Things Worth Dying For (A Sirius Black x Reader Love Story)

Not Alone

Y/N tiptoed through the deserted corridors towards Professor Slughorn's office, hoping to catch him before dinner and hand in her assignment early. 

"Do you even understand the shame we had to go through when we received this letter? DO YOU?"

A shrill, hysteric voice sliced through the air, stopping Y/N in her tracks. The door to Professor Slughorn's office hung open just a crack, and Y/N could see shadows flailing and pacing on the inside. Holding her breath, she inched closer.

"First all this Gryffindor nonsense, and now we're getting letters sent to our home? Do you ever think about anyone but yourself? How do you think Regulus is feeling, or Bella or Cissy, hearing rumors about you causing mayhem in class? He is upholding his reputation as a Black, you would do well to remember yours. Regulus is doing his best to make up for the useless disappointment you turned out to be. Least you could do is not make it worse."

This time it was a male voice, dripping with venom. Y/N  felt her hands shake with white hot rage as she bit down on her cheek to prevent an intrusion that may escalate the situation.

"I'm telling you Orion", the original shrill voice began, "He surrounds himself with mudbloods and bloodtraiters. They're the ones causing this level of disobedience", she snarled. "Perhaps we should-"

"DON'T CALL THEM THAT", Sirius's voice, shaky but assertive rang through the door way.

"Why you little-"

She sensed feet shuffle across the room and more on instinct than a well-thought-out plan, Y/N burst into the office.

"Hey Professor-!"

The sight she was met with caused her original rage to bloom, her insides howling with fury, her eyes flashing red as they met Sirius's blood-shot, puffy grey ones. He stood cornered against a wall, face wincing from the expectation of pain as his father hovered above him, cane lifted above his shoulder. His mother stood opposite the both of them, eyes disturbingly absent of empathy or love for her eldest son.

"Y/N, get-"

Y/N interrupted him, unwilling to leave her friend alone with these monsters any longer. Forcing her lips into a cold smile, her eyes flickered to his parents, daring them to continue. Orion lowered his cane, hastily straightening down his robes, but made no attempt at displaying a friendly demeanor.

"Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Black. Fancy seeing you here. Hey Sirius!", she feigned surprise, struggling to maintain her politeness, her mind racing to come up with excuses to extract Sirius. "I was just going to find you after handing in my essay." She casually strode forward, covering the length of the room and placing her essay on top of Slughorn's desk before coming to a stop in front of Sirius. "Professor McGonagall wants you, immediately. She wants you to help me with my transfiguration homework. I need to finish it before quidditch practice, you see." Turning to his parents, she coolly addressed them as if she hadn't just walked in during a heated argument. "I hope you guys don't mind. After all, parents really aren't supposed to be visiting students uncalled for during the middle of term."

Walburga's jaw sagged at being spoken to without a hint of reverence, but her features contorted once again into an ugly sneer. "Not that it's any of your business what we're doing here, but Professor Slughorn wrote to us. He seems to be having trouble controlling our...son." She paused before the last word, spitting it out as if she'd been holding its bitter taste in her mouth for far too long. "And who may you be might I ask?", she said, returning to her eerily calm demeanor

Y/N glanced over at Sirius, his eyes wide with fear, pleading with her to go, but she stood her ground. Everything suddenly made sense. The year and a half she'd spent watching Sirius sprint out of the room after receiving howler after howler, desperate to open them out of hearing range of the Great Hall; the way he'd return with a set jaw and a dangerous look in his eyes; the way he'd brood for the rest of the night, on the verge of snapping if anyone tried to ask what was wrong. Remus seemed to be the best at comforting, silently shoving mugs of steaming Hot Chocolate into his trembling hands, while carrying on casual conversations with everyone else. Her heart ached as she recalled the way his face would blanch after reading one of the few non-exploding letters he'd received from home before he 'decided' to spend Christmas at Hogwarts. His pranks seemed to get more cruel during those times, Severus being the brunt of many of his periods of lashing out- not that he didn't pull his fair share of barbaric 'jokes'.