TRIGGER WARNING: INAPROPRIATE LANGUAGE, SLIGHTLY AGRESSIVE/DISTURBING SCENES.
In the morning, Clara awoke feeling like an anchor had been strung around her neck, with the weight of the world resting on her shoulders.
She was back in her bed and Sirius was nowhere around.
Clara got up, tiredly rubbing her eyes and looked into the nearest mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair looked like it had been through a war. Sighing, Clara walked into the bathroom to change and wash her face.
With her dark circles concealed, her hair brushed back, and her scarf neatly wrapped around her neck, she headed out for class.
Halfway on her way to Transfiguration, Clara remembered she had never gotten her wand back, but figured it didn't matter since Remus, who had it, was in her class anyways.
As she walked into class, the stinging stares of most of the Gryffindors whom had witnessed the events of the previous night was something Clara could not ignore. She had to though, so she tried her best. She sat down on the desk beside Remus and reached out to tap on his desk.
"Remus, I need my wand," she whispered, cautiously eyeing McGonagall.
"I don't have it." Remus answered dryly and moved his desk further away from Clara's.
"Hey!" Clara hissed. "What do you mean you don't have it? I need it for classes!"
"For classes? Or for homicide?" Remus cocked an eyebrow.
Clara furrowed her brows. She suddenly reached out to try and slap Remus, but as he moved out of the way, she slammed her entire body onto the ground.
McGonagall rushed over immediately, her foot hitting the ground furiously. "Seriously, Miss Potter? Outside, now!"
"I don't understand what's going on with you! First your grades are dropping, now this?!" McGonagall scolded Clara as they both stood outside the classroom. "You know that I don't normally waste class time, but this situation required my immediate attention. Miss Potter, you used to be one of my top students, what exactly is happening?"
Clara stared at the ground silently. Finally looking up at McGonagall, she spoke, "I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't mean anything by what just happened in class,"
"Didn't mean anything? One does not simply fall to the ground, now do they?" McGonagall said, dismissing Clara's poor excuse of an apology.
"I'm sorry, Professor, okay! I'm sorry!" Clara finished and stomped her way back to her common room with McGonagall calling out behind her.
The brunette rushed to her dorm, slamming the door shut and throwing herself onto her untidy bed. Clara pressed her pillow against her face and let it all out. All her tears and screams. All her sorrows and regrets. Yet deep down, she knew it wasn't all over just yet.
"Potter-" Sirius's voice began but stopped right after.
Clara looked up at Sirius, he had clearly not slept either.
The two souls caught eyes for just a moment, a clear force-like string eagerly attempting to pull them together. Sirius looked away and then approached Clara slowly, "why is McGonagall looking for you?" He questioned.
"I ran away when she was talking to me..." Clara replied, then suddenly burst into laughter after hearing herself.
Sirius's eyes widened in surprise of Clara's outburst, trying his best to contain his own laughter - he didn't want to encourage Clara's lack of responsibility. He just merely tapped her shoulder in a soft way, as if she were choking on something.
"How do you know anyways?" Clara cocked an eyebrow, looking up at Sirius. "Wait, don't answer that, I don't care!" She found herself laughing all over again. But my did that feel good. "You know what, Sirius, I don't think I want to apologize to Maxwell! He's a sodding piece of shite!"
Without even thinking, Sirius found himself pinning Clara against the wall. "Don't you dare, Potter, don't you bloody dare!" He fumed. "Why do you do this to yourself?! You beat yourself up more than anyone else possibly could-"
"Not more than you could,"
"Do not!" Sirius let go of Clara and stepped away from her. "We both know that I'm the only one who has ever stuck through all your hardships with you, all right? You don't get the luxury of portraying me as some kind of villain in your life!"
"Are you finished sucking at your own dick? Because I'm sure I can't be the only one hearing this! You literally have to speak for yourself because you know that nobody else thinks of you that way, do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?" Clara argued. "Because you weren't there for me when I was at my fucking lowest!"
Sirius stood speechless for a few seconds then a faint smile took over his face, "I'm going to ignore what you're saying right now because you aren't feeling well," he then proceeded to lay himself on Clara's bed, "would you fetch me a jacket? It's cold in here."
Without even noticing, Clara found herself walking to her wardrobe, taking out a jacket, and throwing it to Sirius.
"Ah, Valentino? I believe this belongs to me." Sirius remarked as he put on the blue jacket. "How come you have it?"
Clara's face broke into a grin, "I stole it that one night we..."
Sirius nodded knowingly. "I think I might take it back, I do miss it," he muttered to himself.
"...She's burnt out, that's all!"
"Don't say that about her, Evans, she could never be!"
"You know what, James, have it your way, but I'm just saying that I've seen it before." Lily finalized, leaving the air between the couple quiet and cold.
James finally wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulder and they walked together to Hogsmeade.
"Where's Sirius?" Remus questioned, looking around the pub. The Marauders - excluding Clara - had agreed to meet in The Three Broomsticks to discuss their decisions regarding Dumbledore's order. "We agreed we'd meet! Where is he?"
Peter, James and Remus all sat at a table for four, eagerly awaiting for Sirius to arrive.
"Calm down, Moony, he'll get here eventually," Peter smiled. "Besides, why are you so troubled?"
Remus looked at the two boys who were expecting an answer, clearly holding back the answer he had to Peter's question.
"All right there, Moony?" James cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Remus shook his head, then took a deep breath. "It's just I have a feeling he's with your sister, okay?" He said quickly, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.
James stared at Remus for a minute, then opened his mouth to speak, "why's that so bad?"
"Oh, come on now, James-"
"No! Tell me why that's so bad!"
"James-"
"Remus!"
"She almost killed a man for Merlin's sake! Are we going to ignore that forever?!" Remus exclaimed. His voice wasn't exactly hushed, causing the people on the tables around them to turn around and stare judgingly.
"He's kidding!" James laughed to the people staring. He then turned back to Remus, "let's go find him then."
Clara and Sirius laid beside each other on Clara's bed, speaking to each other in whispers and giggles.
"What's the time?" Sirius suddenly asked and then began to urgently search for his watch.
Clara found it on the bedside table next to her, "it's four," she read.
"Shit. I was supposed to meet the others for a drink." Sirius got up immediately.
"What? How didn't I know?" Clara asked Sirius as she too got up and pulled a robe on.
"Be-"
The door to Clara's dorm opened with a bang with James, Peter and Remus standing in shock.
Sirius quickly pulled on his shirt and was surprised with James holding his wand at him.
"You were fucking my sister?!" James questioned threateningly, his wand at the side of Sirius's head.
"Hey!" Clara attempted to jump to Sirius's aid but was greeted with Remus holding his wand at her. "Back up, bucko!"
"How do I know you're not going to murder anyone?" Remus sneered. "Oh wait, I don't!"
Peter placed himself between Clara and Remus, "come on, Remus, she doesn't have her wand," he said. "Clara, just leave."
"Sod off," Clara smiled, then proceeded to hit Peter with a right hook.
Remus reacted instinctively, blasting Clara into the wall behind her and knocking her out.
"James, your fucking sister is blacked out, mate!" Sirius pointed to Clara before James got the chance to beat him up.
James punched Sirius and ran over to Clara, "have to say you deserve that...whore."