antidote - sirius black

twenty eight

"Vera! Wait up!" Vera paused in her stroll down memory lane. And her literal stroll down the corridor.  She did not turn around yet but had her wand ready in hand. The footsteps became closer until she could hear and feel the heavy breath of the person who felt the need to yell her name down an empty and dark hallway in the middle of the night.

She should have been prepared for the hand that was placed on her shoulder, tugging her to turn around and face the person out past curfew.

"You wall really fast. Did you know that? I had to run like the entire corridor just to catch you! Did you not hear me calling you?"

Of course I heard you! The entire school probably heard you! Vera thought to herself.

The paintings on the wall were shaking their heads. Angry at the two students for disrupting their sleep. Vera turned to look at the paintings now wide awake with an apologetic look on her face. The culprit however said nothing. He did not apologize for waking up the painting's or scaring Vera half to death.

After glancing at the painting with her most sincere smile she could manage at the late hour. Vera turned to face the disturbance. "James. What can I do for you?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were alright. You ran off pretty quick before. Whatever Padfoot did he probably didn't mean it!" James had his arms up in a defensive position. It was then that Vera realized that her wand was still up and pointed right at the spectacled boy.

Vera lowered her wand, not completely but just so it was not up to the boy's chin.

"Sirius did nothing wrong. I just had to leave."

James nodded. He did not look like he believed her at all, but Vera did not care. It was late and she was too tired to think of a good excuse.

James didn't talk, he just continued to bob his head up and down. Vera was annoyed. It was late and she did not have the patients for this conversation.

"So your leaving had nothing to do with him? Nothing at all?" James peered knowingly over his glasses like he knew something Vera didn't.

He couldn't possible know? The only person alive who knew about the soulmates was Vera! It is not possible! So what is he talking about?

"What do you mean?"

"I am just saying. You did run off quite quickly after the word soulmates came up. One might think that was suspicious."

Vera was slightly surprised about his observational skills. Thought she shouldn't have been. Although James Potter was quite the trickster he did very well in school.

"And was it just you who was suspicious, or are you here on behalf of your... little gang?" She was fishing to see if all four of the Marauders were suspicious or only James. Perhaps she managed to fool at least two of them. It was unlikely though.

"I am here on my own accord," James said. Vera thought that was it until he continued, "but that does not mean I was the only one to notice. Remus and Peter are just scared and Sirius is hurt."

She hurt Sirius' feelings? She did not think that he would even care.