At Face Value - Sirius Black x OC

Chapter 5

(A/N Took me long enough.. but I had this draft unpublished and I'm putting it up while I figure out if I should come back to this story, and back to Wattpad in general. Let me know what you think!)

When Janus woke up three days later her first visitor was Headmaster Dumbledore. There were others begging to see her, including Chester, Plutus, Peter, and more.

She nearly bolted straight up in her bed, but her aching stomach protested. She gave him a weak smile and shrunk into her bed. 

"Chocolate?" He offered her a bar of chocolate, which she politely declined. He seemed not to notice her turning red.

"...Headmaster?"

"Ah call me Dumbledore please, Janus."

She didn't listen. "Sir, I mean no disrespect but what are you doing here?"

"Oh none taken my dear. I'm here to eat some chocolate of course."

She saw through his innocent elderly appeal and thinly veiled lie. "What are you really doing here Headmaster?" She lowered her voice and looked him seriously in the eye. 

He continued to eat his chocolate with a seemingly nonchalance. "Your friend Remus rather likes chocolate as well. Although he only eats it for about a week a month."

"What?"

"Nothing my dear, you'll find out for yourself soon enough."

"Find out what?"

"Well find out who tried to poison you of course."

She nearly jumped again. She wasn't sure if it was out of fear or shock. "What does that have to do with Remus?"

"Well he is the one that first came to me with the thought, but I was already suspecting that someone had targetted you."

"What does that have to do with Remus and chocolate? Earlier you mentioned that he likes chocolate."

"Oh that was a different topic entirely."

Janus didn't press further. There was a certain stubbornness behind his piercing eyes and pale, wrinkled face, as well as an indecipherable knowledge. He knew something that she didn't and he wasn't about to tell her. 

"Have you found out who it was who poisoned me?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

He looked her in the eye with a gentle seriousness. "That's why I'm here."

"I thought it was for the chocolate," She said with a small smile. It felt good to hear him laugh. It was genuine and hearty and for a moment the air was light before it became dense again. 

"What we do know is that it isn't lead that poisoned you. The symptoms were remarkably similar but far more severe."

"What was it then?"

"A truly remarkable form of magic. It may even be a new curse, all of our staff is looking into it now."

Janus almost smiled with the idea that she was important enough to call the attention of all the professors in the school.

"Back to who poisoned me," She started but he interrupted.

"Ah eager are we?"

"Simply curious sir," She paused for a moment. "Or maybe it's fear."

"Both I suspect," He nodded thoughtfully and Janus stayed quiet, hoping he would say more. "How do you suppose we figure out who poisoned you?"

She shrunk down low and pulled her sheets up. "Oh I don't think I'm-"