It's Nice To Have A Friend

26 - Unchained Melody

After the girls had left for dinner, Mallory slowly got up from her bed and walked over to the window that looked out at the quidditch pitch. To her surprise, someone was still on the pitch. They weren't in quidditch robes as they swung their bat in circles. 

A small smile crept across Mallory's face as she recognized Sirius's swing. He tossed a bludger in the air and smacked it across the pitch before he pulled out his wand and charmed it to fly back to him. 

"What're you looking at, darling?" Pomfrey asked, walking up behind Mallory. 

Mallory looked over her shoulder at Pomfrey, unable to hide the smile on her face. "Just... Outside," she replied before turning her attention back to Sirius. He walked to the middle of the pitch and sat down, staring up at the sky. After several seconds, he buried his face in his hands.

"He looks upset," Pomfrey remarked. 

Mallory nodded as she continued to watch him. However, she felt Pomfrey's gaze fall onto her. 

"I wonder why," Pomfrey hummed.

"Yeah. Me too," Mallory agreed as he charmed a rain cloud above him and let the rain fall onto him. It was odd that he was so upset after being with a girl. Usually, he was incredibly cocky and unbearable after. 

"He loves his dramatics," Pomfrey mumbled.

"Yeah. He does," Mallory said, forcing a small laugh as Pomfrey walked away. Mallory stayed by the window for a while. Even after Sirius had entered the locker room, Mallory remained by the window, staring at the forest outside of Hogwarts.

"Mals! Ah!"

Mallory looked over as Sirius ran into the infirmary. He slipped and fell onto his butt. Mallory laughed. She'd let out an occasional yelp or 'Ow!' as she tried to stop her laughter. The memory continued to replay in her head, preventing her laughter from ending. 

"Miss Schmidt, stop laughing!" Pomfrey shouted as she rushed out of her office. "Look at what you've done, Sirius!" 

"It's not my fault!" Sirius protested. "She's laughing at my pain!" 

Mallory forced her laughter back as she looked at Sirius, a serious expression on her face.  "Young sir, that is very unprofessional," she said in a posh accent before another laughing fit started. "Ow!"

"I'm sorry, honey," he replied.

Mallory dramatically gasped. "Don't 'honey' me!" 

He looked at her, amused. "I already did, honey."

Mallory smacked him playfully. "That's my thing!" she insisted.

"I stole it."

Mallory glared at him. Her gaze flickered to his wet clothes. "You're wet," she stated.

"I took a shower," he replied. 

Mallory returned her gaze to him. "With your clothes on?" she pressed with a small smile. She decided it was best if she pretended that she hadn't seen him on the quidditch pitch. Obviously, he had wanted to be alone. 

"James told me it's very beneficial," he remarked before holding up the bag he'd been carrying. "Dinner?"

"Did you shower with that too?" Mallory asked.

"Did you shower with that too?" he mocked. He pushed her toward her bed and sat down in the chair beside her. "No. I picked this all out specifically for you, princess."

"Oo... I'm honored," Mallory remarked as he pulled out the food from the bag. He placed a plate in front of her and piled her food onto it. Mallory grinned as she began to eat. "Mm... So good!" she exclaimed. 

Sirius let out an amused laugh. "I'm glad."

They fell into a comfortable silence—the kind that didn't need any words. 

After several minutes, Sirius asked, "When do you get to leave?" He leaned over and stole a raspberry off Mallory's plate. 

Mallory glared at him before stealing a strawberry off his plate. "I don't know," she admitted. "Ask Pomfrey."

Sirius finished eating the raspberry. "Poppy!" he shouted. 

Pomfrey walked over, arms crossed. "Sirius, I have told you many times that that is very disrespectful."

Sirius nodded along. "Poppy, when does Mals get to leave?" 

Pomfrey let out a sigh. "Tomorrow, I will allow her to leave for meals," Pomfrey informed him. 

"Will she be able to go to the quidditch game?"

Madame Pomfrey slowly nodded. "She may leave on Friday, but I need to see her every day for a week to make sure she is healing properly."

Sirius looked at Mallory with a wide grin on his face. "You can come to the game, Mals!" he exclaimed. 

Mallory nodded. "I heard," she replied as she took a bite of her sandwich. 

"Are you going to cheer for me?" he asked, raising a brow. 

"No. James replaced me too quickly. Also, I heard the Hufflepuff keeper is hot," Mallory said dryly. 

Sirius furrowed his brows. "You're joking, right?" he asked. 

"Hufflepuff didn't throw a quaffle at my stomach."

"Clarke is not hot," Sirius insisted, his face contorted in disgust. 

Mallory laughed. "I'll be cheering for Gryffindor," she told him. 

"Good," he said with a small smile, his cheeks slightly red, probably from the cold. "I um... We have backup jerseys." 

"I know. I'm on the team," Mallory reminded him with a laugh. "I'll probably wear mine."

"Right," he mumbled. He stared down at his plate. For several seconds, silence filled the air. "Well... You could wear mine, so yours doesn't get dirty."

Mallory pressed her lips into a thin line. "I have a while before I have to wear it again. Getting it dirty isn't a big deal."

Sirius glanced up at her, gnawing on his bottom lip. "Usually I give mine to Ramona, but we um... I don't want to this time." 

"Oh." 

Sirius nodded. "It's yours to wear if you want."

Mallory froze. Her cheeks started to burn as she lifted her gaze to Sirius. "Me? Are you sure?" she questioned. 

"Of course," Sirius replied quickly. "I mean... You're my best friend after all. I don't want the jersey to go to waste." 

"Yeah. I'll wear it." 

Sirius smiled and returned his gaze to his plate of food. "Plus, people might think you're conceited if you wear your own name." 

"I already agreed." 

Sirius finished his last bite of his sandwich. "Can I stay with you until Poppy kicks me out?" 

"I can't stop you," Mallory replied, a smile glued to her face.