America walked into potions, ten minutes early, and Sirius, ten minutes late. She sat next to a Ravenclaw girl with thick chestnut hair and smiled as she pulled out her parchment and quill, studying all the ingredients in front of her.
"Hi," she said quietly. "My name's America."
"I know," said the girl brightly. Her bright doe brown eyes twinkled. "I'm Lucy, and this is Mary," she motioned to the girl on her left. She had blond hair, too, but much lighter than Lucy's. And her eyes were very blue, which looked delicate in her peaceful face. She seemed almost fragile next to Lucy.
America smiled.
Mary gave a neat little wave and smiled, but that was it. America wasn't sure if she was shy or if she was already trying to figure everyone out.
"I love your hair," Lucy gushed. "I wish I'd been born with red hair. It makes you look so alive. I hear that people with red hair have bad tempers. Is that true?"
Despite her rotten day, Lucy's manner was so vivacious that America couldn't help but smile. "I don't think so. I mean, I can have a bad temper at times, but my grandma is a redhead, and she's as sweet as can be."
With that, they settled into an easy conversation about what got them mad and what always fixed their moods. Lucy liked movies, and so did America and Mary. They talked about actors who were unbearably attractive. Mary giggled every once in a while, but never more than that. If she was asked a direct question, she'd give a brief answer and go back to her guarded smile. Until after a while, she started warming up. She began to talk more, pitch into conversations or make little sly comments every now and then.
Lucy, America, and Mary got along easily, and it gave her hope that maybe she'd come out of this with a friend to show for it. Though they talked for probably ten minutes as they waited for the class to begin, the time flew by. They wouldn't have stopped talking except a couple of girls at the front caught their attention. One was pointing to the door and the other was straightening out her collar and fluffing out her hair. Their heads all turned in unison and she heard Lucy's mouth open with a pop.
Sirius Black walked into the class the same way the sun pours in through the windows. Slow and captivating.
"I've got to give it to the guy," Lucy whispered to America as Sirius smiled at professor Slughorn. "I think he may be the one person who can blur the lines between reality . . ."
He took a seat next to America, wearing his Gryffindor uniform, but he ditched the robe and wore the leather jacket that America had gotten him for his twelfth birthday, two sizes too big, but now, it fit him perfectly.
". . . And fiction," she finished finally.
He got out a parchment and poked my shoulder.
"What?" America snapped at him. She had woken up late today, so America didn't have time to get her coffee. You could say that she was a bit crabby. "Did you get the goods?" she asked him, almost desperately.
He laughed and handed her a black coffee mug he had in his hands.
"You. Are. Merlin," she praised and took a long sip.
"Do you have a—"
"Quill?" America cut him off by handing him one of her spare quills.
"Thanks," he whispered and gave her a small smile.
America nodded. "Oh," she said. "Sirius, this is Lucy, and Mary," she pointed to the two girls. Mary just nodded and Lucy grinned and blushed.
YOU ARE READING
Without Another Choice- Sirius Black
Fanfiction"Ew, Ames. Never date a guy who likes V8," Remus said. She rolled her eyes. "And why not?" she challenged. "Because you can never trust a guy who drinks his vegetables," Sirius explained as if it were obvious. "Plus, tomato juice breath is r...
