Winter In The Shade | Sirius Black x Female Ravenclaw Reader

XVI

The way to the dungeons was one unknown to you. The path got darker the more you went down the stairs, the stone walls of the castle got colder and the windows disappeared from all sight as no sunlight shone inside the halls.

The steps you thought were Regulus' faded in the distance as you tried following them closely. In the end, the only thing you could hear was your own breathing and the slow dripping of water along the walls. You had been certain Regulus was just a few steps ahead of you, turning right on the last steps before you were facing the entrance to the Slytherin common room with a hall completely empty. You stood frozen in your spot for what felt like hours, a chill suddenly running all over your body, the warmth of your hands brushing against your arms not enough to make it go away.

Taking slow steps towards the door made you more aware of where you were. no one that had no real business with the house of Salazar Slytherin chose to go there willingly, there just wasn't enough reason to not wait until the morning to have the Slytherins come out of the dungeons. But as you walked closer to the door you realized you had no way to enter the room, not even knowing if someone would answer if you dared to knock on their door.

"They're just people." you whispered to yourself, taking one confident step as you placed one foot in front of the other, your chin raised up as you faced the door with boldness in your eyes. "They can't hurt you." you said in the end, your knuckles making contact with the stones that made up the door.

Time seemed to slow as you waited, ending the closeness to the stone door by taking a step back and getting a fuller image of what you hoped would be a Slytherin opening the door.

No one came.

Minutes passed and you started to feel the nerves creep under your skin again, fingers playing with the front of your sweater as you waited and waited. The cold of the underground stone walls stronger than you had ever felt. Your breath turned into a thin cloud in front of your eyes, rubbing your hands together as you refused to give up.

With the spark of boldness still inside of you, you arranged the strap of your bag over your shoulder, pressing your lips in a line as you moved to the side of the corridor, resting your weight against the wall. If he wouldn't come out to answer your call you would wait for him to come out of the room out of survival. Or until the night came and you had to go and meet Sirius. You wouldn't give up so easily and he knew it.

*******

If measuring time by how many pages you have read or how many words you have written you would have a better skill at time management. Sadly, it was still a method that depended on the speed a person could go, defined by their brains and how immersed they were on the task, among other many possibilities you didn't have the time to name.

Still, you could be certain that the sun was setting outside of Hogwarts if it wasn't already dark outside.

With one last glance at the door you sighed in defeat, placing all your stuff inside your bag and standing from the ground. You dusted your clothes and stood straight, holding your hands in front of you as you stared, the stone door your worst enemy you could do nothing to but let it know how much you despised it by the look you held in your eyes. Narrow eyes with eyebrows frowned, crossing your arms in front of your chest. Could you even be angry at the door or you had to place your emotion over anyone, or in this anything, that wasn't Regulus? You felt like kicking the door, yelling at all the Slytherins that stayed inside while you stood outside, at Regulus for avoiding you and being so distant. You wanted to scream.

Still, the vision of Regulus blurred inside your head as you sharply turned in your place and walked away from the dungeons. The black haired boy with eyes framing the perfect storm quickly turned taller, a charming smile on his lips as he gazed into the sky while you gazed at him. His frame leaned down on the railing of the astronomy tower as he watched the sunset, his eyes finding you not seconds after as he tilted his head to the side and listened to you talk, his eyes holding yours in what felt like another world. Nothing mattered in the reality he took you into. Not his name or his family, not your own best friend or messy life. It was the perfect reality where only you two existed.