Twists of Fate: Entangled Threads || Sirius Black FF

Chapter 16: Firecracker

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On Saturday, Sandy slept all morning, and halfway through the day. Lily Evans had tried waking her, letting her know that those from third year and above were allowed trips to Hogsmade on the weekends. She had tried to encourage her to come with the girls (Marlene, Mary and herself), but Sandy politely declined. Firstly, she was still putting a lot of energy on staying away from Harry's parents (which was proving to be difficult, being the roommate of one, and the other designating her his friend). Secondly, she still had some sleep to catch up from, since time-travelling. After sleeping for many, many months on a sleeping bag in the forest, under the stress of the (Second Wizarding) war, Sandy needed to catch up on some Zs. 

She woke up around lunch time, went to the Great Hall to eat, and returned to the Gryffindor tower, unsure of what to do next. That's when she came across Peter Pettigrew, alone in the common room, playing chess. Realizing that she really had not started her mission to start changing Peter's fate, Sandy decided to approach him. She couldn't keep putting it back any longer, no matter how much she wanted. "Hey, Peter... Are you playing against yourself?"

He rose his head up in surprise before nodding. "Its fun. Also, Sirius kind of gave up after three games. He's kind of a sore looser- and crappy at chess. Uses the same moves every time. Its kind of embarrassing."

Taking a seat on the opposite chair of the table, Sandy continued to try to make conversation. "And the others? You're here by yourself?"

With a shrug, Peter responded. "James dragged Sirius away to try to ask Lily out. Basically, Sirius is the wingman and moral support, not that his efforts seem to get James any close to Lily, like, ever. As for Remus, he's studying with Dorcas- a Hufflepuff girl. They often meet in the library twice a week, with one of the says in the weekend, so, now." Glancing between the chess board and Sandy, he hesitantly asked. "Hey, I've never played against you. Want to show me what you're made of? You know how to play?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm decent, I guess. But, I could never beat my friend, Ron. He was the best at chess." And so, they began placing the pieces in their respective places, to start a new game. 

"After you," He offered, gesturing at her to begin with the first move. Sandy did as told, not so much interested in the game itself. However, it gave her an excuse to try to get close to him, and learn how he was during his younger years. From her understanding, Peter's betrayal had hurt tremendously; not just due to the deaths he indirectly caused, but because apparently he was very close to them. He had been trusted as the Secret Keeper for a reason. If this was the case, then he must not have been that bad before switching sides. So, Sandy had proposed to herself to keep him on the good side. As she thought of this, Peter's voice interrupted her. "Check mate."

Baffled, she blinked away, trying to remove the illusion before her eyes. However, after a second or two, Sandy realized that it was no mere hallucination. He had beat her in less then ten moves. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Check mate? It means you lost."

"I know what it means. Just- how?" She shook her head quite harshly, wanting another chance to prove her worth. "You know what? Lets try again. I clearly wasn't paying enough attention."

A small grin escaped him, as he proceeded to position the chess pieces again. "Happy to, as many times as you want."

"I only need one more."