tangled hearts

||13|| - Surprise

||13|| - Surprise

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Sirius frowned, crossing his arms as we walked back from the black lake. "You can't stay another hour?" Sirius says.

"I told him id be with him all day, Sirius. I won't be back until later, around 8 probably."

"All day, Claire? You spend every weekend with him."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It's not like I'm ditching you guys forever. It's just one day."

"Feels like more than that," Sirius grumbled, casting a glance at James and Remus, who exchanged knowing looks. "You're always with him now."

I stopped walking and turned to face him, my frustration bubbling up. "You know it's not like that. I just... I'm trying to balance things, okay?"

Sirius huffed but didn't say anything. Remus stepped in, ever the peacemaker. "Look, Claire's not disappearing. She's got her own life. Let her do her thing for the day. Besides, we've got the whole night, right?"

"I guess," Sirius muttered, though he still looked unconvinced.

"Come on, Padfoot. You're being dramatic," Remus added, giving him a light shove on the shoulder. "She'll be back before you know it."

I glanced at Sirius again, feeling a pang of guilt. As much as I enjoyed spending time with Evan, it was hard seeing the tension it created between me and the marauders, especially Sirius. He had a way of making everything personal.

"Look," I said softly, placing a hand on his arm. "I promise we'll hang out later. You, me, all of us. It's not like I'm cutting you off, alright?"

Sirius's eyes softened just a bit, but the stubbornness was still there. "Fine. But don't expect me to wait up."

"You say that now," I teased, stepping back. "I'll see you guys later."

With that, I hurried off toward the courtyard where Evan was waiting. As I left the castle and made my way outside, the wind picked up, carrying with it the faint scent of autumn. Evan stood leaning against one of the stone columns, looking out over the grounds, a smile lighting up his face as soon as he saw me.

"Hey, you made it," he greeted, walking over to meet me halfway.

"Of course," I said, feeling a little lighter now that I was away from the tension. "You ready for our day?"

Evan nodded, slipping his hand into mine as we walked toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where the grounds dipped down into a small meadow. "I have something special planned."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"It's a surprise." He smiled, and we continued our walk in comfortable silence, the castle shrinking in the distance behind us.

After a while, we reached a quiet spot just on the edge of the forest, where a blanket was already spread out beneath the shade of a towering tree. Evan gestured toward it with a proud smile. "Picnic?"

I couldn't help but grin. "You really thought of everything, didn't you?"

"I try," he said, his tone playful but sincere. He sat down, pulling me with him onto the blanket. The tension from earlier began to fade away as we settled into the peaceful surroundings. The sun was warm on our faces, the air filled with the soft rustle of leaves and the occasional call of a distant bird.

For a while, we just talked—about classes, Quidditch, and everything in between. There was a comfort in being with Evan that was different from the marauders. With them, it was all jokes and chaos, but here, it was calm. I could breathe.