The Quiet Kind Of Beauty -Marauder Era

Chapter 37

Sirius had already been awake thinking about the girl with blue eyes and a sunburnt nose when he heard Clara's strangled cry from her room. Then there was a crash, dull and loud, as if someone had collapsed onto the floor. He was on his feet before he had fully processed what could be happening, out of his room and stumbling over his feet in the dark hallway within seconds. Aaron entered the hallway the exact moment Sirius wrenched open Clara's door, his eyes blown wide and face pale in the darkness. They met gazes as Sirius shouldered his way into the room, but he didn't spend longer than a second looking at him.

It was dark inside as well, but it didn't stop them from noticing Clara's violent flinch as the two stumbled into the space. She scrambled away from the door as if the thought of seeing someone terrified her. She was on the ground beside her bed, her blanket half dragged off the bed and still wrapped around her, cradling her left cheek in her hands. Every breath was wrestled, as if her body was rejecting the air she was pulling in.

Sirius nearly tripped over his feet to get to her, knees all but slamming against the hardwood as he brought himself closer. He couldn't feel the pain.

"Lights, Aaron!" He commanded. "Get the fucking lights!"

His back was towards Aaron, but he heard the lightswitch flip a few times. Nothing happened, and Aaron groaned in frustration. He tried again with no avail.

"The lights don't work," Aaron said, voice tight. He turned and ran back to his room, no doubt looking for his wand.

Sirius registered the comment with a drop in his stomach. The night they had brought Clara to the Potters' house, she had made the wardrobe explode open. A witch or wizard trying to familiarize themselves with their magic could make strange things like this happen. It was normal to hear about flickering lights, but to make them go out completely? That wasn't just magic interfering with energy, that was magic taking the energy away.

"What happened?" Sirius asked, heart hammering loudly. Clara stared at something somewhere over his shoulder, eyes miles away, but Sirius refused to let her drift away. From behind him, Aaron returned, already casting a lumos spell, and light spilled into the room. Sirius tapped her knee urgently and couldn't ignore the jump she gave in response. "Clara, what- Look at me, Clara,"

And she did, but it was so slow it seemed as if any kind of movement cost her dearly. Her eyes fell onto his face, still unfocused but slowly coming to. Sirius scooted a little closer. "Breathe, love,"

"I-I can't," She finally said, and her voice sounded just as scared as she looked. She gasped in tiny bursts, chest heaving.

"What's happened?!" James' voice added to the chaos, footsteps thudding as he made his way to Clara's room. Sirius pushed him from his mind, and let Aaron take over the explanation.

"Yes you can," Sirius said to Clara firmly. "Do it with me. In and out, together, okay?" He waited until he got a nod breathing deeply through his nose. Clara attempted to do the same, but it stopped halfway.

"I can't feel my lips," She whispered faintly. "Everything is tingling,"

"Breathe," Sirius repeated, and now he let his hands rest on her knees. Her eyes dropped and he could feel the weight of her gaze on them.

They breathed in, and out. Sirius waited until she had fully exhaled before doing it again. And again, and again until she could do it by herself without breaking. She was still cradling her cheek, which was crimson under her fingers.

The lights flickered on.

A pair of feet entered Sirius' peripheral vision, and Clara's eyes darted to eye them. She stayed quiet.