Stars | Sirius Black |

Chapter Two

"Pain of the mind is worse than pain of the body." ~ Publilius Syrus

Tiombe's P. O. V.

No, no, Tiombe thought. I can't deal with this right now. Caleb started to move closer, closing the compartment door behind him. His face split into a grin at her visible discomfort. He took his time as he walked, whistling a little tune to himself, all the while his eyes danced with pure delight as Tiombe squirmed in obvious discomfort beneath his gaze.

Once he reached the bench, he sat down next to her, his leg brushing hers. He was so close that she could feel the breath on her neck, could feel the heat radiating off him. She shivered, and not from the cold air of the compartment. Please, she thought. Please just let someone come, anyone. Just please get me out of here. She wasn't prepared to deal with him right now, she needed more time to prepare herself, she wasn't ready. Not mentally, and definitely not emotionally.

Just as he opened his mouth to say something, someone opened the compartment door and then slid it shut, immediately collapsing against it. Caleb paused, his mouth open. He quickly shut it, and then looked back and forth between the boy, who was now rolled into a ball on the floor, clutching his head and letting out small whimpering noises, to Tiombe, who was still shaking in the corner, and then stood up. He took a few steps towards her and then leaned in close. He was so close that she could smell the faint scent of tobacco on his breath, and could feel the pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket.

"Meet me at the carriages once the train stops. Okay." He emphasized the last word, telling her that he wasn't asking.

"O-ok-kay." She managed to squeak out, still visibly shaking. He smiled, then walked towards the compartment door and left. Once the door clicked shut, Tiombe sighed in relief and released some of the tension in her shoulders. He's gone. You don't have to deal with him for the rest of the train ride. But there's still this guy.

Glancing down at the stranger, she winced at what she saw. He was obviously in pain, she could tell by the small whimpering and noises of pain that escaped his mouth. He was still curled up, and still clutching his head, but he was now shaking from head to toe, like a wet dog trying to get the water off its fur. "No. No!" He yelled the last word, and then he started crying. Well, sobbing was a better word for it. The sobs racked his body, making the shaking worse, and each time they escaped his mouth it sounded like a piece of him escaped with it.

Unsure of what to do, Tiombe stood in silence, but once the sobs started she just couldn't bear it anymore and made her way over to him. Kneeling down next to him, she was about to touch him but stopped herself at the last moment. I can't do this. I don't even know him, I can't just try to comfort him. He's a complete stranger. How can I comfort someone when I don't know how to?

Tiombe was so caught up in her own thoughts that she almost didn't hear the cry of pain that escaped the strangers lips. But she did catch it, and without any hesitation this time she reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder.

Instantly his head snapped up, and upon seeing her, he nearly jumped a mile. He jumped away from her, and then quickly recovered himself.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm Tiombe. Are you-". But she never got to finish her sentence as he all of a sudden shot up and bolted out of the compartment, slamming the door behind him.

What an odd guy, she thought. I wonder what was wrong. I hope he's alright. I didn't even get his name.

Suddenly, she noticed out of the corner of her eye a flash of silver. Upon looking closer, she saw that it was a watch.

It must be his watch. I'll have to return it to him somehow. Picking it up and placing it in her pocket, she spent the rest of the train ride in peace, with no one but her thoughts to bother her.

¶€¶

Sirius' P. O. V.

Ow. That was the first word that came to mind after he left the compartment. He was still recovering, still shaking, though not as badly, and breathing heavily, as if he'd just run a marathon.

It's getting worse. That was the only thought on his mind as he stumbled about, not really knowing where he was going and not really caring. That had been one of the worse ones. Normally it wasn't as bad. It'd only last thirty seconds to a minute or two, and then it would be over. His friends had told him that when it happened, he'd do one of two things. Either he'd start shaking and clutch his head like before, or he'd sit still and rigid, as if he had just seen a ghost.

I might as well have. But don't ghosts have to be dead? And in the past? Unfortunately, the people that haunted him weren't dead. They were alive and breathing.

At least you don't have to see them everyday. At least now you'll get a break. A voice chided in his head.

Ha. He internally laughed at that. Don't have to see them everyday, I beg to differ. Even though I don't see them in person, I still see them everyday. It never ends. I never get a break. So don't insult me with your words. At that, the voice in his head left.

Coming back to reality, Sirius realized that he had no idea where on the train he was. He had just been walking and walking and then...

Bloody stupid. I'm so bloody stupid! I should have been paying more attention!

Sighing, he turned around and started down the corridor, hoping to find his way back before the train ride ended.

¶€¶

After three awkward encounters and five dead ends, Sirius finally found his way back to the compartment with his friends in it.

Opening the compartment door, he strutted in and sat down in the empty seat next to Remus, offering absolutely no explanation as to where he had been and why he had been gone for so long.

"Where have you been mate?" asked James, a worried expression on his face.

"Oh you know. Here and there." He replied with a classic smirk. He didn't feel like talking about the episode, he didn't want them to worry about him. Leaning his head back onto the leather of the seat, he said, "Really though guys. I just decided to go for a walk and got a bit distracted. Lost track of time. Speaking of which, what time is it, I seem to have lost my watch."

"It's 5:38 mate. We should be arriving soon." Remus replied, giving him a look that said, 'I totally don't believe you and we'll be talking about this later'.

"'Kay, thanks mate." Sirius said, giving him a look that said, 'There's nothing to talk about, and even if there was, you'll have to catch me first'.

"Oi! Will you two stop acting like a bunch of lovebirds with your little telepathic thing! It's getting annoying. And it's not like you two are the only ones that can do that, come on Peter, let's do whatever that is!" James exclaimed and then proceeded to look very intensely into Peter's eyes, all the while Peter sat looking at James, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing.

Eventually, James started to make weird facial expressions too, and Sirius couldn't hold in the laughter anymore. He burst out laughing, and soon the whole compartment was filled with roaring laughter.