The Project | Sirius Black x reader | ✔

Breakfast

You grumbled insults under your breath and rubbed your closed eyes. They stung a lot when you were tired or lacking sleep, which was exactly what had happened the night before. Thanks to Lily, you had gotten to the Slytherin common room without problem, but you hadn't been able to sleep for hours. 

" At least I'm not late today." You huffed, pushing the warm covers off of you.

All of your dorm mates were still asleep, you weren't surprised: they always talked until very late at night or did their work at the last minute. Plus, breakfast lasted two hours, which was plenty of time for them to sleep for longer. You rolled your eyes and stretched your arms, walking into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Detention... You sighed will fixing your tie and throwing your Slytherin scarf over your shoulders. I still can't believe I was foolish enough not to think about curfew! At least Evans helped me cover for it. I owe her one. You hummed your favorite song the way out the dormitory and the common room, stopping once you saw the seat in which you and Regulus would usually meet at before heading to breakfast together. 

" Winter break is in a couple days only... Hopefully he'll have the time to think about what he said and apologize." You furrowed your eyebrows. " I'm not going to be the one to back down from this first."

The hallways were getting colder, but it was a nice type of cold, the one that brought the holidays along with it, so you didn't mind. The large doors of the great hall were already open, and there was a faint chatter coming from within, most students were still too sleepy to engage in conversations with their friends until they'd have a coffee or a cup of tea. 

" Here goes nothing." You sighed, taking a step into the lively room. The enchanted ceiling had a light snowfall effect, and the great hall was decorated for Christmas, with a big tree in the far corner, opposite to where you would usually sit. 

Your eyes skimmed the Slytherin table naturally, even if you didn't want to. Of course Regulus is there, you rolled your eyes at yourself. Deciding to stop paying attention to him, you tore your gaze towards the Hufflepuff table, but Dafne wasn't there, and you were starting to get worried. 

" I get that being called such an insult must be hurtful, but where could she be? It's not normal to just... disappear like that." You whispered to yourself. 

A loud noise followed by barks of laughter took you out of your thoughts about your Hufflepuff friend, and you shot your head towards the sound, which unsurprisingly came from the Gryffindor table, specifically from the group of four boys. 

There was smoke coming out of Peter Pettigrew's plate, and his face was filled with ash. Remus, who was next to him, scooted away and continued reading as he drank from a mug trying to hold his laughter. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the table, James and Sirius couldn't stop laughing. 

Sirius... You repeated in your head, feeling blush reaching your cheeks, so you shook your head a little violently to make it go away. 

You looked at Remus, and an idea popped in your head. Dafne knew Remus, which meant he might know where she was. You grinned to yourself and walked towards the group, trying not to make it obvious you were heading their way. Yet with each step you took, you lost confidence in the idea. You weren't brave enough to be near Sirius and pretend everything was normal after what had happened at the shore of the lake.

I'm an (l/n), for crying out loud! You furrowed your eyebrows. And we don't give up so easily. 

You took longer, deeper breaths at every step closer towards them, and before you knew it, you were right behind Peter. The short walk had been a little faster, and you'd almost continued walking past them. 

" Lupin." You cleared your throat.

Sirius, who was drinking from a cup, choked on his water as you spoke, coughing continuously. " Oi, you alright there, mate?" James grinned, slapping his back playfully. 

" Y- yeah. I swallowed too much water." Sirius replied nervously, diverting his gaze from you but paying attention to every word you would say and every move you'd make. " (Y/n) (l/n), good morning." The Lycanthrope smiled at you, closing his book. 

" Good morning to you as well. Can I have a word with you, please?" You asked politely. 

Remus looked at his friends and then back to you. " Uh- sure." He shrugged and stood up, standing quite taller than you. " Thanks, it wont be long." You side smiled, walking a couple yards away from the group.

" It's perfect timing actually, I wanted to talk to you as well. But you go fist: What is it?" He asked, placing his hands in his pockets. 

" Alright. You know Dafne the Hufflepuff, right? I mean, you did talk yesterday in the hall- Sorry, I'm rambling." You shook your head. 

" It's fine. And yes, I know Dafne, why do you ask?" Remus cocked an eyebrow.

" She got really upset yesterday and I can't find her anywhere. I was hoping you maybe knew of her whereabouts?" You asked. 

" No, I'm sorry. I've got no idea where she is. We don't hang out much, except sometimes at the library. It's mostly her sister that I know. We're pen pals." He replied. " That was more information than you asked, sorry."

" No, it's all good. Don't worry about it, Lupin." You reassured. " So, what did you want to talk about."

" I know it's been weeks, but I couldn't find the time or place to tell you, but uh- I'm really grateful that you kept my secret." Remus said shyly. " I was really worried you'd panic or tell someone. Don't get me wrong, it's not personal to you, (y/n), but you know... The assumptions about... werewolves and everything." He whispered the last sentence. 

" Of course, Lupin! Your secret is safe with me, and I won't judge you for it. Personally I think it's fascinating- don't get me wrong when I say that, I don't mean it in a ' I want to study you' type of way." You corrected. 

" Right, I wasn't." He said. " That's a relief to hear. Thank you."

" Don't mention it." You smiled. " Anyways, thanks for lending me some of your breakfast time."

" I hope you find Dafne. You've got me kind of worried now too. Why did she get upset?" Remus asked. " I'd rather not talk about it. My friend was just being a complete jerk." You huffed, not wanting to bring up Regulus' name. 

Remus returned to his seat, and you remained at the same place the both of you had talked, thinking about your options now. You hadn't thought about it, because it wasn't such a big deal either way, but you didn't know where you would be sitting for breakfast. 

Certainly not in your usual spot with Regulus. You now had noticed he was already looking your way, throwing glances in your direction. He'll get a taste of what consequences are. You furrowed your eyebrows and headed towards Remus once more.

" Excuse me." You cleared your throat, catching the attention of the four boys and Lily who sat casually beside James, who looked at you confused. Remus and Peter turned around in the bench to face you with no specific emotion. And your eyes trailed to Sirius for a split second which was enough to see his grey colored eyes had widened, and he looked almost tense, but quickly fixed his posture. 

" Do you four mind if I eat breakfast with you?"