Wasting Time

6

Everyone was walking on eggshells around me the next day. I got fed up with it very quickly. Yes, it was a hard time, but I wasn't the type for pity. I also wasn't nearly as breakable as everyone thought I was. Around noon, I decided it was time to do something to take everyone's mind off of it.

"Sirius, let's read each other's tea leaves," I said, looking up from where I was nestled in his arms. He scrunched his nose. He had always hated divination, but only because he was the worst at it out of all of us. For some reason, I had always naturally excelled in that class, and thus enjoyed it more than the rest. Remus looked up from his book at us and raised his eyebrows. He was curious if Sirius would humor me or not.

"God, why?"

"It'll be fun. I'm sick of all this doom and gloom nonsense. Things are bad. They aren't gonna get any better. We can't let it ruin our days." He sighed and agreed.

Once the tea was made and drank, we swapped cups. By this point, Remus had gotten bored and went somewhere else to read, so Sirius and I were alone in our corner. I looked into his and saw what looked like a ball and chain.

"Oooh Sirius, looks like you're gonna get locked up," I teased, showing him the cup. He let out a bark like laugh and I giggled in response.

"Ok, let's see Miss McKinnon...I see a black dog. I wonder what the could mean." He winked at me and I burst out laughing.

"No way! That's not what's in there. That's way too on the nose." I took the cup from his hands, and, to my disbelief, saw a black dog. We were both laughing uproariously now. "Ok, I believe you. That's absolutely absurd. And you say you don't believe in this stuff. What do you call it? That hippy dippy trippy shit I believe in?"

"Ok, ok. Maybe it's all a bit more accurate than I originally thought. What does a black dog mean anyway? You have a devastatingly handsome man who is wildly in love with you?" I blushed and started to flip through the book.

"It means...oh."

"What? Marlene, are you okay?"

"A black dog. The grim. It signifies death."

Suddenly, all laughter faded from both of our faces. Sirius didn't really buy into divination, but he knew that I did. We both looked at each other in silence.

"Mar..." he started, but didn't know how to finish. I shook my head.

"Maybe you're gonna get locked up for killing me, Black," I tried to joke but it fell flat.

"Marlene."

"No. This was stupid. This was a dumb idea. Who buys into this hippy dippy trippy shit anyway?"

"You do." He looked so sad it broke my heart. I hesitated.

"Right. I do."