Elegantly Wasted: Sirius Black

21- Questions

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13th December 1976

Under the tree, beside the black lake sat Laurie and Sirius. They had been "working" on their potions assignment.

A few days after Halloween, Sirius and Laurie approached Professor Slughorn after lessons to ask him about changing the partners.

***
6th November 1976

"Professor!" called Laurie as the teacher started to clear up his desk.

"How might I help you, Ms Devereux?" Slughorn asked " Mr Black" he nodded his head in the direction of the younger boy.

"Sirius and I were hoping that you would be able to change the partners for the assessment that you set out" she explained.

"I'm afraid that the partners have already been given out. Changing yours would mean changing everyone's" the older man told the teenagers.

"Not necessarily, see if you just swap me with Mulciber then me and Laurie would be together," said Sirius.

"Ahh" Slughorn held his mouth open and nodded his head as if he had just cracked the code to the gold volt.

Laurie immediately realised what he must have been thinking.

"No! No it's not like that" she quickly shut down.

"What way is it then Ms Devereux?"

"It's about reputation!" clapped Sirius, knowing that reputation was very important to the professor. Considering how many parties he threw just to get in the good books of his student's parents. "You see, I heard that Mulciber's father was very cross when he found out you placed him with a half-blood"

"Alright" he reluctantly agreed. Not wanting to anger the Mulcibers or the Blacks.

***

Laurie was wrapped in her warmest winter coat. It was early in the day when Sirius dragged the girl out to study at the large oak tree. The grass still retained the dew from the night prior and the edges of the lake were beginning to freeze.

Honestly, he had given up flicking through books about twenty minutes in and taken to admire her preferably.

"If you could live in any decade ever! What one would it be?

Sirius had also taken to randomly asking her questions that he thought he should know about her if he ever did tell her how he felt and somehow they got together.

"The sixties" Laurie had her back to the trunk of the tree and a book in her hand, Sirius was lying on his stomach picking at the blades of grass.

"You were alive in the sixties" Sirius reminded.

"Yes, but I was only little. I'd love to be a teenager in the sixties the clothes were better and Paul McCartney was still good looking"

"We have better music in the seventies" he countered.

"I agree"