Arcane [Sirius Black]

Chapter 21 - The Goon Squad

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"Why do you call him Snivellus?" Diana asked Sirius one grey November morning.

It was just past daybreak, and the two Gryffindors were sitting beside one another as they hunched over their breakfast. It had been a newly sprouted habit for the two to convene before the rest of their friends had arrived. Diana was known to get to the great hall early, but it was a shocking surprise for the rest of the school to see the always-smirking, long-haired boy sat alert in the morning.

He passed it off as a simple change in routine; claiming to his friends that he wanted to adjust his sleep schedule (whatever that meant), but it was really rather an unconsciously strategic move on his part, an action sure to let him catch up on the weeks of friendship he'd missed.

Diana usually spent the early morning minutes slumped over a late assignment, frantically scribbling to fill it out quick enough, or nearly nodding off over her cup of tea, but even when they didn't speak, Sirius felt a reassuring solace in her company.

She was more awake today, however, a curious edge to her voice as she eyed the long-nosed, greasy-haired boy who had just walked into the hall and toward the Slytherin table. She'd never personally spoken to him, but with the contrasts between Lily's hushed conversations and the bullying remarks from James and Sirius, it was plainly noticeable that he was hard to figure out.

"He's a slimeball," answered Sirius.

Diana turned to face him with an amused smile. "And why's that? What's he done? Besides not washing his hair enough."

Sirius snorted. "Does he really have to have done something? We've never gotten along, ever since the first train ride to school. Plus, anyone who's an enemy to my best friend is an enemy to me."

"That's not very fair," she commented, raising an eyebrow.

"I think it's very fair to dislike a wannabe Death Eater who has nothing but fake friendships."

"But isn't he a friend of Lily's?"

"Exactly. Fake friendships. I mean, what else would you call a relationship like that? He's totally disloyal — how could you be genuine if you hang out with people who brand your so-called best friend with slurs?"

Diana sent him a questioning look.

"Well, all those Slytherins I mean," he said as if self-explanatory. "They call Lily a Mudblood."

"Oh," she said, looking back at the table of silver and green. She should have guessed that much. Her questioning gaze was disrupted, though, by a large yawn from her own mouth. Perhaps she wasn't as awake as she thought.

Sirius grinned. "Why are you here so early if you're always exhausted?"

"I usually have homework to be finishing," she said, staring lamely at the parchment to her right.

"What about the days you don't?"

"I dunno," she shrugged, "I guess I just wake up? And then there seems no point going back to sleep."

"Hmm," he started, "I still don't understand. There's always a point to going back to sleep."

"So, what are you doing here then and not in your bed?" Diana teased. Sirius shook his head and grinned before leaning forward to pour the girl more tea, seeing that she was out.

Diana smiled gratefully, taking another gulp of the caffeine-filled beverage.

The truth was, she'd been having a lot of trouble with sleeping lately. She would toss and turn before falling into a patchy, dream-filled slumber that would be rudely interrupted the moment a speck of sunlight shone through her curtains. Once she was awoken, there was no going back, forced to clamber out of bed and face the day alongside the bags under her eyes.