ink - sirius black

bitter coffee and black dogs

tw: some pretty major nonconsensual bullshit

queen anne's lace: a relatively tall plant measuring approximately 30-100 cm. in height. this well known wildflower is easily identified by its flat-topped cluster of small, white flowers and fern-like leaves.

May 8, 1977
12:03 am
Hogwarts Library

Anneliese was trying very hard to convince Sirius to go back to the dorms and get some sleep, but he was having absolutely none of it with a firm display of his Gryffindor stubbornness.

For the past two hours, they had been studying together for their N.E.W.T. 's at the end of the month in a cozy corner of the library, running off hot chocolate and occasional Uno breaks.

There were books scattered all across the wooden ledge they both had a stool pulled up in front of along with small, sticky circles of fragrant brown where they had left their mugs too long and some of the bright, numbered cards that hadn't been shoved messily back into the box.

Sirius was currently using a red reverse as a bookmark in a volume entitled Wand Cores: The Big Three and taking occasional notes with his quill as Anneliese yawned every five seconds while doing the same with copying diagrams.

Callaway's stinging eyes blurred in the low lamplight, struggling to focus on the small, intricate patterns of wood grain when she had been doing it for the past hours.

Her dark blue gaze moved upwards, knowing that looking at Sirius would give her a bit of a break.

Black had chosen to tie his thick, ebony hair back with his wand in a small bun on the back of his head, yet several silky strands had come loose, elegantly framing his chiseled cheekbones on either side.

His dark brow was furrowed slightly in concentration and grey eyes framed by full, long lashes narrowed as he read the text. Just like at his birthday party, Sirius had a silver dog tag hanging from a thin chain around his neck.

His shirt had more than a few buttons undone because of the apparent 'heat' in the library, which meant that the metal tag was let loose from inside the white fabric and buttons and was now dangling with the tilt of his toned shoulders, brushing against his thigh.

Sirius sighed and flexed his hand slightly to give it a break from the quill, and the veins on his hand flexed as well, making Anneliese rip her eyes away before she started to blush.

"You really don't have to keep doing this," Callaway told him for the dozenth time. "It's not even helping you, and I can study it on my own."

"Yea, but studying on your own is boring and my handwriting is ten times better than yours," Black said matter-of-factly. "And besides I find the.."

He squinted his eyes to read a footnote at the bottom of a page as Anneliese watched him with thoughtful amusement.

"I find the eighty seven- holy shit- different shades of silver a unicorn hair can come in and how they affect the want differently absolutely fascinating," Sirius said, giving her an exaggerated nod. "My life's passion."

"Sirius, actually, go to sleep," Anneliese said firmly. "I feel really guilty, like I'm not doing anything in return-"

"Anneliese, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be," Sirius replied truthfully. "That essay you have to write is fucking mental, and I want to help you as much as possible if you're going to beat all of those damn Ravenclaws."

Callaway still felt guilt rising in her, and she knew better than to push it away. Guilt had turned into her gut instinct, her gut instinct telling her that she was being selfish.