Howling at the Moon

21. Tea Cups

"Goddamn bread is hard to cut, "
Diondre struggled pushing the blunt knife through the breads crust

"Here," Sirius came up behind her and took the knife from her hand.

She looked at him suspiciously, but didn't question it. Pottering instead over to the kettle to make them some tea.

Once they were both sat down with tea and sweat toast soaked through with butter Sirius asked her how her training had been going.

"It's been good! Definitely a lot more versatile than I thought. I found this little book, entirely focusing on emotions in regards to power. My defense against the dark arts grades are going up amazingly, once I've twisted all the spells to fit with it."

"Huh, that's cool. I've never heard of a book like that before. What about pushing emotions neither of you are feeling onto someone? Come on, have a go with me." He was eager now, shifting in his seat to face her. Diondre had some concerns it may not be entirely ethical but as he was consenting she found no other problem with it.

"Alright, I'll try. Are you nervous?"

"No,"

"Good, let's see if I can make you nervous."

She had no idea how to go about fabricating an emotion from the air. Maybe if she thought about what made her nervous, it wasn't the same thing though. Instead she tried to think of why she wants him to be nervous. Clinging to those thoughts she pushed it onto him. Nothing happened. She tried harder.

"Anything?"

"No." He shuffled towards her. "Maybe I was too far, try again?"

This time Diondre poured all of her energy into it. She pushed and pushed but there was nothing to push, it couldn't be done. Still she pushed on wanted to extend her limits. It was too much, her vision started getting black at the edges, unfortunately she ignored that until the black grew rather too quickly, then there was nothing else.

Sirius Black may have escaped from Azkaban and found himself equipped to deal with many situations that presented themselves to him. A fainting girl however, was not one of them. She had been squinting rather intently at him that he was sure her face would explode when she just collapsed out of her chair. He now stood in front her at a loss of what to do. She didn't look too uncomfortable there and the chair wouldn't necessary be a better place for her. He found himself by the kettle making another cup of tea, she'd pull through by herself.

"Ow!" Diondre came around and got up from a very uncomfortable position smacking her head on the armchair. "Why the bloody hell didn't you help me?" She all but yelled at him. Sirius looked guiltily over tea cup.
He was nervous now.

"You looked comfortable what else was I supposed to do?" He asked trying to hide behind the tiny cup.

Diondre had managed her way back into the seat. "What happened exactly?"

"I think you tried too hard and passed out, happens to the best of us." He took a big slurping sip.

_____

Diondre's head was pounding for the rest of the day, simply too much for her to pay attention to her DADA homework. She wasn't concerned, he'd have to forgive her for it, after all they had slept together.

Instead she went in search of her close friend. Having isolated herself in her guilt she hadn't spoken to Tahlia for a few days, and she missed her. Diondre found friends in everyone, but they didn't come close to the playful and impulsive girl that she had bonded with in her forth year.

She found her in the quidditch pitch, practicing daring tricks on her broom with a few Griffindors. She fit in with them, Diondre thought. Brave and loyal. Yet she was a badger through and through.

"Tahlia!" Diondre shouted her down.

She came down with a grin, "Di! Hey!" Her face sobered up a bit with her landing. "Something happen with you and Faith? You've both been moping around like your dog died."

"Oh, well, that's a bit of a tale. I'll tell you later?" Diondre replied.

"Yeah absolutely," Tahlia mounted her broom again, "hop on, let's go somewhere."

Diondre grinned and swung her legs over, gripping onto her friend. She couldn't fly on her own very well, the few times she had tried she ended up with her broom in splinters along with her shins. Tahlia however was brilliant, and she trusted her completely.

__________

"And you can't tell me who mystery man is?"

"Nope"

"Ok... Is he ugly?"

Diondre laughed airily at that. "Not at all."

"Fine then. You mysterious girl." Tahlia winked. "I never thought Faith liked you. I should have, I caught her staring enough times. But then there was Penelope, do you think she'll come out?"

"I'm not sure, maybe if she finds someone she loves, but it seems like school is the most important thing at the moment."

"Yeah..." Tahlia sighed and lay down on the grass dramatically. "Change is terrifying isn't it? 6 years and everything has been steady, comfortable, familiar. I don't think I'd know how to live in the real world."

The weight of those words felt physical as Diondre discovered she could no longer bare it sitting up. She joined her friend on the grass, staring up at the only permanent thing in their lives, the sky. Ironic as it is never the same twice.

"Change is the only permanence hey?Soon Hogwarts will be different too, there's going to be a war, I can feel it, it dampens all the happy moments. And Hogwarts won't resist being at the center of it."

"He is quite the attention whore isn't he?"

Diondre just chuckled.

"Let's do something fun, before it all falls to shit, we mightn't ever get the chance again." Tahlia said sitting up with new excitement.

_______

Covered head to toe in mud, grass and scrapes the girls made their clumsy way back to their dorms. Unable to walk straight for laughing, they clutched each other, pointlessly, for support, the only effect it had was to cause them to knock into the paintings all the way along.

"Hey! Watch it you foul children!"

"If you wouldn't mind!"

"Aaaaaaaahhhh"

The paintings screamed after them, astounded at the disrespect, the girls hardly noticed, pumped through with alcohol and jollyness.

"I can't believe..." Diondre tried desperately to find her voice, "Snape... His face. You're absolutely fucked when he finds out who did it." She managed.

"I know! He had mud all over him! I can't!" Tahlia doubled over laughing again.

They stumbled their way into their room collapsing onto the first bed they reach, Tahlia's.

Diondre felt happy again, and light. Whatever darkness the future may hold for them she'll have these memories to get her through.