Marauders - Always - Part One

CXCIV: SIRIUS BLACK!!!!

Sirius Black lay sprawled on the floor in front of the hearth. Oliver Kent sat bolt upright in the bed, staring directly into Sirius's grey eyes, neither of them daring to move. The green of the floo powder in the fire burned off and the fire turned yellow, the connection to Gryffindor common room severed. Sirius had, for a fleeting, wild second, thought about rolling into the fire and falling through onto the common room floor. He could get lost in the walls of Hogwarts faster than anywhere else on earth - escaping a bunch of Gryffindor kids was much easier than getting out of Hogsmeade without getting apprehended. Especially when he was on the second floor of an in with an internationally famous Quidditch star who was known for his insane ability to catch things... but that chance was gone with the fading of the floo and Sirius lay there, still, half hoping Oliver was still drunk enough to believe he was seeing things.

"Sirius Black?" Oliver whispered with confusion, then, with an old, curious familiarity. "Sirius Black?" Then, with new, Ministry fear-mongered conditioning, "SIRIUS BLACK!!!"

That last one was screamed.

Sirius rolled, grabbing his wand from the floor where it had slid away from him during his chat with Harry and aimed for Oliver's mouth. "Silencio!" he hissed and a jet of light hit Oliver, relieving him of his voice, cutting him off with a strangled half "SIRIU---!" Sirius turned and struck the door with a colloportus, and rolled to his feet. Oliver scrambled backwards across the mattress, kicking at the bedding until his back hit the headboard, fear etching every one of his features, his mouth still silently forming the name over and over again as though screaming from a silent film screen.

"Shut up!" Sirius growled, leaping across the room in a couple quick bounds and grabbing onto Oliver's shoulder with one hand and clapping his palm over Oliver's mouth with the other, as though he needed to back up the silencio physically. "Stop that. Do you want the entire bloody wizarding world to hear you?!" he hissed, glaring at the door, then back at Oliver.

Oliver nodded.

"Well I don't want them to," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes. "Now listen, I know what you think, but I'm not going to murder you or whatever dramatic shit is going through that ickle seagull brain of yours."

It had been ages since Oliver Kent had been referred to as an ickle seagull. He stared up at Sirius over the side of Sirius's hand, his eyes wide with the shock of the memory.

"If I was going to murder you," Sirius said pragmatically, "Wouldn't you think I'd have done it already and got it over with instead of fucking about with your floo? Wouldn't you think I'd have gut you like a fish while you lay there all passed out and avoided all this messy screaming nonsense?"

Oliver considered this, then nodded.

"Yeah, see? So clearly I'm not planning to murder you," Sirius said.

Oliver wriggled his face out from under Sirius's palm and his mouth flapped soundlessly with questions. Sirius squinted, trying to read his lips, but he was never much good at that and he sighed. "If I undo the silencio -- do you solemnly swear not to go on with the screeching?"

Oliver nodded.

Sirius studied him, trying to decide whether to trust Oliver or not, then finally aimed a muffling charm at the wall and a finite at Oliver's mouth.

Oliver coughed with the return of free flowing wind in his voice box and looked up at Sirius, incredulous.

"Speak," Sirius commanded.

Oliver prodded his throat with his fingers, soothing the glottal ache from the sudden stop of words when Sirius had cast the spell, and asked, looking around, "Where's my dog?"