GOOD DOG || Sirius Black

(Twenty Nine: Sonder)

Sonder: the realisation that everyone is living their own, vivid life.

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"So we should probably talk."

That was not what Alex Fawley wanted to hear. In her experience, the phrase 'we need to talk' could be applied to only one of three situations: She had done something her parents disapproved of, she was about to be broken up with (movie experience exclusively) or she had inadvertently messed up her potions one too many times and Slughorn was requesting a transfer to a lower year group. None of those were good.

Now, however, it was Logan Mitchell, settling himself into the chair next to her hospital bed, that voiced the Sentence of Doom out loud.

She leaned back against her stacked cushions, "Should I start running now or are you going to give me a head start? I am an invalid."

"What? No, that- that's not what I meant." Logan clarified hurriedly.

Alex looked at the ceiling, tracing patterns with her eyes in the impossible whiteness. Her potion had worn off a few hours ago, but the meds Madam Pomfrey had given her dulled the return of her anxiety a little, "Is this where you tell me you haven't forgiven me but you're very grateful or something equally as depressingly inane?"

"What's up with you?" Logan asked, frowning at her colourless tone.

"Bad day." Alex held her hand in the air, twirling her fingers experimentally, "I heard people have them."

Logan smiled cautiously, "Yeah, well, not everyone explodes half a building."

Alex's hand dropped, she turned her head so that she was facing her friend and whispered, "Very bad day."

Logan's smile grew steadily, until he was laughing in a hushed, I-shouldn't-be-doing-this sort of way. Alex couldn't help but return it. 

"I am grateful." Logan revealed at last, "And I haven't forgiven you. But I miss you, and you're my best friend. And Gideon and Fabe never talk about anything except chocolate frog cards."

Alex smiled hesitantly, "I missed you, too."

"I bloody well hope so." Logan muttered, "Or I looked a bit stupid with the whole forgiveness deal. "

"I heard Benji Fenwick got done in last week." Alex commented, more as something to say.

"The kid from charms?" Logan asked, "Shit. They're really upping it at the moment. The Death Eaters, I mean. They went after Gideon's girlfriend at Christmas too. She's not dead though. Transferred to Saint Mungo's."

There was a moment of tense silence before Alex spoke up, "So, how's Marlene?"

Logan gave her a confused expression,"Mar- Oh, the thing! Oh, we called that off weeks ago."

"Um, I'm..." Alex winced at her own inability to articulate condolences, "Sorry?"

"Nah," Logan shook his head dismissively, "We were both figuring it out. Turns out, I don't think I like girls and Marlene doesn't think she likes anybody."

Alex blinked, "That's a thing?"

"God, I forget how small the world purebloods grow up in is sometimes." Logan muttered, "Yes, that's a thing."

Alex pondered that for a moment, "Huh."

"That's it?" Logan choke-laughed incredulously, "No shock-horror? You aren't going to run get the pitch forks out?"

"Marlene's nice." Alex shrugged, "I like her."

Her friend visibly swallowed, "And me?"

Alex rolled her eyes, "Actually, I hate you. I usually commit bomb-crimb acts for people I despise."