Some Day | Wolfstar

Forty-five

With a harsh screech, Sirius' chair was pushed back as he stood from it. The room was spinning around him, dozens of colours blending together into a dizzying whirlpool that was trying to drag him down on to his knees.

"Sirius-" Remus stood as well, a hand reaching out to touch him, but Sirius stumbled away from him. "No!"

Four cups of tea on a tray shattered to pieces, dark red liquid seeping into the scrolls of parchment on Professor McGonagall's desk. She gasped, frozen to her seat in shock. She had never seen a student so... so livid.

"I can't believe you told her," Sirius said, gritting his teeth in a futile attempt to calm himself. "Sirius, we had to..."

"No! You didn't have to tell her that. You didn't have to tell her about my... my-" My condition. He stopped himself lest his voice should betray the hurt he was feeling, and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Since you've been talking about everything behind my back, you can talk the rest of it out by yourself too."

He waved his wand. The puddle of tea disappeared, and the dainty cups corrected themselves, each as good as new. "Enjoy your tea,"he said bitterly, and walked out the door.

***

By the time he had reached the Tower, Sirius had mostly calmed down. His anger had dissolved into a dull resonance, mostly a small prickling in his chest. He just wanted some time away from James ans Remus. Strangely enough, he wished Severus was there.

"Sirius!" A voice called when he was just about to say the password. The Fat Lady looked behind him. "Hey, Pete," he said in a tired voice. "Snape... Snape wanted me to give this to you." Peter panted, and procured a small note from his pocket.

Astronomy Tower.

It read, in the same uneven handwriting Sirius could recognise anywhere. "Okay... I guess I'll see you around, Pete. Tell James and Remus..." he paused. "Actually, never mind. I'll be back soon, alright?" He ruffled Peter's hair halfheartedly, gave him the best smile he could manage, and rushed outside.

***

James was already out of his chair when the door slammed shut, blocking his way outside. He turned to look at McGonagall, exasperated. "Let him go, Potter. Let him have some time to himself. Time will bring him comfort. Sit down."

Both boys sat down again, hearts heavy. "Before anything, we must help him overcome the hindrances within himself. Sirius Black is an impetuous boy, and before anything, he must be assured of himself." The Professor sighed. It took a lot of effort to keep herself calm. It didn't even bother her that he had been staying out after curfew, working on a cure for a new type of magic, which Regulus Black had come up with alone. However, the knowledge that he had come so incredibly close to dying... she shuddered to think of it.

"Are you absolutely sure that he did not intend to take his own life?" McGonagall asked.

James' head snapped up. "There's no way he would do that. Right, Remus?"

Remus was quiet. Sirius had gone to great lengths to keep his troubles hidden from them. What if he didn't tell us everything?

The Professor shook her head sadly. She wished she had been a little more alert, a little more inquisitive. "Tomorrow, an hour before lessons, I need you here. Black, and the two of you. Am I to understand that Pettigrew is not aware of these matters?"