𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄
chapter twenty-five; Left Field Relationship
" If things were different. . ."

  REMUS WAS STILL pissed two days after the Snape incident. When day had faded into night, he sat staring into the embers that had faded from a fire, normally he'd read in the common room but tonight he found it impossible.

  He was snapped from his trance at the shouting and then banging, coming from the portrait hole.

  Remus hesitated but wrenched it open once realizing he recognized the voice.

  "Maddie?"

  "Hey, Rem," Madeline breathed out with a nervous smile, a drunken Sirius leaning his full weight on her. "Funny story."

  Remus sighed in an agitated manner but ducked so Sirius could wrap an arm around his shoulders. The taller boy heaved Sirius off of Madeline, leaving the Ravenclaw to linger whilst Remus dumped Sirius onto the velvet sofa

  "I'm going to stop seeing him."

  Remus stared at Sirius, who was cuddling with a sofa cushion, before walking back to Madeline. She stayed strictly on the other side of the doorway, refusing to enter the common room as if it meant something bigger.

  "What?"

  "He needs you lot more than he needs me," Madeline said, pointing slightly in the general direction of Sirius, "I'm not even fully sure what happened, something about a prank. . . but he thinks you hate him and, I know I've not been close to him for that long, but I've never seen him so. . . defeated. Before. Lonely, I suppose."

  Remus shoved his hands into his pockets, attempting to block out the guilt that was pushing hard on his heart. That, sure Sirius screwed up royally, but he never meant to hurt him. And Remus had driven his best friend to defeat, to loneliness. Loneliness, perhaps, the worst thing any of the Marauders could possibly feel.

  "I just think it's best," Madeline continued after a moment, "You're nice, Rem. You're letting it go. James wouldn't."

  "I'm really sorry, Mads."

  "It's not your fault," Madeline shrugged, "I'm fixing a situation I got myself into."

  Madeline nodded as if agreeing with herself. It was painfully obvious she was terribly unsure of herself, and everything she was doing, but that didn't change the fact that her decision was set in stone. So, Remus hugged the girl lightly, giving her a weak smile she returned before turning on her heel, and walking away.

ϟ

  Sirius Black thought it was entirely unfair that he still had massive hangovers after drinking. One would think that practice made perfect, and considering how much practice he and James got over the summer prior, he should've had no reaction to the bottle of firewhiskey he'd downed.

  But, alas, Sirius Black woke up with a massive headache and a horrible knot in the back of his hair.

  "Padfoot."

  Sirius let out a long, low grumble from beneath his pillow.

  "C'mon," James sighed heavily, reaching under the comforter and pulling Sirius' arm, "It's noon."

  "Too early."

  "Sirius, get up."

  Remus' voice made Sirius snap to attention, though this wound up with the boy on the ground, curling into himself in complete pain. Now, his entire body ached, and the three remaining Marauders couldn't help but feel terrible.

  "Hello," Sirius' voice was thick with sleep, the hangover did not help. 

  "You're an arse," Remus stated bluntly, looking down at Sirius.

  Sirius looked down, rubbing his eyes at a loss for anything else to do. 

  "But you're my friend," He continued, shifting as Sirius looked up.

  "I'm really sorry, Moony," Sirius mumbled after a moment, "I— uh, I know it could've gone. . . very badly. And I wasn't thinking about you. And so I'm sorry. For taking this long to apologize, too," Sirius stumbled over his words, fidgeting with his fingers the entire time, "I'm very bad at this."

  "Yeah, you are," Remus laughed, a softer one this time.

  "I don't apologize much," Sirius nodded, his brows furrowed.

  "No, you don't."

  "It's hard for me, so this might be a bad apology." Sirius continued fidgeting, even running a hand through his hair at one point. "I just don't want you to hate me."

  "I couldn't hate you, Pads," Remus sighed, rubbing his forehead, "I was angry— it could've gone way worse."

  "But it didn't," Sirius tried, smiling weakly. But when Remus gave him an exasperated look, the boy deflated, "I know."

  ". . . I forgive you," Remus mumbled, almost as if he had no choice. Which he didn't, because the Marauders were inseparable, "But you're not allowed to pull any more pranks."

  "What?"

  "Ever."

  "No!"

  Even James couldn't hold a laugh in as Sirius laid back fully on the ground, yanking his comforter onto his face. But after a moment, Sirius Black pulled the blanket down to reveal his face, covered in his messy morning hair, and he was wearing a tiny but prominent smile.

  "Thanks, Moony."

ϟ

  Sirius Black was used to people ignoring him. He was used to being shut down or shouted at, turned away from or tuned out. From a large array of people, most being his family, some being innocent bystanders that overhead the Marauders, and oftentimes Minerva McGonagall.

  And, yes, Madeline Potter.

  He'd been used to it, after all, Sirius had been intentionally annoying Madeline since the age of 12. She'd roll her eyes, scoff, and storm away from he and James, or on louder days shout at them both until her voice was gone. She'd thump them with books or newspapers or pillows, drown them out with blaring music, and avoid the halls they frequented.

  But not in 1976.

  Not until the day after his drunken shenanigans.

  "Mads!"

  The girl tightened her grip on her books as Sirius' voice cut through her conversation with Bluebelle and Kai. She let her head hang as the trio fell silent, yet continued walking.

  "Maddie!" Sirius called again, shoving through the crowd to reach the girl. When he did, he was out of breath, "Hey, ruddy loud, thought you'd hear me."

  "I heard you."

  "Oh," Sirius said, slightly taken aback, "Uh, okay. I was wondering if you wanted to come to the pitch tonight, I—"

  "Sorry, I can't."

  "Maddie, what's going on?" Sirius questioned bluntly, stopping right in front of Madeline. Students continued to flow around them, like water around a boulder.

  "Nothing, Sirius, people are looking," Madeline mumbled.

  "Did I do something?" 

  "No, you didn't do anything."

  "Then what's going on?"

  "She said nothing, Black," Kai cleared his throat, as Sirius shifted his gaze from Madeline to the boy it seemed to fall, "Back off."

  "Mate, I'm trying to talk to my girlfriend—"

  "I'm not your girlfriend," Madeline cut off quickly, making the boy snap his attention to her. "I've never been your girlfriend, Sirius."

  "Yeah, that's not what 'being together' means to you, is it?"

  "I can't even hold your hand in the hall," Madeline whispered, "That's not a relationship, okay?"

  "That's what this is about."

  "That's all it's ever been about!" Madeline's voice raised briefly, but she reeled her emotions in and let out a deep sigh. "Just, leave me alone, Sirius."

  Sirius Black stood still as Madeline maneuvered around him. He couldn't do much else, for it came out of left field to him. 

  "It's really not you," Bluebelle said after Kai had left, just she and Sirius standing in the emptying halls.

  "Isn't that the classic line?" 

  "But this time it's true," The blonde shrugged, "If things were different. . ." Bluebelle trailed off, sighing at herself, "Guess it's not best to dwell on the 'ifs'."

  "Guess not."

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
why does making sirius sad hurt
me more than making maddie
sad