Breaking Black (A Sirius Black Love Story)

Chapter 53

You'd think that after the cuddly and romantic season of winter was over, I'd finally let go of my forbidden crush on Sirius Black. Maybe I'd convince myself that being just friends was in my best interest and stop getting butterflies whenever he was a foot away from me.

But no.

Spring fever had me going crazy, along with everything else on my mind, like O.W.L.s, the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup against Ravenclaw, and that answer I was supposed to give to Dumbledore about the Order of the Phoenix. At least I had Sirius back by my side, more or less, actually acting like my friend, sadly nothing more.

On a sunny day in May, Sirius and I were 'studying' on the lawn. He was lying on his back, using his potions book to block out the sun and I sat next to him, blowing dandelions over a piece of parchment for my final herbology essay. Every now and then, Sirius would lean over to his notes and add a potion ingredient to the list before turning back to his reading.

"Padfoot, those aren't the ingredients for the Draught of Living Death." I sighed and scooted closer to him, taking his quill out of his fingers. My hand grazed his and he tensed up at my touch and moved away a bit, studying me as I crossed out and changed multiple ingredients on his list. It hurt a bit that he thought he had to distance himself from me.

"There." I sighed and backed away from him, seemingly putting him at ease. "You're welcome."

"Thanks." Sirius whispered and went back to his reading. I tried not to notice or take it the wrong way, but Sirius kept shooting me sideways glances every time he turned a page. Instead of sweetly smiling at him, I forced myself to keep staring at my essay or watch the tiny white dandelion seeds fall on my paper.

"I don't get why I need to study these things, I've already gotten a job offer! I could get Dreadfuls on all of my exams and be completely fine!" Sirius grumbled and slammed his book shut. He sat up and stole my essay, scanning it over and clucking his tongue. "Horrible. You're going to get all Dreadfuls too, just not by choice."

"I hate you." I laughed and stole my bad essay back. I'm sure whatever job Sirius was offered wasn't as great as my exclusive one for the Order of the Phoenix. "A job offer? Now that you mention it, I have a job offer too!"

"Mine is probably better."

"No! Mine is- well, I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it."

"Neither am I! But I'm sure my job is better than yours... Dumbledore only offered it to three people. Very secret offer, you see."

Realization hit me. Sirius had the same job offer I got. We were two of the fifth years asked to be in the Order of the Phoenix!

"The Order of the Phoenix!" I gasped and Sirius gaped at me. "Dumbledore asked you to be in it too?!"

"No way! You were one of the three?! Did you say yes?"

"No... Still thinking about it... Did you?" I asked. Sirius sighed and brushed the dandelion seeds off his paper.

"Still thinking about it... Because if I accepted, I'd have to turn Reg in, wouldn't I?" Sirius shook his head. "I just can't believe we could be in it together! He asked you too!"

"Well, I'm just as great as you are! What did you think my job offer was?"

"Prostitution?" Sirius joked. I lunged forward to punch him in the arm, but he leaned back down and I started to roll down the dandelion covered hill. If I was going down, he was going down with me, so I pulled his arm and we went somersaulting down the hill together. Sirius and I fell in a heap at the bottom of the hill, our limbs tangled and clouds of dandelion seeds floating wildly around us.