build me up buttercup [s.black]

[6] Confundus

She was still feeling very sore, but common sense told Aisling that she had spent enough time lying in a hospital bed feeling sorry for herself and that it was time to go back to classes. After all, exams were only a term away and every second counted when it came to preparing for her O.W.L.s. Common sense also told her that at least half of the reason she felt so crap was absolutely nothing to do with her still rather bruised face.

Every time she thought about the flowers by her bed she cringed. She had been so rude to him and he'd just been trying to be nice. But every time she started to feel bad, she remembered his tone of voice when he had been leaning in to kiss her the day before spring term started, and the irritating smirk on his face when he talked about her getting hit by that bludger. She usually stopped feeling so bad at this point. But still this cycle of guilt followed by anger followed by guilt would repeat itself five or ten times each day until Aisling felt that if she stayed on her own in the hospital wing for even another day she would actually go insane.

And so it was that the next day she walked into Charms and saw the boy for the first time since she had told him to leave her bedside. But, instead of catching her eye and smirking like he usually did, he didn't even look at her. In fact, she could have sworn he was making a conscious effort not to look over in her direction at all. Then again, maybe she was just being paranoid. She tried to ignore the voice in her head which said well he has every right to ignore you.

The same thing happened in Transfiguration. And then Herbology, and again in Defence Against the Dark Arts. In fact, Sirius avoided looking at her all day, until Aisling had herself thoroughly convinced that he was definitely ignoring her on purpose.

Honestly, she had never noticed how often she could usually catch him staring at her in classes until he stopped doing it. And the truth, not that she would ever admit it, was that she kind of missed looking up from her notes to find him looking at her. But now, the roles had been very much reversed. Aisling found that by fifth period, which was Potions, she was glancing over at him every two minutes in the hope of catching his eye and earning a smirk, or maybe even a disarming smile from the young man.

But still nothing.

She was, in fact, so distracted by his aloof behaviour that she was suddenly wrenched out of a daydream featuring long, black hair and stormy, grey eyes by Alice shouting at her.

"Ash! Careful!" Alice yelped as their potion started to boil and bubble uncontrollably and Aisling hurriedly took it off the heat and stirred it.

"Sorry." She mumbled, agonizingly aware of the entire class now staring at her.

She felt very annoyed at Alice for making such a fuss, especially when she felt her cheeks and ears start to burn.

"Not surprising really though is it?" She heard Sirius say to James in a 'whisper' which he knew full well everyone could hear. "I mean, the girl can't even tell the difference between a quaffle and a bludger, so how can she be trusted to notice if a potion is simmering or on the verge of exploding?"

Aisling squeezed her eyes shut with embarrassment as she heard laugher ripple around the room. The loudest being from Sirius himself.

"Honestly mate," Sirius carried on at a slightly higher volume. "I reckon the only way you'll stand a chance of winning the cup this year is if you find yourself a new keeper. I mean a keeper who doesn't even know what ball she's meant to be catching! I wouldn't be surprised if next game she went zooming around the pitch looking for the sni-"

He was cut off by a barely audible mutter of 'Confundus' from the table behind him. Just like that, he fell sideways off his chair, grabbing onto anything he could on his table in an attempt to stay upright. But unfortunately for Sirius the only thing he managed to grab hold of was his cauldron, which clattered to the ground. The acid green substance inside it started seeping out all over the floor, apparently burning holes in anything wooden that it touched - which was most of the furniture in the classroom.

The end result was a very amusing scene for any observers. James Potter sitting on the pile of charred wood which had once been his chair and nursing a very sore looking lump on his head. Sirius Black dazedly attempting to pull himself upright, but stumbling and falling back over whenever he got close. And Lily Evans doubled over with laughter, clutching her side and wiping tears from her eyes.