Serendipity (S. Black)

SIX

"and in the middle of my chaos, there was you."

*

After giving her miniature owl a final pat on the head, Eva walked over to the door and ran right into Sirius, who hastily shoved a piece of parchment into his pocket.

"Hey," he said, helping her up. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault I'm dead clumsy," she laughed, punching him playfully on the shoulder. "What are you doing up here?"

"I was considering hexing Regulus' owl. What do you think about making it naked? Do we have a spell for that?"

"Sirius!" He grinned at her reaction.

"All right, not my best idea. But it would be funny, you have to admit that."

"I'd rather you hex Regulus than his poor owl."

"That can be arranged. Where's yours? Is he flying around here somewhere, or did he have another wipeout? Oi, Ringo!"

A little brown owl fluttered down from the high rafters and crashed into a beam within seconds. Then he picked himself back up and landed on Eva's shoulder, nipping affectionately at her. Sirius stroked Ringo's head, and Ringo let out a low, purr-like sound. Eva giggled.

"Bit rough on the dismount, Ringo," Sirius commented. "But you play a wicked drumset, so it's all good." Eva had introduced him to the Beatles fifth year and he'd quickly become sucked into Beatlemania just like the rest of Muggle England.

"He really likes you."

"You think?" He winked, and she quickly turned to hide a growing blush on her cheeks. Because she had just caught a scent, a mix of cedar and leather, and she recognized where she'd smelled it before. "Want to get out of here?"

After a trek down the long, winding staircase, Sirius and Eva stepped into the late evening light. The castle created a brilliant silhouette against the golden sky, and a cool breeze tousled their hair. Her fingers brushed his, but she quickly pulled away and shoved her hands in her red hoodie's pocket.

Sirius noticed her shivering and, after a moment of shy hesitation, shrugged off his leather jacket and offered it to her. She tried to protest, but he insisted, and she slid it on with a smile, doing her best to ignore how amazing it smelled and how warm it made her.

"Is Remus okay?" She asked.

Sirius frowned at her question and glanced up at the moon. No one knew about Remus' 'furry little problem' except the Marauders, and he planned to keep it that way. "I think so. He told me he was tired."

"He looked sick today."

"You know Moony. School's been back in session for a month now and he's already stressed. I wouldn't worry."

"I guess." She bit her lip but nodded, unable to shake the concern for her friend. "Do you want to go in? It's almost curfew."

"Sure."

"So, did you get a letter from anyone?"

She nodded. "My mum. I've been... well, I've been nervous. With all of this violence, especially against Muggles, and her being all on her own, I've been worried about her, so I've been writing more often."

"Try not to be too worried. It'll all turn out okay."

"Thanks, Sirius." She nudged him playfully, and he did the same, slightly harder. This continued until Eva sent him rolling down the hill, her laughing the entire time. By the time he tromped his way back up, covered in grass, the sun had set.