Chasing Time (sirius black)

GORGEOUS

Currently, I was lying in bed and just petting Butter who was curled on my chest. Her official name was Butterbeer. It was suggested surprisingly by Lily and we unanimously agreed on the name of our now 7th year dorm cat.

Yesterday, the gang came bursting into the common room in awe of my standoff with Professor Brogan. A few minutes after I had left, he had tried to salvage the lesson. James and Sirius had yelled at him, trying to defend my honor but ended up getting two detentions each. The Slytherins had said some unpleasant things about Butter and me that sent Sirius in a frenzy and he ended up knocking Rodolphus out. From there, the entire room fell into chaos and Brogan gave up, kicking everyone out.

I heard Alice stirring next to me. Sighing, I placed Butter on the bed and swung myself into a vertical position. We had a free period this morning but I didn't want to miss breakfast. Or coffee. Never miss the coffee. I quickly showered, brushed my teeth, and dressed for the day. Skirt, button-down, sweater, hair up. Marlene stumbled into the bathroom and gave me a tired smile before stepping into the shower.

It was strange how easily I had fallen into a routine here. In a way, I think my brain was trying to cope with the shock of being in a place it wasn't supposed to be in. In the back of my mind, I was slightly worried about when the breaking point would come. Because sooner or later, my brain was going to just shatter.

Butter had moved onto Alice's bed, curling up in the warm spot she'd left behind while Tux waited patiently by the door for me. We walked down the staircase and at the bottom, I almost bumped into Remus. Stumbling, he quickly caught me by the arm to steady me.

"Careful, Mads." I looked up at the tall boy with a smile.

"Thanks. I swear I was never this clumsy until I came here." He chuckled at my claim. "It's true!"

"Somehow I don't believe you." I sighed, defeated. It was true. I was pretty coordinated on a normal day. Then again I hadn't had a normal day in days. We made our way to breakfast, talking about yesterday's antics and if Brogan would hold a grudge for long. James and Sirius were already seated when we entered the Great Hall just like the rest of the week. Remus sat on the other side of the table while I took my spot in between the boys. Pouring myself a mug of coffee, I looked curiously at James. "How come the two of you are always the first ones here?"

"Quidditch." Sirius answered around a mouthful of sausage. I had to force my brain not to make any jokes about mouths full of sausage.

"We run every morning then practice for half an hour. Hufflepuff gets the field after us and the other houses practice in the evenings." James explained, pouring himself a mug of tea.

"James thought it would be a good idea for our team to have the first practice of the day." Sirius grumbled next to me. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at his apparent disdain for morning practice.

I took a deep sip of coffee before answering. "I'm glad I'm not on the Quidditch team. Mornings don't agree with me."

"Do you play, Mads? We could always kick someone off for you -" James perked up at the thought of me playing on the team. Regardless of the fact I've never touched a broom, there was no way in hell I was getting up at the ass crack of dawn to go running. I quickly burst his bubble.

"Nope. Never played." Remus shook his head with a small smile. That didn't seem good. Cautiously, I looked at James who had his mouth gaping open. Turning, I found Sirius with the same look. "What?"