𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚟𝚎 - 𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

Chapter 28

Lily clung to James during their trip to Hogsmeade the following weeks after their day on the Quidditch Pitch, and though under normal circumstances, he'd joke around and puff out his chest in pride, the boy kept a steady arm around the girl, taking her to quiet shops and avoiding the places where every Pure-Blooded student frequented at more often, trailed by Sirius, Aurelia, Wendy, Peter, Kira, Marlene, and Remus.

Peter and Wendy were as thick as thieves, a romance blossoming between them that was uniquely theirs, and theirs alone, whilst Marlene had been sharing her time a lot more with Kira, though still dating Dorcas, which was proving to be quite entertaining for all of their friends.

It was clear Marlene was at a fork in the road – she loved Dorcas, as she had since they'd first kissed in their second year. She and Dorcas knew each other better than they knew themselves, and they shared everything, from clothing to food.

But Kira was a wildness that called to Marlene's own wild side. Kira was a breath of fresh air that beckoned Marlene to her. Kira was one of the most beautiful girls at Hogwarts, with her smooth, dark skin, long, coiled hair and deep brown eyes that were perhaps a mixture of chocolate and caramel. Poor Marlene, who was usually so relaxed and flirtatious around everyone, could hardly keep it together when she was with Kira.

Kira on the other hand, practically radiated a newfound confidence, one Aurelia and Wendy had not seen ever in their six-year friendship. She'd ditched her usual braids for once, opting for an afro that was precisely shaped with magic, and she'd even decided on their Hogsmeade trip to wear more of a muggle-inspired attire, looking every bit a confident, fashion intuitive, witch.

"I assume something happened between Kira and Marlene?" Sirius asked Aurelia as they strolled along the main stretch of Hogsmeade, dipping his head towards her ear to keep their conversation between themselves. Aurelia's eyes flicked from the shop window to Kira, who was conversing about quidditch gloves with James and Marlene, before her lip curved up in a small grin, bringing colour to her pale cheeks.

"Girl code forbids me to tell, Siri," she whispered, craning her head up towards the boy. He scoffed, rolling his eyes at the answer, before sliding his hands to her waist, jabbing at them in a ticklish manner.

"Since when was there a girl code that you followed, my darling?" he asked, continuing to tickle at Aurelia's sides as they passed a shop specialising in magical herbs, to which Aurelia tried to stop at. She gripped onto the doorframe as Sirius continued to tickle her sides, and she wheezed, trying to escape the warm clutch of her boyfriend's arms.

"Since always! Now let me go! I want to try and get my hands on a few new ingredients for some potions I'm running low on!"

Sirius stopped, only because his curiosity perked at Aurelia's reasoning to visit the shop they stood before. It was no secret that Aurelia was a master brewer when it came to potions, but it was rare for her to talk about the secret brewing she did when no one was around in either the dungeons or the Room of Requirement, especially since he knew for a fact not all of it was legal for students to do.

Aurelia's list of illegal things she'd participated in astounded Sirius, particularly because during school hours, she'd never step a toe out of line. She scolded the boys if they spoke too loudly during class, always turned up at least five minutes before class, and submitted work as early as she could, always to the highest standard.

But out of school, she'd become an illegal animagus, concocted many advanced potions with ingredients no student was supposed to get their hands on, and had used wandless and wordless magic to make her days easier over summer, getting away with it as Wizarding Law technically had no rules over it.