Harry Potter and the Berserker

Chapter 46

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.

How long had he been here? How long had he been sitting? How long had it been since he had closed the curtains to block out the sun? All those questions were pushed to the back of Sirius' mind as he combed through book after book in the Black Family Library. The collection of texts and tomes mainly consisted of dark spells passed down through each generation of Black. He hadn't wanted to be back here so soon after finding the text for the ritual he and Moony performed, he had done enough reading then, and he hadn't wanted to see another book again for a good long while. Maybe it was punishment for slacking during his Hogwarts days.

His eyes felt heavy as they skimmed over another passage of the book he was reading. Nothing. Again. With a lazy flick of his wand, Sirius sent the book back to where it once rested on the shelf. One. There has to be at least one.

There was a creak of a door being opened. "Sirius?" Lupin's voice called into the room.

Sirius nonchalantly waved a hand. "Present and accounted for." Another book was summoned to the desk at which he sat.

"How long have you been up?" Lupin must have taken notice of his bloodshot eyes.

"Never went to sleep." Sirius directed his attention to the table of contents for his newest research.

"You haven't slept since Harry was brought back?" Lupin sounded alarmed. "Sirius, that was three days ago. How are you even holding it together?"

Sirius gave a ghostly smile that would have better suited him if he was still locked up in Azkaban Prison. "Muggle coffee works wonders when mixed with the proper potion."

"If that was the case, you would be bouncing around the walls in a frenzy. Perhaps your elf brewed it wrong?"

"He probably forgot to add the sweetener, but I'm glad you're here. I could use your help."

"Too right you are." Lupin didn't go to pull up a chair, he pulled the curtains aside, letting sunlight shine through at last. Sirius nearly hissed at the sight, covering his sensitive eyes from the near-blinding light pouring in. "Were you bitten by a vampire last I saw you?"

"If I was, sleep wouldn't be an issue now, would it?" Sirius drew the curtains to a more comfortable setting. "But now that you're here you can help me sort through these." He levitated a stack of books to the corner of the desk.

"And what project are you working on this time?" Lupin questioned, reading the title of the top one. "Mystic Mind Arts by Anastasia Greengrass." The text dated back to when the Black and Greengrass alliance was strong, probably written by the Greengrass the both of them attended Hogwarts with.

"Two projects actually," Sirius clarified, levitating a stack of history books up as well. "Take your pick, what stack do you want?"

"What I want is to make sure that you are okay," Lupin grabbed him by the shoulders, easing him down to sit back down at the desk. "You do know that I have duties to attend back at Hogwarts, don't you?"

"So take the day off," Sirius offered a solution. "Imagine how we would have reacted if we found out class was canceled for a day."

"How you and James would have reacted?" Lupin specified.

"You honestly expect me to believe with all that's happening kids are going to care if a class is being held? How many students showed up when news of Harry being back was announced?"

"Per class or total?"

"Surprise me." Sirius took a sip of his coffee and potion mix.

"...Three. Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood. And speaking of which – look at that." A copy of the Quibbler dropped on the desk. "It would appear Miss. Lovegood is more knowledgeable about this Midland than any of us."