Odessa {S.B}

CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XII | I Have A Type

Enjoyable is not necessarily the word that comes to one's mind when they think about Arithmancy. For Odessa, there was something therapeutic in the logical processes involved in the subject but most of the time it felt difficult and tedious, and a whole lot less useful than more practical subjects like Herbology and Potions. Consequently, the witch could always appreciate any distraction from a lesson. One particular distraction appeared one Monday morning in the shape and sound of Sirius Black.

"Essa, right, I need girl advice again." Sirius demanded, striding up to where she was waiting outside Professor Vector's classroom with the Prewett twins.

"For you or for one of your friends?"

"For you. No. For me," said Sirius hastily, grabbing his friend by the arm and pulling her around the corner.

"What is it that you need, young one?" Odessa inquired.

"What would you do if you were seeing someone, and they were obviously a lot more invested in it than you, and you really like them a lot but you realise you don't really want to be with them anymore because they're just not your type you know?"

"Is this about Florence?"

Sirius nodded and groaned dramatically. "I wanted to end it last month when I first realised I wasn't interested anymore, but that was literally just before Valentines so I clearly couldn't, and then I kept putting it off but it has to be done. I've noticed that she thinks we're actually a thing, like a boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but I thought it was just a bit of fun so now I don't know the right way to break things off because saying 'You misread the situation and also you're not my type' isn't really the nicest way to do things."

"May I ask why you are suddenly so uninterested?"

"I've recently discovered that I have a type; she's not it."

"Can I guess your type?"

"You can try," Sirius said, wondering what she would say.

"I think you like girls like Linda Chadwick," said Odessa with a small smile.

An amused grin creeped onto Sirius' face.

"Why is that?" He enquired.

"I think you like older, athletic and confident, hard-to-get women. I've seen the motorcycle posters in your room."

With a shake of his head, Sirius said, "Interesting, but wrong. Break up ideas please?"

"Just tell the truth. Say you were never looking for something long-term and you really value her friendship, but you don't feel comfortable because she deserves more." Said Odessa. "I know it's a bit of a cliche but if that's really the situation, that's how you should do it."

"Thanks, Essa. Also, those twins looked like they were in an awfully suspicious conversation -"

Any enquiries about the Prewett's possible troublemaking were interrupted by a certain Slytherin rounding the corner. Theodore Nott raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw them.

"What are you doing here, Black?" Asked Theodore with narrowed eyes. He wrapped his hand around Odessa's upper arm. "Shouldn't you be going to Muggle Studies with the rest of your idiot friends and leaving Odessa to talk to the more dignified of society?"