BOOKWORM [Sirius Black] [DISCONTINUED]

[F I F T E E N]

THE NEXT COUPLE days for Maia were horrible. Lily apologised as soon as she stopped hanging around the Marauders and they were all happy chappy together, but everything between Sirius and Maia was not alright.

He ignored her. Which she was not alright with. Nobody wants to be ignored. Yet she caught him looking at her he thought she wasn't paying any attention to him. That gave her at least some hope that they could be friends.

In Potions class, she tried to speak to him but it came out in brisk, final answers. He - for once in his life - focused on the school work instead of girls. In the halls he was the quiet one, looking at the floor. James always looked at the two and wished that Lily didn't make her decide.

A week later, Lily and Maia were talking idly while passing to the next class. Maia quickly glanced at the window. It was a light drizzle outside - Maia thought that was the perfect weather - and she wanted nothing but to stay in her bed and read with a cup of coffee and pat Matilda. Looking away, she heard a group of normally loud boys pass.

"Hey Lily!" James smiled at her. "Go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Lily looked at him with disgust before retorting an answer. Maia just looked at the ground, wishing that this quarrel would be over soon. Looking up when she felt eyes on her, she locked eyes with her ex friend. He had a dull pain in his eyes. Instead of the brilliant silver like that he had normally; he had a stormy grey. He looked deflated.

They locked eyes, and it was safe to say that they both couldn't look away. It was a a dreary magnetic force that kept them together. In his eyes it was almost an apology. His hair fell neatly on his shoulders in soft waves. He gulped - his adams-apple bobbing up and down. Maia felt her tears resurface so she blinked them away and looked them away. Seeing that Lily and James were still lighting, she grabbed Lily's wrist. Lily immediately looked to her just in time to see a rebel tear slide down her cheek.

Lily's eyes widened - as did Sirius'. Letting go Lily's wrist, she ran away, her hair flowing behind her. Lily shouted behind her to wait but she kept running.

Dodging people in the busy hall, she quickly turned left and jogged up two corridors before bursting through the doors leading outside. Running and running, she collapsed and slid down a mossy brick wall covered by a light shelter. The tears kept coming, clouding her vision. Fiercely rubbing her cheeks, she sniffed. She only had one question:

Why did she miss him so much?

The answer was hard to her.

A couple of months ago, if she was in the same situation, she'd be jumping with joy. He was ignoring her. Leaving her alone. She would be at peace. Yet, there she was - crying her heart out about a boy who she hated for years previous.

Perhaps it was the fact that he offered her support. A different opinion than Lily's.

Maybe it was the fact that he made her feel pretty. He would always compliment her and she would feel like a million dollars.

But the main reason was unclear. She shouldn't miss him that much, but she did. If Leena ignored her, she'd be a little wounded but she wouldn't cry. Leena complimented her and she was another opinion.

She stayed in a fetus position for what seemed like hours - watching the rain splatter on the ground and the trees sway slightly in the breeze. She was in silence for that long that she jumped when she heard a voice.

"Hey," Leena sat down next to her. "I heard about what happened."

Maia nodded, sighing.

"I shouldn't be so dramatic, but-" She stopped in the middle of the sentence.

"But?" Leena urged. Maia got up off her fetus position and put her arms around her legs.

"I-I care about him, I guess." She answered. Leena looked at her.

"Do you like him?" She asked. Maia furrowed her eyebrows.

"Well, of course I do. I wouldn't be crying over him if I hated him!" Maia exclaimed. Leena chuckled and shook her head at her ignorance.

"I mean romantically. Do you fancy him?" Maia froze. She never had thought about that option.

He was quite attractive, and he was nice to her. He strived to make her smile (which most of the time he succeeded). Sirius Black was always special to her. Even since first year. He always knew exactly what to say to make her day better.

The brunette knew that she'd be lying if she said she hadn't stared at his body appreciatively.

She was attracted to him in every way.

However, was that enough to say she liked him?

"I-I don't know. I don't really know about all this romance stuff." She frowned. Leena looked up and gulped, making the hair which hung daintily on her neck fall back with her other hairs. Her eyes shone with a certain sense of remembrance.

"Liking someone is weird." She started.

"It's weird because you're so unbelievably attracted to this person that the flaws of them become so small it's practically non-existent. Which is dangerous in some cases, I suppose." Leena stopped, looking at Maia for a split second before continuing.

"They make you happy and they inspire you to do things that you wouldn't be comfortable with. They slowly but surely make you feel comfortable with yourself - and I mean inside and out - because they care about you, and they want to see you happy. You don't care about what mistakes they've made because you were the one to make everything better. You accept them and all their flaws - because you love those flaws."

"If that's what it is I'm scared to have those feelings." Maia breathed. Leena looked at her with a wise smile.

"You're not scared of those feelings," She pursed her lips. "You're scared of the feelings not being reciprocated."

"Now, I'll say it again." Maia looked at her, unable to tear her eyes from the piercing gaze Leena gave her. "Do you fancy Sirius Black?"

Apart from the slight 'pitter-patter' of the rain on the ground, it was silent for a while.

"Yes."

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**EDITED**