Painted Scars // WOLFSTAR

Year Four: The Room of Requirement

Sirius was an honest person. If he were only a touch less honest, he would've never admitted what he was doing with his Saturday afternoon, but since he was, he was willing to acknowledge the fact that he was – embarrassing as it was – sulking.

The day after his fight with Remus, things had been awkward. Remus seemed to have the courtesy of not telling the other boys what happened to Sirius's leg over break, but it was clear that he wasn't going to forget it. Every time he caught Remus's eye, there was a disgusting look of sadness in them.

He'd taken to ignoring them all after that.

The castle was actually quite pretty, Sirius had realized on his fourth lap around the entirety of it. (Listen, he was getting really bored.) Absently, it was possible that he might've been searching for a secret entrance somewhere, but he hadn't had any luck yet far. He was currently staring at a tapestry of a man trying to teach a gaggle of trolls ballet, and he checked behind it in case there was one.

No dice.

He planned to keep on his adventuring, but before he could proceed onto his fifth lap, someone bumped into his side. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Sirius turned, steadying the girl that'd run into him. He noticed she'd dropped her book, so he leaned down to grab it for her.

"Oh, Dorcas," he greeted with surprise when he saw the bright eyed Slytherin. "This is... a coincidence."

She blinked, grabbing the book with an embarrassed smile. "I should've looked where I was going. Though I have to be honest, I've never seen anyone up here on a weekend."

"Ah, I wouldn't usually be, but I'm getting keen on running away from my problems," he admitted lightly, like a breezy joke. "What about you? What are you doing up here?"

Dorcas lifted her book in explanation. "I pace. It annoys the hell out of my roommates."

"What, when you read?"

She shook her head. "No. Sort of, always? It's the reading that annoys her, though. I bump into her things, it's a nightmare." Sirius snorted a laugh, imagining what he'd do if James got up as early as he did and started pacing back and forth. He had sympathy for Dorcas's roommate after that. "You said you were running from your problems?"

The sentence wasn't phrased like a question, so Sirius didn't answer it like one. Instead, he made a pft sound and waved her off. "I like to speak dramatically. It keeps the interest alive."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "They'll make a Black out of you yet."

"I hate to tell you this, but I already am one."

"That's the spirit," she replied mirthfully, making Sirius laugh whole-heartedly. She smiled to herself, looking almost radiant at her own wit.

Seeing Dorcas's face after the conversation with Marlene was almost jarring – Sirius just couldn't picture her the way Marlene described, hard as he tried. Part of him wondered if he should try and keep her at a safe distance if she really was as boastful as Marlene claimed, but he quickly shoved that thought away. He could make his own judgments for himself.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sirius said suddenly, restraining himself from bursting out the question he was dying to ask. She nodded. "What do you think about Marlene McKinnon?"

"McKinnon?" she asked. He'd expected her face to sour like the name was bitter on her tongue, but it didn't. Her eyes didn't soften, per se, but they gained a sort of youthful twinkle. "What don't I think about Marlene McKinnon?"

Sirius frowned. "Wait, so you like her, then?"

Dorcas laughed heartily. "Oh Merlin, no. No, she sets me off more than anyone at Hogwarts." She paused, "Or in all of London, really. I think I might despise her."