Coming Together ༄ Sirius Black

Chapter Sixty Eight

September 20th 1979

Sirius was once again at an utter loss for words. It was becoming a common occurrence that he wasn't entirely comfortable with.

Asteria's cheeks flushed red, her fingers tapping repeatedly on her thighs as she glanced around the room. It was bizarre to see her in such a state. Over time, Sirius had grown to become familiar with an Asteria that simply nobody else got the pleasure to see.

If Asteria was in his company she would take on an unfathomable level of confidence and determination. Yet when left to her own devices, or when surrounded by unfamiliar people, Asteria would drastically withdraw back into her shell again.

Sirius didn't know whether to be filled with pride at the idea that he brought Asteria such joy and comfort, or to feel bad that she was still so insecure and unsure of herself.

It would be untrue to say Sirius hadn't tried to boost Asteria's confidence. But he really didn't want to overstep a line or push the girl too far - resulting in a fallout.

So instead, Sirius simply grinned to himself. He slipped his hand into Asteria's lap, her fingers instantly holding onto him to stop her fidgeting. This seemed to bring the girl some ease as she leant slightly into the boy's side with a small smile tugging at her own lips.

"What are you worrying about?" He asked.
"I'm not worrying about anything."

"Okay... What are you overthinking?"
"Probably everything."

Asteria laughed quietly, turning her head to look up at Sirius. He truly felt like he'd been hit over the head with a stunning spell. The way her eyes glistened somewhat, or a wisp of her blonde hair fell in front of her eyes, or her lips turned upwards to reveal a dimple in one of her cheeks. His girlfriend was stunning beyond comparison.

"How long before it's socially acceptable for me to leave?" Asteria asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Leave it to me."

Sirius stood up from his seat, giving Asteria's hand one last squeeze before letting go and moving through the crowd to the other side of the room.

"Prongs, I think we're going to bow out." Sirius mumbled in James' ear.

James whipped around to face his best friend, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "It's your birthday party? Early... but still your birthday party. Why leave so soon?"
Sirius glanced back to see Asteria still sat alone against the wall, her eyes glued to the floor as she hugged herself. "I feel a bit ill so it's probably best I don't hang around." He explained with a slight shrug.

"Is that code for Ria wanting to go?" James chuckled lightheartedly, nudging Sirius with his elbow.

"No. Ri would love to stay but I don't really fancy throwing up on anybody tonight." Sirius shook his head.

"Don't our parties normally end up with one of us being sick?" James smirked, running a hand through his hair to mess it up.
"Not this time. Or at least I won't be here to witness it." Sirius laughed, "See you later, mate."

"Happy birthday, Pads. See you." James nodded once before turning back around to continue showing off to the crowd of people that had previously gathered around him.

Slowly, Asteria rose from her seat as she saw Sirius making his way back over to her. "Does James hate me for wanting you to leave the party he organised early?" She asked, "I don't mind going alone. You should stay for your own birthday party."

"Prongs doesn't hate you." Sirius reassured, slinging his arms around Asteria's shoulders, "I told him I was ill so we had to go." He confirmed.

"I don't want to make you leave your party early." Asteria admitted.
He shrugged, "Have you seen Prongs? It's his party really and I don't care."