Pawns & Players - Sirius Black

-5-

pt. 2

As the door slid open yet again, a quite chubby and small boy appeared. He had passive blue eyes and looked -now it can actually be used- anxious. For a second both Lupin and the girl sitting next to him thought McKinnon was going to jump like the circus-clown-Jack-in-the-box once again when the boy decided to introduce himself.

"Peter Pettigrew," 

Laurel laughed at the name. His parents must've thought they were naming a squirrel, she thought. 

Of course, McKinnon didn't shock them any longer by introducing herself, or reciting her autobiography to the dumbfounded boy. From the breathless conversation hosted by Marlene, she found out that squirrel also wanted to be a Gryffindor but wasn't as sure of the outcome as the blonde was. 

That was when the other boy joined their conversation, claiming he either wanted to be a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor but that he wasn't brave enough to be a Gryffindor. If only she could tell him that their so-called bravery was pure vacuous damage. 

Peter took his seat on Remus's opposite side next to Marlene and shoved a couple of chocolate frogs down his throat from stress. He could easily be mistaken for a shy and private person but the girl had a feeling that he simply was drowning in his own sea of mediocrity. For the first time, there was a knock on the door when a redheaded girl popped her head into the small space.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans" Said the girl, smiling with all her teeth.

"Finally another girl !" Exclaimed the blonde Jack-o'-lantern. Lily seemed much more enthusiastic to join her chat than the two other boys, so the conversation moved to their couch, now shared by the three first years. This situation was quite valuable to the quiet girl watching everything unfold around her, she used it to learn as much as she could about this new member of the mindless-wannabe-Gryffindors club.

She had red hair and memorable green eyes and was friends with Severus Snape. Crusty guy, she never liked him. She was also a mudblood -not much of a surprise there- and everything about her screamed people-pleaser who did everything in her power to get validated by her closest authority figure. 

Her theory was quickly confirmed by the revelation that she had a muggle older sister. It was exactly at that moment when a loud noise was heard from outside the compartment. The door was rudely pushed by a boy with jet-black hair and glasses, laughing like he was the only person to exist. She also was pretty sure that he actually thought that. 

Followed him a boy nearly the same height as the other, with piercing grey, close-to-blue eyes and long shining black curls. He was also laughing and coughing like an insane person, but unlike the other boy, it was obvious that a colourful dung bomb had just exploded in his face. The view was extremely comic if she needed to admit that.

 It was the same boy being dragged everywhere by his mother. Both of them were loud, and that adjective was solely an understatement. As the oldest Black let himself fall next to her, his friend squeezed himself next to the Remus boy. 

"Oi everyone, the one and only James Potter is speaking" Announced the boy before his glasses fell off and broke. By reflex, the dark-haired girl on the window side silently and wandlessly fixed the glasses and placed them back on his nose.

"How did you do that ?" Asked the arrogance with feet, fixing his long dark hair.

"We are going to Hogwarts, I hope you also are a wizard ?" Responded the girl wittily.

"Do you also have something for my face ?" Asked Sirius, talking about his face covered with neon paint.

"Unfortunately, I do not yet know something to fix your nose but remember to also pin your ears back while you're at it will you ?" She turned the page.

"Sirius Black" He exclaimed, well aware of the impression it made.

"Laurel Alexander. Deliver my gratefulness to Regulus for his gift by the way."

"What is little miss perfect doing in here then ? Aren't you supposed to be hexing us and hanging out with your Slytherin friends ?" Said the infuriating boy in a mocking tone.

"Reading, preferably" Answered the girl calmly, hiding her anger slowly building up. "None of these people are my friends and I'm planning on being sorted in my house, away from you, since there is obviously not one bone deserving of Slytherin in your body Black." She turned the page, escaping his gaze.

The five other pairs of eyes were cautiously watching the two, before everyone got back to their business and the compartment soon filled with candies and laughter, planning all the fun they were going to have as Gryffindors. All denser and more insignificant than the other, she felt an immense gratitude to not have to speak to any of them for the rest of her life.