It's Nice To Have A Friend

34 - Grow A Pear

Mallory, Sirius, and Diane sat in the bleachers as they waited for Anthony's team to skate onto the ice for the game to begin. Anthony had driven them and dropped them off at the time he had to be there. Mallory, Sirius, and Diane were becoming increasingly impatient.

"Mal? What're you doing here?" Mallory's mom asked as she walked over with Mallory's dad and sat down by the three teenagers.

"I came home for a little bit," Mallory replied with a small smile.

"How's your stomach doing?"

"It's getting better. I still can't play quidditch, but it feels loads better," Mallory explained with a small shrug as her mom nodded.

"And how're you two doing?" Mallory's mom asked.

Sirius and Diane looked back at her. "I'm doing great," Diane responded with a smile.

"It's good to see you again," Mallory's mom replied, leaning down and hugging her quickly. "And you, Sirius?"

"I'm just delightful."

"I'm glad."

Mallory turned around to watch and wait for Anthony's team to skate out. The moment she saw the first blue jersey skate out onto the ice, she leaned over to Sirius. "We're the blue team," she whispered.

"Ravenclaws..." Sirius grumbled, making Mallory softly laugh.

She watched as James Roberts skated into the ice. "I had a huge crush on forty-nine for years. He never liked me back though," Mallory told him softly.

Sirius let out a small laugh as he looked over at Mallory. "Merlin, Mals... You've got to start fancying better people," he replied.

"Hey, that was rude," Mallory muttered in response, shoving him slightly.

Sirius looked out at the ice. "Wait! The captain?" he whispered as if just registering who she had pointed to. Mallory nodded at him. Sirius snorted at her and shook his head in disbelief.

"We were friends before he played on the same team as Anthony, but then it was like I was only Anthony's little sister to him. It was like nothing before then had ever happened."

"Does he think he's better than you or something?"

"Probably. He plays hockey. He's still nice to me... Most of the time," Mallory explained.

"You're Mallory Schmidt," Sirius reminded her.

Mallory looked up at him as he smiled down at her. His piercing grey eyes—that were somehow prettier than anything else Mallory had ever seen, they were a light shade of grey but not in anyway creepy, like specks of silver—met her brown eyes. Mallory wanted to melt in her spot as two perfect strands of his curly hair framed his face.

"Look, Mally, it's Richard," Diane whispered, nudging Mallory softly and pointing out to the ice. Mallory turned away from Sirius and searched for who Diane was pointing at.

"Who's Richard?" Sirius asked with a smirk, making Mallory turn bright red once more.

"Another player," Mallory admitted. "He doesn't know I exist."

"Then don't pay him any attention, Mals. You deserve better than boys who don't see how absolutely brilliant you are," Sirius told her, watching her closely.

Mallory felt like her cheeks were on fire. Sirius had said she was 'absolutely brilliant.' She refused to look at him, not wanting him to know that she had a crush on him now.

"I know, I know," Mallory mumbled as the players all got in position to start the game. "But that doesn't make them not hot."

Sirius and Mallory were silent for several minutes before Sirius spoke up once more. "How about this," he proposed, "what if we pretend to-"