Shut Up, Padfoot!

99

Sirius

Bit of a surprise when I woke up to the sound of Black Sabbath.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love getting down to some good rock. But listening to the Iron Man upon awakening seemed a little too cinematic.

I looked to the turntable and noticed the spinning of the Paranoid record. The muscles in my neck craned and I grunted at the soreness. With eyes flitting to somewhere else to detect my surroundings, I let out a breath.

The pain from my torso no longer seared like it did the last time I was conscious. The familiar high ceilings of Hogwarts instantly put me at ease. Seems we got here all in one piece. I lowered my eyes to the curtains. Once Electric Funeral began, the rings on the curtain rod swiped to the side.

Cry entered, not yet noticing my very awakeness. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her in her oversized turtle neck. Her wide leg jeans dragged on the ground as she turned her back to me. Her hands seemed so small under her large cuffs when she reached to pull the curtain closed again.

Nearly combusted when I saw how soft her hair looked. I wanted to run my hands through them. The sharp guitar strums seemed to contrast so much with the gentle energy she held. And this was some of her favorite music.

"Fawkes," I called, voice raw.

She jumped, her shoulders raising to the bottom of her little ears. She turned once the chorus struck, her cheeks pink with excitement. The light ran circles in her irises and her smile gleamed.

Quickly, she shuffled to the record player. Her nimble fingers plucked the needle up and the music ceased. The quietness of the castle finally let out a sigh. She took the chair next to the bedside. Her hands already found mine.

"Hey! You're awake!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah...I take it we accomplished—– What was it? Operation: Retrieve the Phoenix?" I began.

Her lips pressed together but she maintained her smile. She nodded delicately and ran her index finger down my palm a few times. I could see the wariness behind her expression. But it's always been like that since fifth year. Some underlying unsettlement that can't be soothed. That made the need of protecting her awaken in me.

Her ability to stomach the chaos that's happened to all of us amazes me. However, that makes me afraid for her mentality. Taking so much of it can begin to tax your soul.

"You've got your hair all out. So everyone knows?" I questioned.

"Mhmm, everyone knows I'm alive. It's been a lot. You've been asleep for a few days and, honestly, I don't know what I'd do if you were out for another," she giggled.

"Yeah? How'd all your friends react?" I asked.

We made eye contact. The hold her baby blue eyes had on me is almost ridiculous. My stomach clenched and I brought my hand to her wrist. Her sleeve rode up and a dainty pearl bracelet clung to her skin.

I pressed my thumb into her pulse point. Her body stiffened upon contact. My whole hand grasped around her wrist. Her heartbeat thumped under my fingerprint. She blinked and remembered I had asked her a question.

"They cried. And they asked me a lot of stuff. It was suffocating. But it felt good. I forgot what it was like to be with people that... well, people in general," she answered, slightly amused.

"You okay?" I hesitated to ask.

Cry turned her head, lowering her gaze. The remnants of her grin from earlier were beginning to fade despite her desperate attempts to keep it on. While I hate to see her feel helpless, at least she isn't faking it in front of me.