The Ice Queen [s.b.]

The Fight - 64

November 15th.

Sirius is antsy. Why? His girlfriend has been talking to Dumbledore for over four hours. This leads to concern. He knows she's still there because he has the map. So what could she possibly doing for almost five hours?

Just as he's preparing to charge inside, the gargoyle opens and Anna walks down the stairs, a pensive expression on her face.

Upon seeing him, the expression quickly shifts into a faux smile. All too late, though.

In a sickly sweet voice characteristic of only sickly sweet lies, Anna says, "Hey, Siri. What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you," he answers easily. "What were you doing in there for so long?"

She laughs the question off, "Going over a couple prefect details. They've been talking about doing something called a Triwizard Tournament. I advised against it. Too high of a death rate, honestly."

"You're lying, Love," Sirius points out, a fact he rarely spies.

"What? No, I'm not. Why would you say that?" she accuses, pasting on a perfectly formed offended face as she begins to walk to the dungeons.

Sirius sighs. "You're lying again. Don't forget, Fawley. We were taught to lie in the exact same ways. Tell me the truth, please."

As Regulus would say, Sirius is no longer blinded.

Anna's façade disappears like a flick of a switch. "I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

Can't.

"Won't," Anna lies, this time seamlessly, careful to cover all the tells she knows sometimes escape.

Sirius frowns, catching up to her as she walks quicker, "And why won't you?"

"Because I just won't, Sirius!" she finally yells, stopping abruptly. Her glare is fire-like as she says, "Why do you always need to know what I'm doing? I'm not your pet. I'm not your plaything. I am my own person who will not be controlled."

"I'm not trying to control you," he says softly, reaching forward in an attempt to try and calm her down. "And I know you're not my pet. You're your own person and I would never try to do anything to make it seem like you're not."

"Just stop," she demands, slapping his hand away harshly enough for it to leave a mark.

As he gets closer, he feels himself getting angry, "Don't do that again. That hurt."

"I'm sorry," she mumbles, then her eyebrows knit. "I need you to stop asking."

"Why won't you trust me with whatever happened?"

Something snaps inside of her and, as if on instinct, she pulls her wand out. Sirius recoils, putting his hands up.

"Don't move closer," Anna warns, feeling more volatile than she ever had before.

The Ice Queen is the only person Sirius can see in her light blue eyes.

Sirius falters, "What's happening, Love?"

"You will not come after me," she commands slowly, her wand never faltering or shaking. "You will not come after me, or you won't like what happens. And I won't enjoy doing it."

With that, she stalks away, Sirius left behind with only questioning thoughts in his head.

When Annalee Fawley crashes down on her bed in her dorm, the guilt fills her gut.

Lily lumbers in an hour later, "Lee? James said you and Sirius got in a fight. What happened?"

"My fault," she murmurs, curling up on her bed. "It's my fault because I'm scared. I don't understand why I'm scared, but I'm so bloody scared."