𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚟𝚎 - 𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

Chapter 13

After the fiasco with the Marauders, Aurelia found herself in their company often, finding a brother in James, a best friend in Remus, and a slight adoration for Sirius, who was always willing to help her out. She was quite wary of Peter, as her premonitions were never wrong, but began to feel the boy growing on her, especially when he brought her snacks as she studied.

"Lia?"

Sirius' voice stopped Aurelia in her tracks, her eyes looking up from the novel she had been reading as she walked down the halls. Almost immediately, a smile graced her lips at the sight of her friend, and the boy smiled back, walking up to her side.

"Hey Siri, what are you doing out so late in the evening? I thought you had quidditch practice?"

Sirius nodded, folding his hands into the pockets of his quidditch pants. "We just found out they were cancelled, James couldn't tell us why, as it was Minnie that had cancelled it. She told us that we were to go straight back to our towers, which was where I was headed now when I spotted you out here, alone."

Aurelia frowned, furrowing her brows. She didn't recall anyone coming to find her to tell her she was to be back in her tower, but then again, many did not come down this part of the castle so late at night except for the quidditch players.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, and Sirius shrugged, stepping closer to her to link his arm with hers.

"Minnie won't say, but it's always better to listen to her than not when it comes to matters, she doesn't tell us about."

Aurelia nodded, closing her book to hold it close to her chest. She knew how much Sirius and the Marauders admired and respected their head of house, and how Sirius rarely worried about anything at Hogwarts.

"Found her!" Wendy called out from behind the two, running up whilst inhaling shakily. She dropped her hands to her knees to catch her breath as Kira ran up to them, dressed in her quidditch gear from her training in the afternoon. "She was just having alone time with Sirius!"

"I was not, Sirius arrived here only a minute before the two of you did," Aurelia hissed, gripping her book to her chest. Frankly, she hated the fact she had only just been found now, after having had spent hours reading in this corridor, and she had a feeling that her cycle was not helping her mood.

"Okay, lioness, calm down. There's no need to bite my head off – I just got my hair done by Pandora," Kira said, putting her hands in the air. Sirius raised his eyebrow, but stepped towards Aurelia, putting his arms on hers to warm her up slightly. Only he had noticed how she had begun to slightly shiver from the chill in the air.

When her shivering ceased only slightly, he immediately shrugged off his red quidditch jumper, not even feeling the cold as he threw it over Aurelia's head gently, tugging it down. She had no time to react as Sirius put her arms into the sleeves but smiled softly as he pulled it down until it reached the tips of her knees.

"You missy, need to go and sit by the fire," he ordered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to ensure she stayed cosy. Aurelia, swamped by his sweater, tried to put her thumb up, but ended up just making the end of the sleeve look odd, as her arms were not long enough.

"Mr Black, why is it always you I find out in the corridors after explicitly telling you to go back to your common room!"

All four cringed as Minerva McGonagall's shrill voice rang out at the back of the corridor. The grey-haired witch approached the four with a tight expression on her face – one that screamed anxiety and concern.

"Miss Hope, Miss Williams and Miss Truman. Did you not receive the word that you are to go back to your towers?" Minerva asked, her tone now less shrill, and more concerned. Sirius did not take it to heart – he knew that Minerva cared more for her Gryffindors in a way that she did not need to say things gently, but for the three Ravenclaws, he knew she could not joke as she did with her house.

"Sorry Professor, Lia was reading out here, and no one came to get her, so we went to go find her," Wendy answered politely. Minerva looked over to the girl, who still wore Sirius' sweater. Her eyes softened – she knew that Sirius would never easily give up his prized sweater, and the girl was still under his arm.

"Well, Mr Black, if you could please walk with the girls back to their tower, and promptly go back to yours, I'm afraid I have a rather sad announcement to make," she said with a despondent tone, clasping her hands in front of her. Sirius nodded, and Wendy and Kira began to walk away, followed by Aurelia and Sirius.

Aurelia stayed under Sirius' arm even after they left Minerva's sight, and the old witch found herself smiling, her heart warmed by how much the two had changed in only a matter of months. Sirius was known around the school by both professors and students for not settling down with any person, and Aurelia was known for never openly talking to anyone unless it was over schoolwork.

They were changing each other for the better.