The Miraculous Effects of Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Five

There was no more kissing during the final night of Anika and Sirius' detentions, but the two did keep up conversation throughout the entire time they were polishing trophies.

Sirius wanted nothing more than to kiss Anika again, the kiss had been something else entirely, it had taken his breath away and caused his feelings towards the girl to grow to an almost unbearable level. He wanted her, but most of all he wanted to be good enough for her, to be worthy of earning her love. He knew he wasn't worthy yet, he had been broken by his family's years of emotional and physical torture however the time he had spent with the Potters had shown him that he was still worthy of love, something he hadn't believed for most of his life.

When he had returned to his dorm the previous night to find James and Peter sleeping soundly and Remus still awake reading he had climbed onto Remus's bed and sat facing his friend, confessing everything that happened in the trophy room.

"I don't know what it is mate, there's something about that girl that, I don't know makes me want to be worthy of..." Sirius trailed off upon seeing the amused expression on Remus' face. "Say what you want to say Moony."

"I just think it's funny that's all," Remus said, "You spent years claiming you didn't like her, then the last two years pining after her, the last year of which you spent hexing her boyfriend as much as possible and now you say you want to be worthy of her. Anika is a very straightforward person, she sees the world in black and white, at the moment I'm betting your shades of grey are confusing the heck out of her."

"I don't want to confuse her," Sirius said, "How do I be good for her Moony? Euck I hate all of this sappy stuff!"

"Yet here you are all but professing your love for a girl," Remus said, "all you've got to do is be yourself Pads, we all think you're good and you're yourself around us all the time! Sure you can be an arse, but if the kiss was as good as you said it was for you for her, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. Be your charming self and sweep her off of her feet the way you've swept all seventeen of the other girls you've slept with off of their feet."

"She's not like the other girls," Sirius insisted, "She's different. I feel like I get why James has only ever had eyes for Lily now, it's the same thing!"

"It's not the same thing," said Remus, "Because, unlike James, you know how to woo a witch."

*

Sirius and Anika had agreed to meet in the Gryffindor common room that Saturday morning ahead of going to Hogsmeade together. Anika met Sirius with a warm smile and the pair lapsed into an avid conversation about the most recent Quidditch match which had landed James in the hospital wing. The walk to Hogsmeade would have passed without incident, had the pair not walked into Regulus Black before they even left the castle.

"Well well," said Regulus upon seeing Sirius, "I knew you were a blood traitor, but I didn't realise you were into bestiality Sirius."

"Sod off Regulus," Sirius growled at his brother.

"I'm serious Sirius," Regulus said, looking at Anika distastefully, "I cannot believe you would go so far to besmirch the name of our house as sleeping with this creature."

Sirius' wand was out in a flash. He pointed it menacingly at his brother, "Don't make me angry Regulus, you won't like it."

Regulus laughed and Sirius took that opportunity to stride forwards and punch his brother in the face. Regulus crumpled to the floor and Sirius loomed over him ready to throw another punch.

Before Anika realised they were there, James and Remus stood on either side of her looking ready to jump in and help their friend should he need it.

Anika ignored the two boys and stepped forward, grabbing hold of Sirius' clenched knuckle before he could throw another punch. Anika's mismatched eyes met Sirius' grey ones.

"It's not worth it Sirius," she said quietly, "c'mon let's go."

The fight went out of Sirius' shoulders and he relaxed.

James and Remus looked on in shock, Sirius was like a stick of dynamite when provoked, specifically when provoked by his brother. At that moment they had seen his fuse lit, but never had they seen it be extinguished so quickly as Anika managed to.

Sirius looked down at his brother, who was sporting a clearly broken nose, "You're lucky that it's not just the two of us here Regulus, next time I'll break more than just your nose."

Regulus scrambled to his feet and shot a hateful look at Sirius, before leaving the group alone.

"Who are you and what have you done with Sirius Black," James asked incredulously, completely shocked that Sirius hadn't beaten Regulus to a bloody pulp.

"Were you two following us?" Anika demanded.

"Yes," James said, "Evans won't go to Hogsmeade with me so I am forced to live vicariously through Snuffle's dating life."

"Sod off the pair of you," Sirius grumbled, whilst Anika had helped his need for violence to fade, he had been left him seething with undirected anger by the encounter. He didn't want anyone to say those kinds of things about Anika, least of all his brother.

"C'mon James, let's head to Zonkos," Remus grabbed James' arm and pulled him away.

This left Anika alone with a still-seething Sirius.

"That Death Eater-loving little wretch makes me want to be sick," said Sirius, "I'm sorry, he shouldn't have said those things."

"It's fine Sirius, it's nothing I haven't heard before."

"You shouldn't have to hear anything like that."

"Well, that's just not how the world works is it? C'mon let's go to Hogsmeade." Anika grabbed Sirius' upper arm and strode off in the direction James and Remus had gone, trying her best to put Regulus Black in the dust and focus on enjoying the rest of the day with Sirius.