The Clockwork Locket || SIRIUS BLACK

The Falling Star

The castle was dark when Sirius and Cassie reentered from the grounds. The flames in the braziers lining the walls were dim and the shadows thick in the spaces where the light did not reach. Sirius swept his gaze over the entrance hall before tugging on Cassie's hand, held firm in his own, prompting her to follow him.

"Stay quiet," he said. "Filch and Mrs. Norris are bound to be lurking 'round tonight."

She gave no sign of having heard him, and he stifled a sigh. The whole night had been a complete disaster—scratch that, he thought—the whole month had been a complete disaster. Things had been complicated ever since Cassie had almost died from Veritaserum, but that night seemed to be the icing on the cake.

Sirius knew that Remus was not going to take Cassie's discovery of his secret well. As much as they had pushed him to tell her over the last few months, he had still been terrified that she would hate him. And to have her walk in on him transforming... Sirius's mouth pressed into a grim line, and he cast the silent witch a brief glance over his shoulder.

She walked with her head down, her dark hair falling into her face, tears still clinging to her lashes and cheeks. She felt awful, that much was clear; and as much as he wanted to empathize with her, his anger still took up most of his headspace. It had been Valentine's Day all over again; she could have died, and he didn't dare take that lightly. As easygoing as he had tried to sound on the way out of the tunnel under the Willow, he had nearly been shaking with fury and fear—not at her, but at himself.

He didn't know when he had promised himself to protect Cassie; perhaps it had been a subconscious vow, one that had always been there since the beginning, like when he befriended James, Remus, and Peter, but one thing that was starkly clear was that he was doing a poor job of it. Obviously, keeping her at arm's length wasn't working; Cassie Alderfair had a knack for trouble finding her wherever she went, and Sirius had to accept that that was a part of her. He didn't like it, of course, but after two near-death experiences in the last month, he realized, with no small sense of resign, that he would have to get used to it.

"How long?" she asked quietly, breaking the silence, and though her voice was a whisper, Sirius still flinched at the sound.

"How long what?" he said when she didn't elaborate.

She gestured at him vaguely. "How long have you been a...dog?"

She said it as if she still couldn't quite believe it, even though she had seen him transform before her very eyes. He found her skepticism amusing, and his mouth quirked into a wry grin as he looked back at her.

"Last summer is when we were able to shift without any problems," he said. "We first toyed with the idea starting our second year, but it wasn't until our third that we began trying in earnest."

"Oh" was all she said before falling silent once more.

They did not speak again until they had reached the Gryffindor common room, and it took Sirius several tries to awaken the Fat Lady, whose snores had been echoing down the corridor.

"Sirius Black," she said groggily when she finally woke. "I should've known. Password?"

"Virtus vero," he said, tossing her a wink for good measure, but the Fat Lady simply rolled her eyes and fell back asleep after opening her portrait.

Cassie dropped his hand as soon as they entered the dim common room, and he tried not to feel disappointed, instead watching as she rounded one of the sofas and sat down, curling her feet beneath her and staring into the dully glowing embers in the fireplace.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Waiting for Remus," she replied, her voice hollow. "I need to explain everything that happened tonight, and that I – that I don't...hate him."