Pawns & Players - Sirius Black

-43-

The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for  - Bob Marley

"Where do you think you're going ?"

"Oh nowhere really. Just the new house-elf strip club at the end of the street. Decided to make some quick money on my own" She started imagining the story that would make her go away as quickly as possible, leading herself back to the fireplace, she was held back once again.

Stopping her from getting the powder in her hands, she brought the girl back in front of her, the same spell hitting on a fresh unhealed wound, making her hiss discreetly at the small burn.

"As a matter of fact, I just spoke with Walburga" There was more to come but she seemed to enjoy keeping her waiting. "You aren't associating with that family ever again"

"Oh of course mother. Do you also want me to wear a leash ?" She grinned back at her maliciously before returning to her expressionless face.

"Your little boyfriend ran away to live with those blood traitors. Lucky for you, you have many other options"

Her face fell instantly. She knew things were far from at home from everything Regulus had told her but as Sirius refused to talk about any of it at all times, she had never thought it was that bad.

Something must've had happened to him. 

And she had to know what it was. 

But considering even if she could talk to him he probably wouldn't tell anyone, all she had was the relief that the mentioned blood traitors were the Potters and that he was safe. 

"Don't look so worried, I already have the perfect candidate for you" 

-

Running away didn't sound that bad at the moment, but another member of the household had thought of it beforehand, with her father checking every spell used in the manor, an illegal feathered escape was eliminated from her options.

Waiting in that room with the large window in front of her was insufferable. The bright light penetrating in, teasing her freely while she was locked inside, flowing through the pages between her fingers, when the door opened. 

There stood a tall boy she had seen before at Hogwarts. The Slytherin beater, she recognized. Broad shoulders and defined muscles, Sirius had described him many times as the worst person to see the face of the earth, mostly when they lost the game. 

The boy had warm hazel eyes and pushed back dirty blonde hair, looking at her with raised eyebrows, one shoulder pressed against the wall.

"I'm Evan Rosier, it's ni-" His smile revealing a clean jawline, the boy was cut off before he could finish whatever it was he was saying.

"Yay Slytherin, boo Muggles, I'm not getting married to you" Diving back into her reading after answering him carelessly, the boy sat in the armchair a few feet away from hers, throwing one leg on top of the other and looking through the window.

"It's a great day isn't it ?" He focused his eyes on the girl, hoping to make conversation while tapping his feet awkwardly.

"Absolutely. To be with my friends, or free" The girl answered swiftly without lifting her head to return his contact.

Silence dominated the room, only to be broken by the boy once again.

"I love Russian literature" He added, pointing to the book she was reading.

"I don't" She retorted back coldly, whether it was simply for the sake of disagreement or not, his comment had implanted a few unanswered questions in her mind.

They both let the silence overtake the room once again, only for the girl to lift her head this time.

"You read Muggle authors ?" 

"Of course. I believe wizards have the answers to too much, it doesn't have the search for meaning Muggles chase after" Evan answered in a way which she couldn't sort out whether he was exceptionally arrogant or simply weird. "Besides, if I hear another tale about a boy swishing his wand and dying tragically I will Unforgivable Curse the shit out of myself " 

And if she had to admit, this was the exact kind of comment she would make in his place but then again, giving in so easily would be betraying all those years of bullying all of them.

"I thought you were, you know" She indicated the rest with her head, only for the boy to vocalize her thoughts.

"Boo Muggles ?" He asked, chuckling lowly with a low raspy voice.

"Yeah. I mean, my mother did bring you here. What did you want me to think ?"

"Do you often talk about how much you love them in front of your family ?"

"Valid point" 

"I would normally ask you a few other questions but your room kind of," He looked around him, pointing at the posters and photos with his eyes. "Speaks for itself" 

"You know the old saying. A few posters of muggle bands a day, keeps the mother away" She smiled alongside the boy, focusing on him a second time. 

The sunlight hitting him was revealing the many shades enhancing his eyes under the pair of softly arched eyebrows. He carried a certain charm in his speech and laugh. An unintentional one, yet wasn't quite comparable to the careless elegance the recent runaway brought with him.

Sirius

"So you can laugh ? Should've told me that a bit earlier before I tried to make conversation out of Gontcharov" He distracted her with a contagious laugh, only for her to join in unconsciously.

He lifted his head, still chuckling meaninglessly while making her laugh in absurdity. The boy went on and on for so long and no reason that even she couldn't keep a straight face anymore, groaning whilst she finally hit her face onto the table in front of her in despair. 

"Merlin this is going to be a long summer"