Curiosity | Young! Sirius Black x Reader

Chapter 22 | Blink and You'll Miss It

       Sirius wouldn't stop sneaking looks at you when he thought you weren't looking at breakfast, sitting across from you. At some point he hand reached for your hand on the table and held it, squeezing it every now and then. You could feel his foot hit yours as he bounced it. He seemed nervous for the game, a surprising difference compared to his usual cocky demeanor. James didn't seem to bothered by him, nor Peter who sat besides him. It was endearing, in a way.

      Eventually the duo left early to head out to the field. You peered outside one of the many windows and glanced up at the candles in the Great Hall.

      "Looks a little gloomy outside," you commented, snacking on a piece of bacon.

     "'Makes for the best games'," Remus quoted, in what you could only assume to be a poor imitation of Sirius' voice. "Makes for the best injuries, that's for sure."

      "Isn't that all just one in the same in Quidditch?" Lily tilted her head. 

      "Fair enough," Remus sighed, slipping his book in his bag. "Should head out to get seats up close. Maybe, if we're lucky, Sirius and James will high five us!" Remus' voice dripped sarcasm, but Peter seemed genuinely excited. 

      "Isn't that dangerous?" Lily asked.

      "As if you haven't snogged Potter at halftime while he was on his broom," you scoffed. Her eyes widened at this. "I sure hope it's dangerous. Maybe, when Sirius high fives me going way too fast he can take me out and I won't have to do my Potion's test."

      Remus laughed. "Mind taking me with you?"

     "Aw, Remmy," you pressed a hand to your chest, touched, "anything for you." The boy shook his head, hair falling into his face at this. A light drizzle had began to fall from the skies, you and Lily able to slide the hoods of the jerseys on to keep dry. Peter hid under his cloak and skipped along, though Remus seemed unbothered for the most part. He took in a deep breath.

      "Petrichor is my favorite."

      "What what? 

       "The smell of rain."

       "Why didn't you just bloody say that first, then?" You asked, Lily laughing next to you. You shoved her with your hand, knocking her off-course. Not too many people were around, and they were mostly Slytherins. Looks like you really were going to find the best seats. You felt your stomach begin to churn as you found your seats up front, Lily on one side and Remus on the other. 

     "Think we'll win?" You asked, rubbing your hands together. Students were beginning to file in carrying banners and signs. One boy even had an animated lion mask on! Remus's lips pursed.

      "James would throw himself off his broom in a Kamikaze act if it meant the game would be cancelled should Slytherin be about to win. Sirius would probably join him. So, I really, really, hope so," Remus pondered. You didn't know if he was joking or not, caught between trying not to laugh and wondering if it was okay to laugh in the first place. Remus shook himself, snapping away the far-away look in his eyes before looking at you. "But who knows!"

       "Hm, reassuring," Lily spoke slowly, "it's freezing out here. Can they get their arses moving already?"

       "Ah, but the anticipation has me quaking in my boots, Lils!" You gave her a shit-eating grin as she rolled her eyes. "Just imagining my beloved Sirius riding in on his broom, beautiful jet-black hair framing his pale alabaster skin, has me getting so hot and bothered!"

        Your eyes suddenly widened to the size of dinner plates, body freezing as Lily gave you the worst, most conniving grin you've ever seen. Even Potter himself had nothing on it. You had realized far, far too late that Lily has casted sonorus, your voice having echoed out for just about everyone in the arena to hear. Remus keeled over in a fit of laughter, hand glued to his mouth as he tried to stifle it. Peter tried to hold his breath, face turning red, but nowhere close to as red as yours. 

       "Lily. J. Potter," you seethed. Some girls in the arena agreed with you, hooting out "yeah it is!" and "me too, girl!" Others (the lads) were making fun of you. This was it. This was how you died. 

       "There is no way in the world Sirius did not hear that," Remus grinned, wiping away actual tears. "As if his ego wasn't big enough as is."

       "Yeah, but he won't stop smiling for at least a week," Lily shrugged.

       "But I don't wanna listen to him talk about (Y/n) all ni--," Remus jabbed his elbow into Peter, the smaller of the two letting out a pained squeak. "Ow!"

       "Talking about (Y/n)'s grades! God, they are just so good, tell me, how do you do it?" Remus leaned on his elbow, grinning at you, nearly batting his eyelashes as if that would make you forget what Peter was about to say.

      "Sirius talks about me?"

     "He always did--," a disapproving look from Remus shut Peter up again. 

      "He what?" Lily was the one to speak this time, brows raised in confusion but a smirk never leaving her lips.

     "He nothing!" Remus spoke up, "just take everything Wormtail just said and throw it right out of your minds, out the window."

      "Remus, I know you're a genius and all, but some of us don't have fancy opening windows in our brain apartments," you sneered, feigning offense. "I just got a couch! I was stuck watching tv on the floor for years and sleeping in nothing but my own embrace."

        "Never mind the fact that everything you said makes no sense, why would you have bought a t.v. before anything else?"

      "Well, how else would I have gotten to watch the Great British Bake Off you absolute fool? I know you do nothing but study, but some of us with more refined tastes have a carefully constructed culture that must be maintained or otherwise we--,"

      "Sirius talked about her all the time? Always? How long has he liked her? What does he say about her now?" Lily started interrogating Remus, the boy looking like he was a fish out of water. You and Lily had practiced this move for years. You distract and confuse them with your straight up bullshit while Lily takes advantage and asks the good shit.

        "Wizards and Witches and those of non-binary preference, I present to you GRYFFINDOR~" the announcer spoke up and sure enough out came a flurry of red and gold. The bleachers went wild, everyone standing up while you and Lily shouted and cheered as loud as you possibly could. James grinned at Lily, puffing out his chest and looking as cocky as ever. Sirius followed behind him, smiling so much it looked like his cheeks were about to fall off. He winked at you, and you didn't need a genius to tell you that Remus was right. Sirius heard everything. 

      "Up next we have SLYTHERIN!" In turn, the side of green and silver went insane, shouting and cheering with full power. It was obvious. They out-cheered you.

        "Oh, well that just won't do," you spoke to yourself, rolling up the sleeves of your sweater and turning around. Lily watched you, ready for whatever bullshit you had up your sleeve. "Are we just gonna let them upstage us like that?" You yelled. Your response was "no" being shouted as loud as possible at you. "Didn't think so. Come on, Gryffindor! Show them what we got!" 

        See, this was when your bullshit was in full operation. It was a beautiful sight to behold, really, and quite a rare occurrence. But, due to it's rarity, it was magnificent. You were on a high, baby, and every so often you'd actually catch up to that dragon and beat. the shit. out. of. it.

       This is all to say you made up a chant on the spot and got at least a hundred kids to chant along with you angrily. Oh, this was your time to shine. And James's, apparently, since he stood on his broom and shot his fists in the air to get the crowd even more unruly. Lily rolled her eyes, but you could see the obvious smile on her face. When you looked back up to flip James the bird you saw Sirius looking at you, smiling. You couldn't fight the soft upturn in your lips at that.

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       The game was going spectacularly in your favor. James was throwing quaffles around like no one's business, and Sirius even managed to hit a Slytherin's broom with a bludger, forcing them to use one of the school's old ones. You were ahead by at least eighty points when it happened, and all you felt was pure fear and...oh, Merlin's beard were you furious.