As quiet, introverted Evelyn Berman agrees to spend her sixth year studying at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and Wizardry, she is introduced to the school's adored Marauders.
From the moment she meets Sirius Black, there's something about the boy t...
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"That one kinda looks like a niffler if you squint your eyes," Evelyn pointed out, directing Sirius's eyes toward the group of stars.
"It looks a bit like Peter."
"Sirius!" she scolded playfully, giving him a sharp nudge in the side.
A small chuckle escaped his lips, just loud enough to fill the ears of Evelyn who laid beside him. Side by side, sprawled out across the blanket they had taken from Sirius's cot and wrapped in another, sheltering themselves from the frigid chill of the night. The Forbidden Forest was quieter than she had ever heard it—only the sounds of leaves rustling and the occasional hoot of an owl breaking the silence.
There was something so peaceful—so soothing about the forest at night. When Sirius first suggested stargazing, Evelyn had been uneasy about venturing into the dark woods. Horrifying images of centaurs, werewolves, and vampire bats attempting to suck her blood filled her paranoid mind, almost sending her running straight back to her cot before the boy could drag her out of the tent. But now, she was so grateful she hadn't.
The night sky was crystal clear, not a single cloud threatening to block their view. Her eyes stayed practically glued to the twinkling stars, only straying to catch quick glances at the boy who lay only a few inches away from her.
"You see that one?" Sirius asked, his finger pointing to a constellation just left of the waning moon. "That one's Orion. It's what my father was named after."
"I didn't realize you knew so much about astronomy—I mean, I knew your family was obviously big on it but..." her voice drifted, not sure whether bringing up his family was the best idea.
"Yeah, I do my very best to differentiate myself from them in every way possible, but for some reason, astronomy's always fascinated me no matter how hard I try to avoid it—but if you tell anyone that, Berman, I'll kick your ass."
She threw her hands up in defense, "My lips are sealed! Only I will know that Sirius Black is a big, old, star-loving nerd," she teased, summoning a grin from the grey-eyed boy's lips. She swiftly turned her face back to the sky, hoping to hide the blush that was forming on her cheeks. "So, which one is Sirius?"
The boy's expression changed in an instant, looking rather appalled by the question. "Evie, do you pay any attention at all in Astronomy class?"
"Actually, not really—Marlene is in there with me and she spends most of the time distracting me by making up inappropriate names for the constellations and poking me with her telescope," she responded honestly, giggling as she remembered the new name she had bestowed upon Leo.
"Well, here's a little lesson for you then, slacker. That right over there—the bloody brightest star in this here night sky—the greatest star to ever have burned, some might say—that is my namesake, Sirius!" he declared proudly. "It was simply fate—I was born to be a legend!"
