No Promises | Wolfstar AU

Twenty-one

On Sunday, Sirius wakes up at half past noon. 

As he makes his way towards the Common Room, his body is heavy and lagging, not quite in sync with his mind. His vision isn't right and he can't say why. It's not quite blurry but everything looks streaky, like a painting that's been glazed before the paint was completely dry. He keeps close to the wall just in case he loses his balance, but makes it to his usual table in one piece. 

It's only when he sits down that he notices the silence, almost eerie in its contrast to the usual dim chatter that never ceases to fill the space. He catches more than a few people looking at him, quickly glancing away when their eyes meet his.

"Uhm," Sirius frowns.

"You must be exhausted," Bellatrix raises an eyebrow.

"I am," Sirius replies uncertainly, "which is normal, right? I... is there something on my face? Did I miss a button?" He squints down at his shirt.

Bellatrix only tilts her head, silent. 

"Either of you wanna tell me what's going on?" Sirius turns to Severus and Regulus.

"And here I was waiting for you to do that," Regulus scoffs.

"I'm too tired for this," Sirius sighs, standing up. "I'm going to make tea. Anyone want any?" 

Of course they all do. Which is why, some fifteen minutes later, Sirius is struggling to balance four mugs of tea and a tin of cookies on a tray. Cat making an obstacle course out of his legs is not helping, either.

"There she is!" Regulus hops out of his chair when Sirius returns. He scoops the cat into his arms and presses his face into her soft fur, mumbling something too muffled to make out clearly. 

"Some help would be appreciated," Sirius grits out, staring at the table way too cluttered with books, scrolls, quills, and, oddly enough, a jar of what looks like dried flowers. Bellatrix pays him no mind, but Severus, bless him, makes a commendable effort of clearing some space for the tea. 

Cat occupies her favourite spot as soon as Regulus sets her down, which is whatever Bellatrix is working on. Today, it's a stack of papers crammed with writing in all possible directions. "Ah, fuck you," Bellatrix sighs, setting her quill down to scratch Cat's chin. Beside her, Regulus is entertaining himself with the flowers, sorting them by colour and placing them on Cat's capacious belly like he's a three-year-old, and Severus is sniffing something out of a vial.

In other words, a perfectly ordinary Sunday.

"So," Regulus leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "We're still waiting for that explanation," 

Sirius raises his eyebrow at him. 

"Come on, Siri," Regulus groans. "We know what you did last night," 

"You mean that sacred ritual with the centaurs where we danced around the Whomping Willow and sacrificed Dumbledore's phoenix?" Sirius sighs. "I was hoping that would be a secret," 

"Very funny," Regulus glares at him. "Hilarious, really," 

"Thanks, Reggie," Sirius grins at him. He takes a sip of his tea, sighing in bliss as it sends a wave of pleasant warmth washing over him.

"He's talking about Matilda," Severus sets his mystery vial down, looking rather green.

"Good to know," Sirius nods, not any less confused. "When do I meet her?" 

"I'd say you already did," Regulus narrows his eyes, "given the fact that she's in the Hospital Wing," 

Sirius sets his tea down. "Let me guess," he frowns, "mouthless?"

"And unconscious," Regulus replies.

"Is this going to be your signature now?" Bellatrix speaks up, raising her dark eyes and settling them on Sirius. "Or have you just run out of ideas?" 

Sirius bites his lip. "Here's a theory, and hold on to your seats because this is wild," 

Both Regulus and Severus lean forward. Even Cat looks up from licking her paw.

"What if... what if I had absolutely no clue what you're talking about?" 

"I'd believe you in a heartbeat, of course," Regulus scoffs. He looks at Sirius, pauses, and then asks softly, "Wait, you're being serious?" 

Sirius doesn't point out that he's always being serious.

"You really are," Severus mutters.

"Thank you, Sev," Sirius pats his shoulder. 

"So it wasn't you?" Bellatrix frowns, running a finger along the table. She lets Cat grab it for a moment before swiftly pulling it back. "How disappointing," 

"Sorry, Bella," Sirius gives her half a grin. 

"Everyone thinks it's you, though," Regulus speaks up. "I mean, even I thought it was you. We all did,"  

"As much as I'd love to say I stalk the corridors at night waiting for victims to knock out, I barely had what it took to find myself back inside after detention," Sirius sighs. "And you know me, Reg. The same thing over and over is really not my style," 

"Hm," Regulus frowns, nodding all the same. "But if it wasn't you..." 

"Then who was it," Severus finishes for him.

"Don't know," Sirius shrugs. "Can't say I care to find out," 

"Bet the Prefects are working on it," Regulus says. 

Sirius' mind immediately goes to Remus. Does this mean he's going to start acting even more pissy? Probably. Sirius can't say he hates the idea, especially not when those eyebrows look so fucking adorable when he's mad. "Bet they've already assumed it's me," he scoffs, shaking his head to dispel the image of Remus Lupin's eyebrows from his mind. 

"But you should be careful," Severus says, frowning. "You're already in trouble," 

"I mean, they can't do anything, can they? Not without proof?" Sirius pauses to sip his tea. "And they can't find proof for something that didn't happen, so why don't we stop with the worrying?" He reaches over to pat Severus' back. "Thanks for your concern, Sev. But everything's going to be perfectly fine." 

***

Author's Note

I'm putting out short chapters for a while because my schedule's a bit unpredictable and idk when I'll be able to write again, so bear with me <3