𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍
𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓰𝓾𝔂𝓼
SIRIUS WAS JUST so cool , Winnie thought.
It was a couple of weeks after his birthday and she hadn't had too many opportunities to see him. Now that she was no longer occupied with the prank war and planning choreography, Everett had been stealing her away on as many dates as he could. When she wasn't with him, she was studying with Lily, Peter, and Remus or practicing Quidditch and planning practices.
Now, it was night. Specifically, the time of night that hung between the setting moon and the rising sun and provided a silence so quiet, it was loud.
She'd snuck her way to the astronomy tower to do some last minute astronomy homework she'd put off and found Sirius. He was leaning gracefully against one of the tall columns, his school robes replaced with his signature leather jacket. He had a lit cigarette between his lips and he leaned out, staring out into the night.
So cool.
"Hey," Winnie said, stepping out of the doorway.
Sirius momentarily startled before relaxing after seeing her familiar figure. "Hey."
She stepped up next to him and leaned on the railing. The wind carried over the Black Lake and all the way up to where they stood, rustling her curls. Wordlessly, she reached out for the cigarette and took a few drags before passing it back.
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, breaking the tension.
Winnie shrugged. "Kind of. Had a lot on my mind so I figured I may as well come up and get some work done." She gestured half-heartedly at the pile of books and star maps on the floor.
"Weren't you just up here with Lily and Peter the other night doing this?" Sirius asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Well, yes. But I didn't get as much done as them."
"That much is obvious."
Winnie snorted. "What about you? Couldn't sleep?"
Sirius furrowed his eyebrows slightly and rubbed the spot between them, not saying anything. Winnie noticed with mild amusement that it was something James did when in deep thought—scrunching up his face and pushing up his glasses by the bridge—and despite not having spectacles, Sirius seemed to have adapted the habit.
"I ran into Regulus today," he finally said after some time. "Said that now that I was 17, it was too late to change my name to Potter. That I had to keep the last name Black, despite not belonging there anymore."
Winnie felt herself tense up, her anger for the younger Black growing. She didn't say anything for a moment.
"Sirius," she finally said. "You're a Potter, no matter what last name you carry. You live in our house, eat at our table, hell, you even have a Christmas stocking with your name on it. Your name doesn't define your family, love does."
Sirius let out a small genuine laugh. "You know, James said almost the exact same thing."
"Glad to know my idiot twin still has some of his brain cells left. Now come on, I need help with some astronomy homework."
///
"Come on Remus, just one piece?" Winnie begged at dinner, eyeing the large chunk of chocolate he chewed on moodily. James found it amusing that Remus was in such a sour mood, especially since it wasn't near a full moon.
"No."
"I'll trade you some strawberries for it."
Remus looked at her unamused before looking a meter away at where a communal plate of strawberries sat. With his free hand, he reached out, grabbed one, and ate it in one bite.
"No."
"I'll do your homework? Lend you a book? Slap James?"
"No."
"Hey!"
"Oh, I give up," Winnie said before spinning around to face Peter. She quickly forgot the incident and talked animatedly with him about some charm she'd read about the other night.
"What's up with you?" Sirius asked, looking at his friend.
Remus sighed, running his hand down his face. "Nothing. I just feel a bit under the weather."
Sirius watched as Remus sunk further into his chair and angrily chewed a piece of chocolate when Winnie got up and sat next to her Ravenclaw boyfriend.
"Oh," Sirius said, eyes slightly wide.
"No, it's not like that! Don't look at me like that, it isn't!"
"Then what is it?"
"I don't like him. He gives me a bad feeling, that's all."
Sirius gave him a look that was the dictionary definition of 'I don't believe your lies' shook his head.
"Everett's actually really nice. Especially to Win. I think he's good for her."
"Yeah, well I don't."
With that, Remus packed his stuff and left.
///
"Sh, we don't want to get in trouble," Winnie whispered, tugging Everett's hand as they ran through the empty halls of Hogwarts.
Their moon-cast shadows danced along the walls as they crept around corners and lurked through corridors. They're heartbeats felt as loud as their footsteps as they neared the great painting to enter the kitchen.
"Maybe you should tell me where we're going," Everett said, as they came to a stop.
"Just watch." Winnie reached out a hand and slowly dragged her fingers over the pear. Everett almost screamed when the pear let out a slight giggle and the painting swung open. Winnie gestured to him, pulling him through the opening.
Once they were in, she spread her arms wide and did a little spin. "Ta-da! The kitchens."
"Woah, I had no clue where this was," he said, taking it all in.
"James and I found it in 1st year. Ever since then, we've all come down here pretty often. It's nice."
"How did you manage to find this?"
"Well, we found the painting, but we never would've made it in without some help from the house elves. Oh! Spinny, come here."
With a snap, a house elf appeared in front of them and upon seeing Winnie, smiled brightly and wrapped her in a hug.
"Miss Winnie!" The elf said. "Oh, it's been too long. Here let me grab you your favorites."
Winnie hugged her back and smiled. "Thank you, Spinny! Grab an extra for my friend, please!"
Spinny left in a flash and appeared again with a plate of pastries. Winnie thanked her before sitting down on a counter, pulling Ev down with her. They ate the pastries, exchanging light conversation.
"You know, we have this post board in the Ravenclaw tower," he started. "People like to write down and share some of their favorite quotes and sayings and pin it. The board itself is always changing, but there's one quote I remember vividly."
"What was it?"
Everett jumped off the counter, called for Spinny, and whispered something in her ear.
"That 'music is the food that feeds our soul.' Since we're in the kitchen, I figured we may as well feast." At his words. Spinny appeared with a Muggle music player and soft music began to drift in the air. "May I have this dance?"
"What's the magic word?"
"Please, my darling Winnie, will you accompany me for a waltz?"
Winnie sniggered lightly before taking his hand. "I just needed a please, but that will work too, I suppose."
So in the kitchen, the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw danced with nothing but melodies hanging in the air, and smiles on their faces.
Meanwhile in the Gryffindor boy's dorms, a werewolf lay staring at the ceiling, plagued by what ifs, chocolate curls, and whispers of wild laughs echoing in his ears.
_____
Don't worry, I don't like Everett that much either, but bare with it. It gets better!
Don't forget to vote and have a great day :)