all that i can give - sirius black

chapter fourteen,

November 17th, 1975.

Natalie,

I'm going to start this letter by reassuring you that, no, you are not being greedy by asking me to make time to see you. I am sure that if you were the one out of school and I the one still in school, you would not begrudge me for asking to make time for us.

I have spoken with my supervisor, your father, and my father. I am sure that I will be able to see you for your Hogsmeade weekend, but I will be busy on the day of your quidditch match.

I think it would be a good idea if I were to clear my schedule for all of your Hogesmeade weekends, so I have also owled your Headmaster to get those dates and seek permission to see you, though we both know your father will intervene if needed.

See you soon,

Matteo

P.S. My day has been good so far, if a bit tiring. How was yours?

If anyone were to ask, Natalie was not smiling as she finished reading the letter.

⤐

Natalie didn't know what she was expecting when she agreed to the ridiculous idea of working with Sirius Black. She didn't know what was running through her mind either of the times she agreed to it that year.

The tutoring had only been because she knew it would be over soon and it wouldn't require a lot of her time. And it hadn't. Those 'tutoring' sessions had been over before they really even started, and they had spent most of the time cursing each other.

But now? Now, she was sitting in her chair in potions class next to Sirius Black and counting down backwards from thirty because if she didn't, she was likely to slap him across the face.

And Merlin knew that wouldn't be good for her reputation.

So, she took a deep breath. Ignored his spewing of nonsense and lightly disguised insults.

"My cutting skills aren't quite as shite as yours, and that's saying something."

She continued to cut the spider's heart, at a ninety degree angle in sharp, precise cuts.

"Are you going to keep on just ignoring me?"

She finished one heart and moved onto the other, lining the heart up in a line.

"Leonie, you're starting to hurt my feelings. My feelings are very precious things. I might have to retaliate against this offense on my person."

Natalie exhaled shortly through her nose. "Would you do me a favor, and just shut up?"

Sirius smirked and huffed a quiet laugh. A laugh she still heard.

Natalie took one last deep breath and readjusted her hands, angling the knife once more and finishing the final slices.

"What type of jinx do you think will best protect my feelings? Stinging, tripping, tickling?"

Natalie paused and turned on Black with the knife in her hand. "Would you like to take my advice and shut up? Because I've got a knife in my hand that is infected with spider heart blood and you are really testing me right now."

Black raised his arms up in surrender, turning back to stirring their potion twice clockwise and four times counterclockwise.

"Crazy bint." he muttered under his breath.

The knife wobbled as Natalie made a slightly too sharp cut and sliced into her middle finger.

"Ouch!" She yanked her hand away and swung it in the air.