Mortem . Sirius Black

chapter twenty-three

January 8th - Forbidden Forest 

It's been said that all strong people have a moment in their life when they break down completely. For Nephera, that moment came when she was sitting alone, in the middle of a clearing in the forbidden forest, while everyone else was eating dinner in the Great Hall. 

The cold was biting into her skin, practically opening holes in her thin dress shirt, but she didn't mind. She didn't mind about anything other than the hot tears streaking down her cheeks. 

The Slytherin cried silently, the only indication that she was breaking down were the short sniffles echoing through the forest in regular intervals. She made no move to wipe away the tears that were running down her face, most of them froze before they had a chance to fall over her chin. 

She was lost in her own mind, doubt and insecurity flooding through it, feelings that were too familiar to the girl, but she never let them surface, not before that day anyways. 

Sirius ran through the forest, the bag of food in Padfoot's mouth, trying to remember exactly where he had seen the girl on the map. He heard small cries from afar, and he paused, turning back into his human form. 

Most people, if not all, would've run away from Nephera crying. She was known to be a very temperamental and private person, and Sirius didn't know whether he should leave her be or go to her. He was never good with feelings, so he didn't know why he had volunteered to go. Nevertheless, he was there now, and he had to act. 

Walking up to her, he was shocked to see that she was only wearing a thin shirt and a skirt, with no tights. It was a wonder she hadn't frozen yet, so Sirius promptly took off his cloak and draped it over the girl's shoulders, taking out his wand and casting multiple warming charms. 

Nephera should fight it, she should lash out at him for intervening such a private moment, but she had absolutely no energy left to do so, "I told you, Black, the cold grounds me," she said, shrugging the cloak off her shoulders  

"It's going to ground you six feet under if you don't put that cloak back on your shoulders," 

Nephera, for once, did as she was told and pulled the boy's cloak back on. A familiar smell surrounded her instantly, cigarette smoke, firewhiskey, and pine. 

Sirius took a seat on the snow near her, leaning against a tree opposite her. Not too close, but not too far away as an oddly comfortable silence settled between them. 

"I'm not crying," said the girl, breaking the silence 

"Of course you're not," reassured the raven-haired boy 

They both knew it was a lie, a pathetic attempt on the girl's part to keep whatever respect she thought she lost by crying. 

Sirius tossed her the bag of bread, and she looked at it, cocking an eyebrow "I'm not hungry," 

"Yes, you are. You look like you haven't eaten in weeks," he replied, and Nephera had to hold in a scoff at how right he was 

"I can't eat," she corrected 

"Figured you'd say that, it's plain bread. It won't make you throw up or anything," 

Their voices were soft and quiet, but they could hear each other perfectly over the silence of the forest. Neither of them said anything more than they needed to, but Nephera did cut off a small piece of bread and started eating it in small bites. 

"Remember our first dance class?" he asked, referring to the first time their parents forced them to take ballroom dancing classes, as per pureblood customs