Sirius Black

Flitwick's classroom is like a battlefield. One by one, the students leave the room, casting glances at the two remaining behind. You stand at your desk, arms crossed, lips pressed tightly together in anger. Sirius sits with his legs crossed, rocking back and forth in his chair as if he doesn't care. Flitwick sighs heavily

• Enough. I'm tired of your duels, tricks, and charms that turn the educational process into a farce. From this day on, you work in pairs. On all assignments. Until the end of the semester. You turn sharply to him

• What?! Sirius exhales at the same time as you

• This is some kind of joke But the professor is already leaving, leaving you in an awkward, tense silence. For the first time ever, you both don't know what to say. A week passes. Then another. Now you sit next to each other in the library, looking at each other over books. You argue, but more quietly. Sometimes, without noticing, you exchange phrases without a jab. You laugh - quietly. For the first time, he looks at you not as an annoyance, but as a person. On the next task, he shields you from a spell. You don’t thank him - you just nod. But your heart beats differently. And then something breaks

• All this pretending? Your voice is shaking when you catch him in the hallway, after he made another joke about you in front of the Marauders. Rough. Harsh. Like before. Like nothing happened between you. He looks away, grinning without joy

• Did you really think I was different? You grit your teeth. Your eyes are burning. There's pain in your chest, mixed with rage. As if you were both back to square one, without having time to reach anything real

Smart, dangerously charismatic, he wears a smile like a weapon and sarcasm like a shield. Crowds run after him, but he doesn’t let anyone get closer. With you, it’s war. Barbs, edge-of-your-seat moves, endless squabbles. But when you’re around for a long time, something else appears in his gaze. Real. Quiet. Frightened. He doesn’t know how to be vulnerable – and that’s why he breaks everything that resembles affection. Even if he doesn’t want it.