressed her lips together, slightly hesitant to tell James that his precious Lily flower had done something wrong against all odds.
Then again, she thought. Maybe he already knows and I'm not giving him enough credit.
James's thick brows furrowed slightly at her just expression, wondering if he should have asked or left it alone.
"Listen, James," Anneliese sighed, and he made sure she knew how much of his undivided focus he was giving her. "No matter how much you love Lily, you can't tell me that the way she told Remus we know last night wasn't bad. Because I know I certainly could."
James's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tilted his head from side to side, as if deciding what the most delicate way to phrase his response was.
"It definitely could have been more gentle," he offered after a few seconds, and Anneliese raised an eyebrow as if to say 'that's it?'. "Okay, maybe it could have been a lot more gentle-"
"Remus was terrified, James," Anneliese cut him off, expression angry and severe but not at Potter himself. "And all to make sure you wouldn't insult her pride again. She crossed a line, she went too far and she doesn't even know it."
Potter looked like he was about to protest again to defend Lily's actions, but then realized with a frown that he couldn't.
"Okay, who else?" he questioned, and Anneliese tilted her head back with a groan. "Sorry, alright, I just feel really guilty having fun while you're out here with a bludger and bat as company."
"How did you even find me?" Anneliese asked, suddenly curious. "Did you use the Map?"
"No, actually," James said, turning out his pockets for emphasis.
Anneliese had been expecting him to say more, and the shortness of his answer meant it was probably something she didn't want to hear. Potter looked down, seeming vaguely ashamed of the answer himself.
"Sirius told me," he admitted feebly, and Anneliese groaned yet again. "Ugh, for fuck's sake, just come to the damn party, A."
Callaway began to form another protest, but then decided after a few seconds that maybe, just maybe, James was right and she should just go to the party and enjoy herself.
Potter must have seen the resignation click in her eyes by the wandlight, because a small, victorious smirk formed on his face.
Anneliese already begin to regret her decision for what the night would hold from that expression alone.
"I'm gonna go change," she said, propping the bat on her shoulder again and examining the dirt underneath her fingernails. "I probably look like a mess, and I certainly feel like one."
"No," James said quickly. "You.."
He trailed off, breath momentarily stolen as he actually looked at her.
The flecks of dirt and grass on her legs didn't at all hide the muscle strung and sculpted through them, nor did the gym shorts do much to disguise them.
One of the many quidditch shirts the Potters had funded for the team to have was in a few sizes too large for her, which meant that the sleeves were cuffed and rolled up to her elbows so that her agile hands and arms could be put to their full amount of use possible.
And, James noted, you can see tons of her tattoos.
Sure enough, the simple dog on her thigh, thunderbird and lion on her wrist, and skeleton tattooed hand were fully visible in all of their inky elegance.
Added onto that the fact that the thin beige linen shirt was unbuttoned so that her black sports bra, not blue lace for once, was visible along with a short peek of toned stomach muscles from the right angle.
The rain hadn't done the shirt many favors on opacity, but the drops had placed themselves delicately on her eyelashes so that it made it look like the blue they contained was sparkling.
"Y-you look perfect," Potter finally pushed out. "I mean, you're kinda muddy, but you look, I mean of course- I- you look fine."
Anneliese just stared at him with her lips barely parted in disbelief, and he swallowed heavily, wishing she would just say something to break the silence and put him out of his awkward misery already.
"Alright, James," Callaway sighed, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'll go and I won't change. Happy?"
"Brilliant," he beamed, his smile suddenly brighter than the light of his wand. "I'll walk you there."
Anneliese couldn't help but smile herself as she looked at his goofy grin pushing his cheeks up and making his eyes squint underneath his circular glasses.
The quidditch players received multiple amused glances at their dirty state, along with a few longer ones at Callaway's shirt.
James had the temptation to hex all of them whose gaze flicked down to her chest for too long, but he also knew that she could handle herself and do the same thing to them if she thought it was necessary.
A few minutes and a trail of wet footprints later, James and Anneliese had conjured the room they needed to enter the party.
They could hear the music bouncing off the walls inside and seeping through the flashing crack of the door by their feet, a very bass heavy song at the moment.
"Oh, fuck it," Anneliese muttered after a few seconds of staring, shoving the door open.
The moment she stepped in, Callaway could feel the beat vibrating across the floor, into her shoes, then up through her legs and fully body until it finally hit her brain like a mallet of music.
The room was far too small for the amount of people in it, but Anneliese was sure that was highly intentional by the planning of the Marauders.
People were shouting over the music, and the music was turned up louder in response, people shouted louder, and it turned into a cycle of screaming chaos.
In the center, there were people dancing in every way from a proper slow one as if there was classical music playing to grinding in the center of the room, not caring much what the actual beat was attempting to dictate.
Along a middle ring were the majority of the drinkers and gossips, a dangerous combination, chipping off the seemingly endless flow of shots and exchanging whispers and glances.
Finally, among the edges were people that seemed to be in a similar mindset as Anneliese.
They were slumped against walls or chairs, sitting in circles while staring off into space, looking defeated or rejected or just reluctant and washed up in general, like they were just attending the party out of obligation.
Among this crowd was Leo, watching Remus being one of the people engaged in some of the less tasteful dancing with narrowed hazel eyes.
Anneliese was in half the state of mind to walk up to Lupin and slap him across the face and tell the girl she deserved better than that prick to dance with.
In that state of mind, she began to search for Sirius.
It was impossible to find anyone right away in this mess, and James watched with a slight frown as Anneliese walked into the crowd.
While Potter had in no way received the same information as Black, he had enough of an idea of what had happened to her. He wasn't going to be letting her out of his sight much tonight.
Anneliese pushed through the swarms of people, not making any apologies and ignoring anyone trying to make a move on her. Everyone's body heat pressed up against her was making her skin crawl despite the actual temperature.
She had only been searching for a few seconds before the problem found her first.
Callaway was alerted in the form of a hand a few inches inside her shoulder, right where the wide neck of her shirt was exposing her bra and collarbone to his skin.
She usually would have chopped off someone's hand for touching her from behind, but she recognized this one well enough not to do that.
Recognition, however, didn't mean she wasn't upset by it.
Anneliese whipped around, ready to face Sirius after a day of avoidance.
He was wearing a button down shirt as well, except his was a deep blood red paired with cross and star silver necklaces along with his trademark dog tag that she now understood the laughs from the other Marauders for.
His ridiculously shiny, but not greasy, hair was tied into a bun, yet so many strands had fallen out of it that it was now only half up.
The ink colored strands, however, were not obstructing his ears. Every piercing, which there were many of, was visible and packed full of elegant silver.
The overall picture might have been good if it weren't for the obvious fact that he was far, remarkably far, from sober.
Sirius smelled like sweat and cigarettes and alcohol and expensive cologne that didn't pair well with the rest.
Anneliese gave his dog tag one last distasteful look before drawing her look back to his eyes.
His grey gaze, however, was still planted directly at her sports bra. After a few more seconds, he finally drew them back up to her waiting eyes.
"Hello darling," he said with a lazy, overconfident smile. "Are you enjoying the party?"
Anneliese watched with a wrinkled nose as he downed a glass of firewhiskey before looking at her again, waiting for a response from the girl he so clearly either didn't remember was mad at him or didn't care.
All of Callaway's previous intentions of pulling him aside to have a serious conversation, assuming he didn't apologize to her first, evaporated.
"Woah, woah, where d'you think you're going?" Sirius asked, grabbing her by the forearm as she turned to leave. "Stay with me."
Anneliese looked down.
Black's hand was large enough to wrap around the entire width of her arm and have his fingers still overlap. Her flesh started to ache around his grip. His hold was very tight.
Too tight.
"Let go of me, Sirius," she said firmly, looking him directly in the eye. "Now."
"Alright, alright, sorry," he sighed with a flourish of his hand as he let go dramatically. "You're no fun, Callaway."
"And you're drunk, Grey Eyes," she retorted, wishing that it wasn't the truth. "Have a good party and talk to me when you're actually sober."
"Anneliese, don't be mean," Sirius whined. "Don't be upset just because I didn't tell you about one thing. It's just irrational, really. Irrational anger."
"I am so not getting into this with you right now," Callaway snapped back, her patience slowly tapering off into something dangerous even without alcohol. "Okay?"
"No, not okay," Sirius replied, following her even as she moved away from him and not caring who he shoved through. "I don't like it when you're mad at me. It makes everything much less enjoyable."
"No, you don't like it when you can't just turn into a dog and watch me cry because you're too lazy to actually do anything about it," Anneliese corrected instantly. "There's a difference."
"Okay, but do you even realize how hard you are to talk to?" he asked, tone becoming mildly less pleasent. "Really, do you? Think about it."
By now, their quickly escalating argument had attracted a crowd of people. Sirius appeared to be too drunk to notice and Anneliese was too angry to care.
"I'm sorry I'm not approachable enough for you even though it doesn't seem to stop you literally ever, truly," Anneliese drawled sarcastically. "One of my largest flaws."
"Oh, you should be," Sirius replied with a steady nod. "It's not normal for someone to worry about talking to someone as much as I worry about talking to you."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she pressed. "You're the one causing the worry in that situation, not me. Grow up, Sirius."
"Oh, please, spare me!" Black shouted, holding his hand to the back of his forehead and swooning dramatically. "Because Merlin forbid you ever actually do something wrong with your holy self!"
"You're just digging yourself in a deeper hole for when you sober up," Anneliese said pointedly.
Her voice was potent with the rot of truth that Sirius didn't seem to enjoy coming from her lips.
So his automatic reaction was to make him the one with power here instead of her, especially in front of the people he was now starting to notice.
"I'd rather be in different things," Sirius said with a smirk after another used shot glass was tossed carelessly to the side. "Like in between your legs."
There was a chorus of 'ohs' from the surrounding people watching. They were either amused, disgusted, or a combination of both full of guilty pleasure from witnessing this and taking entertainment in it.
Anneliese's cheeks flushed furiously, and not in a good way.
She was suddenly thankful for the crowd so that she could turn around and snatch a glass away from the first person she saw, who happened to be a sixth year Slytherin. Then, in a smooth motion that was hardly visible in the pulsing light, she changed the alcohol to freezing water.
And threw it directly into Sirius's face.
There was a synchronous stream of gasps and giggles as the birthday boy was drenched, and he himself threw up his hands in disbelief and shock as the cold liquid seeped through his shirt and went down his spine, sharpening his senses.
It was hard to keep up the drunk act when he was hit with something like this.
"What the fuck was that for-" he started, but was cut off by Anneliese's hand over his mouth, preventing him from speaking any further on the matter.
Most of the people watching thought that it was probably a good thing that she had stopped him from running his mouth and doing any more presumably catastrophic damage.
With the speed that Callaway had moved towards him, there had been a split second where several guests thought that she was about to kiss him.
Even now, she was so close that she could smell the on his breath alcohol through her fingers.
Anneliese was slightly shocked to see how focused his eyes were on hers.
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what would happen.
Sirius drew himself up to his full height so that Callaway had to hold her arm up to keep reaching his mouth, but he made no effort to move it away, as if he enjoyed it being there.
Anneliese could feel his lips move against her palm as he spoke. It was such a quiet sound that only she could hear it over the music, and no one surrounding was any the wiser of what he was telling her.
"Just to be clear, if any other boy tries that tonight, I'll break his fucking legs so badly that even Pomfrey won't be able to help him," Sirius whispered in a surprisingly clear voice. "But my offer still stands to you to make you not be able to walk in a good way, darling."
Anneliese's eyes widened at the clarity, but she quickly composed herself.
"Shut the fuck up, Sirius," she hissed. "For once in your god damn life."
But even Black could tell as she walked away that Anneliese was flustered, and that was what kept the arrogant smirk from sliding off his face along with her departure.
Meanwhile, another spectator was catching up to Callaway who was as drunk as Sirius seemed to be.
Which was saying quite a lot for his alcohol intake, because all of them were about eighty percent sure that Remus added vodka to his tea and was only the wiser for it.
Anneliese stiffened as his heavy arm slung over her shoulder, and the fact that Lupin was 6'2 and therefore eight inches taller than her wasn't helping much for the weight she suddenly had to support along with her own.
"I must say, you handled that very well," Remus started, and she could just sense the drunk ramble coming on. "Most people either cave in and dance and sleep with him or try to throw a hex, which never works because he always finds a way to block it somehow and he always gets angry with them-"
Anneliese pushed his arm away, and Lupin stumbled, drunk and off balance.
"Listen to me very carefully, Remus," Callaway said, voice barely a breath. "You are at this party dancing with other people while your boyfriend is sitting alone and upset."
Lupin swallowed heavily.
"And I happen to be his best friend, which means that I am very angry with you as well," she continued. "So get your shit together before I make you."
Anneliese didn't even wait for his answer before walking away.
On her way to the outskirts of the party, she grabbed an entire bottle of vodka, the muggle drink chosen for the night, and slumped against the nearest wall.
She considered the bottle's weight in her hand, and then considered the kinds of things she typically did drunk, and then considered the kinds of things that other people might try and do to her.
And so, Anneliese set the bottle down, deciding that the momentary rush wasn't worth it.
Usually, she could get that rush from a different intoxicating substance, but he was currently not an option that she wanted to indulge in.
The whole room was flashing black to green to black to the next neon color that someone was deciding on.
In every dark before the light the entire room was submerged into such a thick velvety black that she could almost taste the richness on her tongue, bitter and unpleasantly full.
It was like some enormous, synchronous blink was shared by everyone in the room, a unifying rhythm that almost felt dangerous with the room being full of drunk, angry, and sad teenagers.
And during these blinks, it felt like anything could happen.
It just happened that in the last one, Lily found her way over to Anneliese.
Callaway stiffened yet again as she was approached by another person she did not want to talk to for the second time that night.
"Why are you ignoring me?" Lily shouted, too loud for even the volume of the room, emphasizing how drunk she must be. "You have been all day. Did I do something wrong?"
Anneliese's annoyance at not being able to get a split second of peace overtook her kindness and patience.
"Once again, don't wanna have these conversations with drunk people," Callaway said coldly, standing up. "Drink some water and then talk to me."
Blink.
Anneliese was gone.
She finally made her way over to a chair at one of the large circular tables Leo was sitting at. Both of them just sat in slumped silence for a few seconds until Anderson spoke up.
"Are you alright?" he asked. "You look upset."
The music wasn't as loud at the edges, so she didn't have to scream.
"Remus is drunk, Lily is drunk, and Sirius just told me he wanted to fuck me in front of a crowd," Anneliese said plainly, not bothering with the mercy of niceties. "So yea."
Leo spit out his drink, a spray of alcohol misting in front of him.
"HE DID WHAT?!"
Several heads turned their way and then to Sirius, who was obviously the one who the Americans were talking about.
Black had scooped up the vodka bottle Anneliese had left behind and leaned against the wall, now sitting down as a sudden wave of genuine desolation washed over him upon her leaving him even though he had still felt victorious at first.
Needless to say, that victory high hadn't lasted long when he realized he couldn't share it with her.
His feet were planted wide and his forearms were resting on his knees, one hand holding the bottle and the other with a cigarette elegantly clutched between two of his fingers, smoke changing colors in the light.
Anneliese watched as he switched between the two, each blink a different poison.
Sirius eventually stopped with the cigarettes and sips of alcohol and rested the back of his head against the stone with his eyes shut and neck strained, flexed, and exposed.
All of his suave and demeanor was momentarily gone, and he just looked like a sad, drunk, boy who knew he had severely messed things up yet again, a cycle he couldn't seem to break even for the love of his life.
And in that vulnerability, someone had decided it would be the perfect time to play a slow song.
Sirius brought his head back down and opened his eyes at the sound of the first few notes, silver gaze instantly going to Anneliese, who was already looking at him from across the room.
Look at her, a voice in the back of his head said, and his eyes instantly roved over her body, mentally pushing and peeling back the layers of clothing. No dipshit, I mean really look at her. Carefully.
And so Sirius did.
He saw the bags under her eyes from not sleeping the past nights, the dirt on her knees that meant that she must have been taking her anger out on the bludger just like he thought.
He saw the small slouch in her usually high shoulders, the way her fingertips were running along the rim of a toxin filled glass, wanting to take off the edge but not giving in to the temptation.
He saw how stupidly perfect she looked, even though she was sad.
But most of all, he saw how she didn't deserve his miserable, angry self.
And the worst part about that was the fact that she still saw something beautiful in that mess of a boy, something that even he couldn't tap into for himself no matter how much confidence he put on show for the world.
She was simply better.
And that fucking hurt.
Sirius tore his gaze away, unintentionally emphasizing his jawline as his neck turned as well.
He didn't want her to see the reflections of his tears in the now steady light as the slow dance began.
I'm crying at my own damn party over a girl, he thought, his sadness turning into bitter, raw, spite that filled him whole. This is such bullshit. I'm Sirius Black. This isn't what I do.
Anneliese finally looked away, and Leo was already patiently waiting for her with his palm out and a soft smile that instantly comforted her.
The two skeleton tattooed hands met, and they found their way among the other dancing couples.
What they had was purely platonic, and that was obvious to both of them more than anything.
But it was still warming, the warmth of a friend who knows exactly what you're going through and holding you even tighter for it, embracing your struggle as their own.
Anneliese pressed her cheek against Leo's chest even further as he rested his chin on her head, both of them swaying and stepping in time to the music like they had done every Christmas ball at Ilvermorny.
Callaway's cheek was stabbed by something sharp.
"Agh, Leo, your stupid shark tooth necklace just impaled my face," Anneliese giggled softly, looking up at him. "I miss surfing."
"I miss my dad," Leo muttered, and Callaway felt a pit sink through her stomach. "Sorry, that was dark. I have no idea where that came from."
"L, your dad was not a person you should miss," Anneliese replied. "He cheated on his pregnant wife with your mom. He was in no way a good guy that would have been even decent to you."
"But that's just what my mom told me," Leo said, voice soft and helpless, showing his mental underbelly. "How do I even know if that's true? What if she just wants to vilify him so I don't ever go looking?"
"I reckon you don't know for sure," Anneliese sighed deeply. "But I don't think it's worth it."
And that was that. There was simply nothing left to say.
For the next few minutes or so while the song continued, this is how things went. They danced between deep subjects that they solved quickly, receiving comfort in the brief conversations even though they knew the solutions were only temporary.
Remus, along with Sirius, had begun to watch the two of them from where he was dancing with some random girl yet again.
The second the song was over, the peace was broken with the shatteringly loud crash of a bottle that made everyone's heads turn towards Sirius, who had stood up with a surprising amount of grace with the empty glass shards around his feet.
"Well, I think we can all agree that was just lovely," he said bitterly. "Does anyone else fancy another slow dance?"
There was silence as his gaze very obviously slid to Anneliese along with the rest of the room, who was only held tighter by Leo.
"Or would we all rather walk away from our problems and continue to avoid the people we should really talk to?" Sirius asked in a cool tone. "Any opinions?"
Anneliese pulled away from Leo, and walked directly over to Black.
"Is there something you would like to talk about, Sirius?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and even voice. "Should we take a step outside?"
"We should," he replied in an equally even tone.
No one knew what to do as the door slammed shut courtesy of Black's strong arms.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Anneliese screamed the second they were out of the room. "You are so fucking dramatic, oh my god-"
"Says the one who threw water on me," Sirius cut her off, almost in a lazy tone, as if he was enjoying seeing her so angry. "You are many things, but you are not innocent of theatrics, darling."
Callaway was so close to engaging in an argument with him, but decided to just get to the point so she could go to sleep already.
She should have never let James talk her into this.
"What do you want, Sirius?" she asked firmly.
Black was either actually drunk or playing dumb to the sharpness in her tone and ignoring the obvious answer of walking away like she wanted him to just for his own enjoyment.
It was his birthday, after all.
Anneliese raised a brow as he tilted his head from side to side and moved his hand with the glass of amber liquid back and forth, as if considering her question.
"I want for you not to be mad at me, for you to be happy," he started to list, words far more articulate than they had been when surrounded by people. "And for your body to be happy."
That last phrase had been slipped in highly intentionally.
All Anneliese offered in response was a cold, dry laugh and shake of her head.
"Well, I'm afraid you can't help me then," she said, walking away from him and down the corridor that would take her back to Gryffindor Tower for the evening. "Good night, Sirius. Enjoy your party."
"Mhm, I tend to disagree," Black said, voice dripping with arrogance that made Anneliese freeze in her steps. "About the body part."
Callaway turned around very slowly.
"I can get pleasure from other people besides you easily, Sirius," Anneliese said honestly. "I can think of so many boys at this school that would love to do that for me. So don't act so special. It's annoyin."
They both knew this was far from a lie.
"But you wouldn't," Black said simply.
The plainness of his statement provoked her deeply.
"And why is that?" she challenged, knowing she shouldn't humor him but not being able to resist herself.
"Because other boys don't know you like I do," Sirius said slowly, stepping even closer to her so that their faces were inches apart. "And they shouldn't."
Anneliese's breath hitched in her throat as his fingertips played at the waistband of her shorts, and that hitch didn't take long to make itself evident between her legs.
Her eyebrows furrowed in the concentration of keeping herself quiet.
"They don't know how to make you moan like I do," he continued, eyes boring through her.
His hand hadn't stopped moving, now at her right hip and playing with the delicate band of her underwear, rubbing the lace between his fingers.
"They don't know how to get you to make those sweet little whimpers and groans," Sirius said in a low, ridiculously smooth voice. "They don't know how to make you beg for it."
Black could hear the sounds in his ears as he spoke, he could see the way her lips moved with a tiny oh coming from them, and he could feel just how badly he wanted to make that happen this very second.
His whisper smelled the artificial cherry and hard liquor.
Anneliese's cheeks heated to an even deeper shade of pink as three of his fingertips slid even further down her waistband, feeling the lace. He slowly removed it, then sliding his hand up her left thigh, moving towards between her legs from a more efficient angle.
Callaway was embarrassed that she didn't want him to stop.
"They don't know how to make you a shaking mess underneath them the way that I do, they don't know how to make your legs tremble just the right amount when you walk," Sirius continued.
Anneliese didn't stop staring directly at him as his tone became richer, and nor did he.
It honestly just made it more enjoyable for Black to watch her face move slightly, see her features adjust to keep herself from even making the smallest gasp as his hand moved.
They both knew that in this case, her being a shaking mess was the only thing Sirius wanted tonight, which provoked Anneliese to not let it happen no matter how much her body was disagreeing with the pleasure he was giving her.
It was like a sample, a silent this is just the beginning if you let me go farther.
"They don't know how to make your back arch like it does when I'm with you," Sirius taunted, his voice more of a hum than just talking. "They don't know how to make your hips go up, or how to hold them down just the right way so it doesn't hurt you."
He ran his tongue over his teeth, collecting the last of the taste of the firewhiskey.
But he knew exactly what he was doing.
"They don't know how sensitive you get after or how to take care of you for that good kind of pain," he said, face still not breaking. "They don't."
In this last statement there was a bit of protectiveness, of jealousy. Because how dare another boy even think of knowing they knew what he did about her, or even try.
Anneliese wasn't delicate, but she deserved to be treated the way Sirius took care of her, even when she didn't need it.
Like when she was exhausted and tired even of pleasure and pushed his head away. He just cleaned her up and made sure she felt safe in repsonse, never pressuring her to do things she didn't want to.
Sirius couldn't even imagine someone else seeing her vulnerable and soft like that without wanting to break something.
Those were the things that made him angry when he thought of another boy having access to, not just the moans.
And maybe her thoughts were along these lines too, because Callway let out a strangled noise from the back of her throat that she cut off just a split second too late as his hand moved up higher.
That same tongue clicked three times in satisfaction as he heard Anneliese.
"That's what I thought," he said, slowly drawing his fingertips away. "Are you still so sure about that pleasure from other boys, darling?"
Anneliese was caught between yelling at him and putting his hand back and taking him up on that offer he previously made to her that night.
But no matter how much Sirius acted like this, she knew something.
Even if he didn't show it, Black wanted to please her and get her to do all those things he had just mentioned to her body equally as much as she wanted him. She wasn't just some desperate girl begging for him.
And Callaway intended to prove that it went both ways.
Sirius watched as Anneliese's agile fingers slowly began to button her shirt back up, each button making him frown even more as he wished he could do the exact opposite.
Black just wanted to rip it right off her, and she knew that.
"I think, Sirius, that you would actually be very angry if I went and hooked up with another boy tonight," she whispered, fingers moving tauntingly slow. "I think you would be so angry that you wouldn't even begin to know what to do with yourself."
Black's narrowed gaze slowly tracked up to her collarbone as her bra was covered.
"I think that you would hex the boy," Anneliese continued. "I think that you would absolutely destroy his reputation, along with the help of your friends, of course."
Her fingers closed around his chin, yanking his gaze up to her eyes.
"But I don't think you could ever forget that someone else touched the girl you enjoy so much," she breathed, wrapping her other fist around the fabric of his shirt, pulling him obediently even closer.
Anneliese tilted her head to the side slightly, drawing in as if she was about to kiss him, but froze a moment away from his lips.
She was on her tiptoes slightly since he was still at his full height and not bent down to kiss her like usual, and she made the mental note to wear heels next time she wanted to get revenge on Sirius so that their heights could be even.
"I think it would destroy you," she said, still not breaking his gaze. "So please, don't act like you have that kind of power over me."
Anneliese pulled his shirt closer.
"Even if it is true," she finished.
Sirius stumbled back as she let go forcefully, every single part of his body aching with what felt like a genuine pain of lust to be against, in, or pressed against her.
His mouth felt empty, anticipating but not receiving the taste of her.
Black had absolutely no idea how he had gone for so long without her last year, because watching her turn around the corner away from him was quite literally torture for all of his eager senses.
How the hell did she turn that around on me? Sirius thought in shock as he stared at the space she had just been, wishing he had just kissed her and broken the tension. It was going so well and then.. damn.
Black finally downed his glass and slammed it onto a nearby statue of Godric Gryffindor, at least filling his mouth with something.
He hadn't realized how bitter alcohol was until he had tasted her.
Sirius received several nervous glances and double takes for walking back into the party alone while he had very clearly been with Anneliese upon exiting.
Leo and James, in particular, were instantly worried about her whereabouts.
"Yo, Sirius, where the fuck is A?" Leo asked, getting to him first through the crowd. "Is she coming back? Is she okay?"
"Believe me, she is more than okay," Sirius replied, voice sour as he continued to steadily regret not making a physical move on her out there. "And I have no idea where she is. A has a bit of a way of freezing the senses."
"Sirius, answer the damn question," James snapped, not having the patience for his friend's cryptic answers right now. "You said that she is okay?"
Sirius looked mildly offended at the accusation in Potter's tone, which instantly turned into very angry with the influence of the way the night had played out so far and the alcohol in his system that just stoked the fire.
"Rich of you to be asking if she's okay," Black said slowly, emphasis on every cold syllable. "She won't even stand too close to you in Herbology, her oh so fierce protector."
James bristled back in shock, but Sirius was already going.
"Don't think that I don't- that we don't notice that she still touches her fingers over her lips," he started as he did the motion over his own mouth. "When you look at her like that, like you want to kiss her again. Because we all do."
At this point, Leo had just stepped back and was watching.
"All I asked was if she is okay," James said as his cheeks darkened, previously even tone turning angry. "There's no need-"
"No, James, there actually is a need when you are the exact reason she wasn't okay for so long!" Sirius shouted, voice rising. "And then because she is a beautiful human being, she forgave your undeserving ass with an amount of just grace that I will never understand!"
Black's knuckles turned white around his glass.
"I don't even think you can begin to grasp how much you hurt her," he spat. "Ever."
"And you do?" James challenged. "Is that right?"
"No, I can never fully even touch the amount of pain that must have caused her, the amount of pain she's been through like that," Sirius said with a shake of his head that made another strand of his hair fall loose. "But I certainly know better than you."
"Well then tell me, if you're so wise," James snapped back, taking another step towards Black. "Then maybe I could help and understand."
"I don't think she wants your help, mate," Sirius retorted, chin high.
"All I want to know is why she's still so upset about it," Potter replied, fist clenched. "Most people could just move on from one stupid fucking kiss, but she is so god damn sensitive-"
Snap.
Sirius didn't recall making the decision to wind up and punch James directly across the face so quickly that even Leo hadn't seen it coming.
Yet he didn't regret it.
I've been waiting a while to do that, Black thought, looking down at the raw bit of skin where his knuckle had split. Jesus fucking Christ, James.
There were several shouts of surprise from the other students as they saw Potter holding his nose and bleeding on the ground, knocked to the floor by the force of the blow.
Crimson was pouring from between his light brown fingers, and James had played enough quidditch and taken enough bludgers to know that his nose was most definitely broken, snapped in one punch.
"I guess I just have a habit of fucking people's faces up when they mess with Anneliese at my birthday parties," Sirius said, slowly going down on one knee by Potter. "Fabian might have been a bit undeserving but you.."
He replayed the last few seconds in his brain with disgust.
"You deserve this, mate."
And then he simply walked away from the violent scene without any more of an explanation to crowd that than, no doubt to get even more alcohol.
A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin each held their hand out to James, which he gratefully took as he was hoisted back up off the ground and straightened from his bloody slump.
"Episkey," he muttered, setting his own nose back into place with a groan of much deserved pain that had been coming for a long time. "Merlin's beard, Sirius."
"What did Black mean mess with Anneliese?" a Ravenclaw shouted over the music. "What the hell did you do to make him that mad, Potter?"
Leo raised an eyebrow, curious to see his reply to the query and if he would be honest or not.
"Nothing," James scowled, snatching a drink from a sixth year and downing it. "Go back to your own issues and stop being so damn nosy, would you?"
The general mutters of distaste, confusion, and curiosity were lost in the sounds of the crowd.
Meanwhile, Anneliese was honestly feeling rather content about herself, not an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness, but certainly very confident at the least.
It didn't take going to Hogwarts since she was in her first year to know that making Sirius Black practically water at the mouth and then walk away without giving him relief was a rather large social accomplishment.
She was about halfway back to Gryffindor Tower when she heard someone crying.
A few steps in the general direction of the sound later, Anneliese could tell that it was Lily's familiar sobs that she was listening to, the same girl she had gotten away from earlier that night in a rather rude manner.
Callaway really hated being such an amazing friend sometimes.
She made her footsteps loud so that the redhead could hear her coming even in her drunk state and she wouldn't scare her and made her even more upset. Sure enough, Lily turned around after a few seconds to look at Anneliese.
"Oh," she said, tone sad and self pitying but also happy to see a friend. "Hello, A."
"Hey," Anneliese replied simply, sitting down by Lily. "Would you like to tell me why you are sitting alone crying in a corridor drunk and away from the party, or should I figure it out myself?"
There were a few moments of silence before Lily burst even further into tears.
"E-everyone is mad at me even if they don't show it. Even J-James is looking at me oddly, that's how I know it's r-really bad," she said, voice coming out in short gasps between her tears. "And the worst part is they should be. I was s-so mean-"
"Lily, I'm going to need you to take a few deep breaths and calm down," Anneliese said forcefully, knowing that was going to be the only way to get through to her right now. "Inhale.. exhale.. there you go darlin."
Lily wiped more tears away from her eyes, coating her wrists in salty warmth that dried sticky.
"Listen, alright," Callaway soothed. "You did a shitty thing. You did a very shitty thing. You hurt Remus and you moved emotions around that should have been left in their right place, not where you wanted them to be."
Lily's nails began to dig into her palms, but Anneliese quickly unfurled her pale fingers from the damaging position and grasped both of her hands to keep her from continuing.
"But everyone does shitty things," she said in a much gentler tone. "You can't look at yourself and only see the mistakes, Lils. You are an amazing person. You drove through a whole night so I didn't fucking die."
Anneliese wiped away some of her friend's tears with her thumb. She knew she had to keep this conversation very short before Lily's drunk mind lost focus, and that they both needed to get to bed as soon as possible.
A deeper, more detailed discussion could come later.
"If that's not a good friend, then I don't know what is," Callaway finished in a whisper. "Now come on, you need some sleep."
"Can we go on the couch?" Lily asked wearily as gooseflesh erupted on her arms. "I'm freezing cold, and that damn hole in the window.."
Anneliese just nodded.
It took a few more hours, around two in the morning, for the boys to return from the party, all emotionally and physically exhausted without the extreme amount of alcohol intake helping them much either.
When they saw Lily and Anneliese curled up against each other on the couch, their hair tangled and cheeks flushed from the warmth of the fire, all of their heads turned to Sirius and James.
Black ignored their gazes, only looking at Callaway.
Her chest was gently rising and falling, her back tucked into Lily's stomach as Evans pulled Anneliese closer to her in her sleep, her arms around the blonde's waist and holding tight for both warmth and comfort.
They both looked peaceful and sad, a combination that made Sirius want to scream in the mirror at himself for hours on end.
"Happy birthday," Leo muttered, placing a hand on Black's shoulder as he looked at the girls as well. "And just so you know."
He looked Sirius directly in the eyes.
"You are a shitty boyfriend."
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