claret, sirius black

21

chapter 21

IF LENORA DOESN'T want to speak to someone then she will do everything in her power to avoid them. The sole reason she decided to avoid Sirius Black for three days was that she didn't want to be embarrassed or confronted - she wasn't quite sure which was worse. She couldn't avoid him in the lessons they shared but it was easy for her to not look at him across the classroom and then duck out of the room before he had a chance to call her name.

Lenora took her chances sitting in the Great Hall as she didn't expect Sirius to stroll over from the Gryffindor table to speak to her, she was wrong of course and there aren't many places to hide in the hall unless she ducked underneath the table or if an invisibility cloak magically appeared out of nowhere. Highly unlikely.

Dorcas looked at Lenora who was trying to distract herself by analysing the blue veins in her hands. Dorcas was trying her hardest not to smile, Lenora was flushed and as cruel as it sounds it was very entertaining to see her so embarrassed for once.

Sirius invited himself to sit at the table at the spare space opposite the two girls, Dorcas put a spoon of cream into her mouth and gave her best friend a curious side eye. No one else at the Hufflepuff table let themselves bat an eye at the rogue Gryffindor who certainly wasn't invited over.

"Hey," he said, picking up a chicken wing and peeling the skin off of it, only eating the actual meat. Lenora grimaced, the grey colour of it made her stomach churn. "What are you doing?"

Lenora furrowed her eyebrows, a constant thing for her as they creased in the centre. "Not a lot," she told him, "It's dinner."

"Well I know that," Sirius smiled, covering his mouth as he spoke. It didn't change the fact he was eating with his mouth full, it's surprising that he lacks table manners considering he grew up in the most respected wizarding family in the entire country. They have a family motto, for Merlin's sake. He definitely knows which fork to use for his dessert. "You don't seem to be eating, do you want to come to the library?" He asked, placing the bone onto Dorcas' plate (not the one she was eating her dessert off).

"Er -" Lenora paused to think of a suitable and believable excuse. "I'm sitting with Dorcas."

"Dorcas doesn't mind," Sirius informed as he wiped the grease from his hands, "Do you?"

Dorcas shook her head, a grin on her face.

"Oh definitely not," she nudged Lenora, "I have a date anyway."

"A date?" Lenora asked, "It's a Thursday!"

Dorcas winked, twisting the end of one of her braids between her fingers.

"It's the only day James doesn't hold Quidditch practice," Dorcas shrugged, "He's a menace who really needs a hobby," she added as she looked at Sirius who nodded in agreement.

"Try sharing a dorm with him," Sirius said, "He wakes up at six am on Sundays, I don't even know how Marlene tolerates being on the team."

Dorcas shrugged again, "I know I wouldn't be able to," she smiled. She looked back at Lenora who had her arms folded over her chest, her yellow tie bulging slightly underneath. "Just go Nora."

Sirius screwed his face up.

Lenora glared at him.

"Fine," she said, "Have fun on your date." She stuck her tongue out at Dorcas as she stood up from the table, Sirius grinned and stood up as well.

"See you later, Dork." He grinned, holding his finger and his thumb out to make an 'L' on his forehead. Dorcas tends to get aggravated when anyone else calls her that but for some reason, she can tolerate Sirius calling saying it to her.