A Circle of Flame- Sirius Black x OC

Chapter 49

"I can't believe you didn't tell me."

Liza felt like banging her forehead on the wall of the dungeons. She was already running several minutes late, and Severus was going to murder her. "For the love of Merlin, Potter. It wasn't my secret to share!"

"She was the love of my life!"

James had yet to process (and accept) the revelation on the night of his birthday. In the corridors, Lily had been careful to avoid his betrayed gaze and the redhead only showed her face in the Great Hall at breakfast.

"Considering the feeling wasn't mutual, I'll daresay she was justified." Remus's dry drawl made both Liza and Sirius snort. The werewolf's transformation was tonight, and he was in a horrid mood. "Now the next person to speak will be drowned in my mug of hot chocolate."

Sending her an alarmed glace, Peter fell a safe few paces behind them. The Great Hall bustled with noise above and Liza didn't miss the flash of relief in the Gryffindor's gaze. He seemed to prefer large crowds as of late.

"But how does she like ROWLE?" James continued his rant as though there had never been an interruption. "Marlene, I'd understand. Even Fran from Ravenclaw. But a greasy snake?"

At his pause, Sirius threw an arm over his disgruntled shoulder. "Look at it this way, mate. At least you know you weren't entirely at fault." He wriggled his eyebrows, "you just don't possess the right anatomy."

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend, Liza pressed a parting kiss to his lips before she turned into the chamber that she and Severus had been working in.

As she had suspected, his dark figure hovered over the center cauldron. A foul smell filled the air, reminding her of a strange combination of boiled cabbage and the Quidditch boy's locker room. Sirius had a poor habit of leaving his practice robes on the floor of his dormitory.

"About time." Severus was already fretting over the brew. The edges of his fingers were torn from nights of picking at the flesh around his nails. For being a pretentious git, the Slytherin retained a few Muggle habits. "Hand me the cup."

He gestured towards the silver goblet that Liza had borrowed from Slughorn's stores. Really, she had taken the piece without permission, but she wanted to avoid another run-in with the Potions professor. By the time she was able to end their conversation, Remus would be out of luck.

"I'm drinking it. You observe." Liza was quick to snatch the goblet from the table. The stem had been carved in the shape of a pair of intertwining dragons. Their heads craned so that they breathed pewter flames into the other's mouth. It was a rather disturbing image, but Slughorn rarely had any possession that would not bewilder the passerby.

Severus's snarl deepened. "Absolutely not. I—"

"I was the one who came up with the final measurement of the ichor." Raising her chin confidently, Liza stared the boy directly in the eye. "We agreed that the first to complete the brew would be the one to test it."

One of Slytherin house's greatest attributes was their ability to hold up their end of the bargain. Most of the time, the bargainee was being blackmailed or threatened, but a deal was certain nonetheless.

Severus grunted out a low breath. "If you die, I'm leaving your body for Black to find." His lip curled darkly. "I want to watch the expression on his face."

Feeling keenly disturbed, Liza just shook her head as she carefully ladled a portion into the goblet. "Might I suggest the psychiatric ward at St. Mungo's? I've been speaking with the head of the department."

The Wolfsbane potion was a muddy brown, its texture gelatinous and reminding Liza of a thick jelly. Steam rose from the top of the goblet and Liza carefully held her breath. She had learned long ago to never smell a brew. It would make it nearly impossible to drink.