Lady Lion [Sirius Black] [DISCONTINUED]

XI

Callie had not mentioned Sirius' outburst to anybody else when she came back to the common the previous night; it really wasn't that big of a deal, and Callie didn't want things that upset her to become a burden on anybody else. Instead, she claimed that she was tired and went straight up to the dorms.

The next morning was a Saturday, which Callie was grateful for. She wanted to ease back into being at Hogwarts, instead of being thrown into classes again. Plus, Callie was looking forward to meeting up with Severus for tutoring- he was much more mild than her usual group of friends, so it was a nice break from the craziness she usually was involved with.

Severus and Callie had decided to meet up early in the morning- or rather, early for a Saturday- because the library would be much less crowded. Callie was pleased with it being early in the morning for more reasons than an empty library. She wouldn't have to see the boys, specifically the Devastation Twins, because they would be sleeping instead. Whenever Callie was going to meet up with Severus, Sirius and James would make remarks about him, which Peter quickly followed.

Callie walked quietly down the dormitory stairs. It was eerily quiet in the common room, compared to the normal rowdiness that it held most days, especially after Quidditch games. When it was empty, the common room even looked different. One was typically blinded by shades of orange and red as light reflected off the fire-colored wallpaper, but in the early morning the house's colors were much less prominent. The light coming in from the windows brought a calming white and yellow tone to the room that normally would have gone unnoticed if the room wasn't empty. The only sound that could be heard by Callie was the crackling of coals in the fireplace. She stood next to one of the many chairs in the common room, taking in her surroundings. Being in the common room alone was a rare event, and she wanted to take a moment to enjoy the serenity.

"Hey."

Callie jumped at the unexpected voice, letting out a small scream. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she couldn't catch her breath for a moment. So much for being alone.

"W-What the hell?" Callie breathed out, looking for the source of the voice. Nobody was in her sight as she looked around frantically. It was too real of a voice for her to have been hearing things. Her gaze shifted over to one of the couches as Sirius sat up. "What, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Not yet, little lion. Sorry." He said. His voice was monotone.

"What are you even doing awake? On weekends, you and the rest of your little group always stay asleep until noon at the very least." Callie asked, sitting down next to him. She finally was able to get her heart rate back to normal, but her breathing was still heavy from being scared so badly.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came down here. It's peaceful here in the morning." He answered, rubbing his eyes. Callie was silent, letting the calmness of the common room surround her as it had before Sirius first spoke.

"Look, Callie," Sirius began. Callie knew where he was going- he was going to bring up their conversation yesterday- and she wasn't sure if she wanted to necessarily hear it. She remained silent however, letting him continue on. "I don't know what came over me yesterday. My family makes me a different person."

"Yeah, you told me about it yesterday." Callie responded.

"But I'm really sorry about what I said to you. It was rude. You wanted to help me, but I was stuck in my own miserable world. I didn't want help, but it wasn't bad of you to offer it."

"It's okay."

"I didn't mean what I said, about you being a 'little miss perfect' and stuff." He added.