Obsession • Sirius Black

Chapter 19

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, hitting my face like a cruel prank. I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head, but the sound of Marlene rummaging through her drawers was impossible to ignore.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she chirped, far too cheerful for someone who had been chugging firewhisky the night before.

"How are you so alive right now?" I mumbled, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"Because I'm built different." She winked at me, then grabbed a pair of fluffy socks from her drawer and sat cross-legged on her bed. "Besides, you're the one who should be bouncing off the walls after last night."

I peeked out from under the blanket. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, don't play dumb," Marlene said, smirking. "You and Black. All those stolen looks, that weird little dance you were doing with each other. I could cut the tension between you with a knife. Honestly, it was exhausting to watch."

"It wasn't a dance, it was an interruption," I said, sitting up and glaring at her.

The memories came rushing back. Gideon had been about to kiss me, his face inching closer, when Black stepped in. Gideon and I had always flirted, sneaking off to make out at parties, but Black had never stopped him before—not like that.

Why did he have to be like this? Sirius Black was nothing but trouble, and yet he was always on my mind. One moment, he was infuriating—arrogant, smug, and completely insufferable. The next, he'd do something unexpected, like stepping in that night with Gideon, and I couldn't figure out why. Was it jealousy? Concern? And why did I even care? Gideon was fun, easy. Sirius was... complicated. He had this way of looking at me, like he knew every secret I tried to hide, and it terrified me as much as it thrilled me. I hated him for it. Or at least, I wanted to. But deep down, I wasn't sure I could.

Marlene grinned knowingly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Call it what you want, but it was something. Even Lily agrees."

At the sound of her name, Lily turned from her desk, where she was writing a letter. "Hmm? Oh, yes. It was very something."

I groaned and flopped back onto the bed. "You two are insufferable."

"Only because we care," Lily said sweetly, standing up and handing me a glass of water and a headache potion.

"Thanks," I muttered, grateful despite my embarrassment.

***

The common room was buzzing with activity. Gryffindors were sprawled out on sofas, playing games, laughing, and nursing their hangovers. I was curled up in an armchair by the fire, a book on my lap that I didn't have the energy to read.

Marlene and Lily were sitting on the floor near the coffee table, their heads bent together as they looked through Marlene's rather large collection of Chocolate Frog cards.

"Did you really bring all of them with you to Hogwarts?" Lily asked, laughing.

"Obviously," Marlene said, flipping through her stack. "How else am I supposed to trade for the rare ones?"

"You're incorrigible," Lily said, shaking her head, but her smile betrayed her amusement.

I couldn't help but watch them with a small smile of my own.

"Oi, Parker!"

The smile immediately dropped.

I looked up to see James striding over, a cocky grin on his face. "Care to join us for a game of Exploding Snap? Or are you too busy daydreaming about a certain someone?"

Merlin help me. Could they not find something else to gossip about? I told myself it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't a big deal. It wasn't a big deal. But the butterflies in my stomach said otherwise, and that was not a good sign.

"James," Lily warned, giving him a look.

"What? I'm just saying—"

"Say one more word, and I'll hex you," she interrupted, her tone sharp but her eyes sparkling with amusement. She was trying to act as if she still hated his guts but it wasn't believable. Lily was never a good liar and her face told all the truth it needed to.

James held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll behave. For now." He winked at her before flopping onto the couch and pulling out a deck of cards.

Sirius appeared a moment later, plopping himself on the arm of my chair. "He's right, you know. You've been awfully quiet today, Sophia. Thinking about me, perhaps?"

I rolled my eyes. "You wish."

"Oh, come on, you were practically drooling over me last night." He announced smugly, leaning in ever so slightly.

"You're imagining things," I said, though my cheeks betrayed me by flushing pink.

"Am I?" he asked, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "Because I distinctly remember a certain someone staring at me like I hung the moon last night."

My stomach flipped, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of a response. Instead, I grabbed a cushion and threw it at him, earning a laugh from the group.

I had to remind myself that Black didn't have feelings for me. To him, I was just another challenge to conquer. I'd been forgetting that lately—getting lost in my stupid, traitorous feelings.

***

The sun had set, and the common room was quieter now. The "ickle firsties" as Peeves would say, had gone to bed, leaving just a handful of us lounging around.

Sirius was perched by the window, his silhouette illuminated by the moonlight. He had a cigarette in hand, and I couldn't help but notice how his rings glinted in the low light.

"Don't set the curtains on fire," I said as I walked over to him.

He glanced at me, a smirk playing on his lips. "You wound me, Parker. I'd never be so careless."

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the window frame. "You're awfully smug today."

"Can you blame me?" he asked, his tone light but his eyes serious. "I'm rubbing off on you, Parker, admit it."

I opened my mouth to retort, but the words caught in my throat. There was something in his gaze—something unspoken but undeniable.

"You're insufferable," I said finally, turning away before he could see how much he affected me.

"Maybe," he said, his voice softer now. "But you don't seem to mind."

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Author's Note: I know this is so short and probably quite shit but i wanted to give you guys something i'm so bad at updating. Any specific scenes you want please comment or message me!!