A Circle of Flame- Sirius Black x OC

Chapter 19

"Hullo, self."

Sirius glanced over from where he was busy stuffing his mouth with caviar. The sole reason he missed the Black Manor was the extravagant food. Although nothing could best Mrs. Potter's homemade dishes.

Swinging down on the rail beside him, James leaned against the wall with a puff of his breath. "I have to say," he scanned Sirius's features critically. "You might be even more of a catch if you made the look permanent."

They ducked down as a pair of Hufflepuffs walked by with their hands entwined. Sirius made a face at Sue Aspen's back. The bloody hag was always trying to land him detention. He really hated prefects. Outside of Remus, of course.

"You should have brought the cloak." Sirius offered James a caviar cracker. His mate deftly refused, staring back into Slughorn's quarters.

Looking over his shoulder, Sirius watched as Slughorn introduced some wizened old man to Snivellus. The Slytherin appeared as greasy and unpleasant as always. His long bangs hung in front of his eyes and nearly grazed his nose.

"I'm never going to get her, am I?"

Sirius glanced over, rather confused until he caught the crushed expression on James's face. A stab of sympathy hit his chest. "Mate, you never know." He hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Was he a terrible friend for not encouraging James to move on? At this rate, Sirius highly doubted the redhead would take to his fancy.

Popping off the top of a flask, James took a long swig. From the way he scrunched his nose, it was clearly stronger than Butterbeer. "I've got no shot. If anything, she's been flat distant lately. She doesn't even yell at me anymore." This fact evidently made the Gryffindor distressed. He watched as a Ravenclaw and Natalie Owens embraced a few meters in front of them.

Sirius offered the Gryffindor chaser a slight grin when he caught her eye. Natalie frowned and tossed her braid over her shoulder, deftly ignoring him. She had hated him ever since he had walked in on her in the changing rooms. It really had been an accident, he went no younger than fifth years, but Sirius didn't blame her for not believing him. He had carved out the reputation.

"Mate, what if," Sirius paused, wanting to let James down easily. "What if there's someone out there who's more meant for you?"

There was a slight pause as James slumped to the side. The torchlight above glimmered and revealed the remnants of liquor on his chin. Letting out a groan, James promptly rolled over so that his face was buried in the cobblestones. "But we're SOULMATES, Pads."

"Prongs, soulmates are a load of rubbish." Sirius wrinkled his nose distastefully. "Look at Burgers and her husband," he didn't bother to address his parents by title. "They both hate the world," he held up a finger, "look down their nose at anyone but Voldemort and the Malfoys," another finger went into the air, "and enjoy spending their time torturing innocents or pursuing the latest societal headline. I've never seen a pair of people more destined for each other." Running his hand through his locks, Sirius nearly forgot that he was still in James's form. No wonder Natalie had looked at him so oddly.

James leaned up just enough to lift his chin from the ground. The imprint of the cobblestones had begun to sink into his cheek. "Your parents are cousins. Doesn't count."

"Second cousins," Sirius whined. He really didn't enjoy thinking about his family tree. If he was lucky, Grimmauld Place would burn down someday. Preferably with Kreacher inside.

"Still, what would you know about love? No offense," James quickly added, finally twisting over so that he lay on his back. "But all you know is a good shag. And I don't even know if they're good. I mean you've been with snakes." The disgruntled look on James's face said enough.

Patting the pocket of his dress robes, Sirius desperately hoped for a cigarette. Of course, he hadn't managed to stash any into the servant's costume. His hands twitched uncomfortably, and Sirius grunted with annoyance. His features were beginning to bubble back to their normal state.

"You never know til you try." Sirius paused, enjoying the mortification in his friend's eyes. Sometimes he wondered if James was a bigger prude than Moony. "Snakes are.. slippery."

"MY EARS!"

He narrowly dodged James's wand as the Gryffindor flung it at his skull.

"Siriusly, mate," James shook his head. "Are you ever going to settle down?"

For a moment, Sirius had no response. Instead, they leaned back against the rail. The window several paces in front of them was wide enough to let in a wash of moonlight. The moon was nearly full and at a worrying stage. Remus had little time until his night of madness.

"I don't think so."

A rare heaviness hung in the air between the boys as Sirius continued. "You, Wormy, and Moony are the only people who truly know me. Everyone else?" he shrugged, staring out at the night sky. He could just make out the Leo constellation. "They get an act. Maybe a shadow if they're lucky."

He felt James's hand on his shoulder and turned to see the Gryffindor looking at him with concern. It was the same expression Euphemia Potter had worn the day he had appeared on their doorstep. "That's no way to live."

Sirius offered him a half-hearted grin. "But it is a way not to get hurt."