Written In the Stars | s.b |

FORTY-FIVE

"Please Professor," Ariah begged. "I cannot be his partner."

"I'm sorry Ms. Lupin," Professor Teller said. "It's a month before the final. There's no way I can change it up now."

"But —"

"Please take a seat Ms. Lupin," Professor Teller said. "By your partner — Mr. Black."

Ariah groaned, turning slowly to look at Sirius who smiled half-hopefully. She rolled her eyes, trudging over to her seat beside him — her back turned away from him. She heard him sigh and a small part of her ached as the chasm tore them both apart.

She knew she shouldn't feel sad that they weren't friends anymore — she should be angry at him and resent him. But all she felt was pain. And the longer she sat there beside him, feeling his own hurt radiate off of him, the harder is was for her to concentrate on anything other than the boy sitting next to her.

"This project, as you all know, is due the beginning of March," Professor Teller said. "That's less than a month away and it will come a lot quicker than you expect it to — so I will be giving you this remaining class time to work on your projects."

Ariah sighed, pulling her messy and crinkled notes out of her backpack.

"Riah... please hear me out?" Sirius asked.

"We're just doing the project and going our separate ways," she said, her words piercing through her heart like daggers.

"I don't want to go our separate ways." He instinctively grabbed her hand. She hesitated, a mix of emotions too complex to grasp crashing through her before she yanked her hand out of his grasps.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you broke...." She stopped herself — unsure as to why she was about to say he alone had broken her heart. "Before you tried to break my heart."

"But I didn't," he said softly. "Can't you feel that I'm telling the truth."

Ariah shook her head, standing to her feet. "I'll finish my half of the project alone."

She threw her backpack over her shoulder and stormed out of the DADA classroom. Ariah threw herself into an empty hallway, tossing her bag away from her in aggravation. She was sure she was over exaggerating, but she couldn't understand as to why.

Letting out a yell of frustration, she slid down to her butt and gripping at her hair. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

The problem wasn't that she thought Sirius was guilty. The problem was that she wanted him to be guilty — for whatever reason, she really didn't know. But she did — yet she knew he was innocent. She could feel his innocence by the hurt he expressed in her accusation.

Nothing seemed to make any sense to Ariah anymore. It was as if someone had slipped her a whole bottle of confusing concoction.

"Hey Ri..." Remus said softly, sitting himself down beside her.

She sniffed and leaned her head on her brothers shoulder. "You could always use legilimancy," Remus said after a moment of silent tears from the female Lupin.

"He doesn't like when I read him..." Ariah said. "I'm respecting his boundaries...."

"That's a load of codswallop," Remus said.

Ariah looked up at her brother, glaring slightly.

"It is!" he exclaimed. "I don't have to be a legilimens to know that you aren't mad at Sirius — you're mad that you're not mad at Sirius."