so in love with you // sirius black

chapter 10

     The rest of Christmas break was full of snowball fights, hot chocolate, and laughter. It passed far too fast for my liking and before I knew it classes were starting again.

    "Oh! My! God!" Marlene exclaimed, looking at James and Lily from across the table. "It's finally happening! We called it Maude!"

    "You're telling me this isn't some sort of prank?" Peter asked. "I'll believe it when you confirm it, Lily."

     "Hey!" James said indignantly.

     "There's no prank Pete," Lily shrugged. 

     "No freaking way," Peter grinned.

      Sirius  laughed and I felt my cheeks redden as our eyes met.

    Something seemed to have changed between him and me on Christmas eve. Whether we were in the common room, class, or the Great Hall Sirius always seemed to be inches away from me and that space always felt charged, but besides that he has been painfully friendly. On Christmas morning I had woken up next to him, but every time I had tried to talk about it after, he changed the topic. While his feelings towards me appeared terribly platonic, my feelings were growing and growing. 

    "Hey, Maude are you going to eat anything, or are you just going to sit and stare into space?" Lily's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

    "Oh uh yeah," I said, filling my plate with food. "Sorry I just got lost in thought."

     Lily smiled at me and turned back to her conversation with James. I had just started into my food when Dumbledore stood up from his place at the staff table.

    "Good Morning Students!" He said loudly and the Great Hall quickly quieted down. "I am pleased to announce this year's Valentine's day ball is being put on by the Slug Club." Slughorn grinned widely at Dumbledore's words, while many students snickered at the poorly named organization. "So find your dresses, robes, and dates!" Dumbledore finished with a dramatic wink.

    The great hall erupted into conversations. I heard James asking Lily to go to the ball with him, and Marlene ran off to ask her the Hufflepuff girl she had been seeing. I saw a couple of girls look over at Sirius and felt a wave of jealousy, which was followed by a feeling of relief when he didn't give any of them a second look.

•••

    It had been a couple of weeks since the announcement of the dance and everyone was rushing to Hogsmeade to buy clothes in preparation for the upcoming dance. 

    "I am so done with planning this dance!" Lily exclaimed as we were walking through Hogsmeade. She had been spending most of her free time in the dungeons with Slughorn.

   "That's what you get for being a goody-goody," Peter laughed.

   "No one can agree on anything, it will be a miracle just to finish the menu," Lily ignored Peter.

   "Can't we just all have soup?" James asked.

   "Or better yet, we can just have dinner like normal," Sirius suggested.

   "That's not how it works," Marlene said.

   "Why not?" Remus, who seemed genuinely baffled, asked.

   "Do you want us no explain it? I asked. 

   "No." All four boys said in unison.

   After some thorough convincing we dragged the boys into Gladrags.

    The boys were in and out of the small clothing shop quickly, but Lily, Marlene, and I spent a long while browsing the aisles. At last Lily decided on a cream-colored dress with a flowy skirt. Marlene picked a long, dark purple dress.