COMFORT ZONE | Sirius Black [REWRITING]

38. Summer of '74 II

A Few Seconds Later

"Now what?"

"D'you have your wand on you?"

"No."

Despite how many times Madiha had told James to always keep his wand on him, he somehow still managed to forget it at home when they were supposed to be doing something like this.

With a sigh, she held her hand out and a ball of flames emerged from her palm, providing just enough visibility for them to see a few metres ahead.

The brick walls were musty and there was almost no natural light present except for a few holes high up in the roof. She began moving towards a set of spiral stairs that could take them up or down. James followed after her, his footsteps echoing on the stone.

"Where does this lead?"

Madiha treaded the steps carefully.

"If you go up, there's a corridor that goes to another staircase like this one, and it'll take us down to Lila's room," she kept a hold of the banister, "If you go down even more, it'll lead you out onto the terrace, then Mum's study, and then the courtyard."

"Does it go to your room?"

"No," she shrugged. "But you could get in from the terrace if you broke the balcony door."

"Should we—"

"No, we shouldn't," she looked up for a moment.

"Okay, so where does—"

"Crap."

The glance away from the steps had cost her. Madiha lost her footing and slipped; the light in her palm went out.

But somehow, James managed to grab on to her arm in the dark and stopped her from hurtling down the stairs.

Heaving, she held onto the banister for dear life.

"Thanks."

The boy paid no mind to it.

"Where does down lead to then?" He parroted on.

One hand still clasped to her chest, Madiha reignited the flames with her other hand and stared at James disbelievingly before fixing her sight on the stairs as they resumed their descent.

"The first landing goes to the main library, and the second one goes to the greenhouse," she stepped off the stairs into another narrow corridor. "The last one goes into the basement kitchen."

James followed her light and they both stopped in front of an old door.

"Has anyone else ever been here before?"

"Sirius has."

She could hear the offense in his voice.

"You snuck around with him and not me?"