Aroma
McGonagall declared unsafe for the Gryffindor quidditch team to train today. James was expecting as much and he already was bringing Sirius to the hospital wing when he heard about it.
Sirius did have a concussion.
After James escorted him to the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey told them that a mild blow to the head could result in broken blood vessels in one’s brain.
She thought it funny that a boy like Sirius (who, more than once, fell from his levitating broom and didn’t break a bone) got a concussion from a simple fall that occurred because he was afraid of thunder.
Sirius felt nauseous and dizzy.
James did all the talking with Madam Pomfrey. He left out the “bumping into a werewolf” part of the story. He didn’t want the situation to get weird.
Madam Pomfrey was the only adult working at Hogwarts who knew the details of Sirius and Remus’s bad falling out. Of course, anyone with eyes had noticed that the boys were never seen together anymore, but the school’s healer had insider info.
After all the years she had spent healing Remus, the dawns succeeding full moons had become moments where Remus would confide in her. Sirius and James assumed he had told his confidant all the details of their fight.
Madam Pomfrey seemed wise and judicious, but she loved gossip.
She gave Sirius an unsavoury potion. As he tried to swallow it down, he couldn’t help making an unpretty face. The sour taste the magic liquid had left on his tongue was an unknown flavour. As soon as it stopped brutalizing his taste buds, the potion did what it was intended to accomplish.
He felt better.
He felt normal, just like he did when he first woke up, well, with the exception of the weird tightness he bore within his chest.
“Your brain is all healed up now.” She told him that he could just go on about his day as if the trouble had never happened.
He wondered how he would be able to pretend he didn’t just tell his ex-best friend to “fuck off”, those being the only words he had spoken to him in the last 300 days.
He didn’t really know why he had responded so rudely, but hearing Remus say words that had so often come out of Sirius’s horrible mother’s mouth angered him.
Sirius thought Remus should have just left the room and let the brain hemorrhage be fatal. This whole situation would have been avoided.
“You alright?” James asked the newly healed boy once they left the hospital wing.
They were wandering through corridors, not really knowing what their destination was, but enjoying the flow of their walk.
The boys were walking side by side. Their steps were synchronized. It almost seemed like a calculated stroll, but it was just a weird thing Sirius Black and James Potter did; mirror each other’s pace while walking. They seemed to have taken the path leading to the great hall and Sirius didn’t question it.
Transfiguration class had begun 45 minutes ago. They decided to skip it, using Sirius’s misadventures as an excuse to be absent during the remaining part of the lesson.
McGonagall would certainly understand the importance of making sure that Sirius’s brain remained intact.
“Of course I’m alright,” Sirius turned to look at James, a most comforting smile inhabiting his lips.
Prongs was the kind of friend who’d worry if his mates weren’t feeling their best. Sirius didn’t think his friend was tormented by what happened, but reflecting well-being with his facial expressions couldn’t hurt. “My intelligence doesn’t seem to have been affected. ‘Won’t have to rely on my good looks to get through my exams.” Sirius joked.
James didn’t seem amused. The boys exchanged a silent look. Sirius couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. “‘something the matter?”
James seemed hesitant to respond, but he did anyway. “Pads, I wasn’t asking about your head…” James tore his gaze away. He stared in front of him. Sirius, on the other hand, was scrutinizing the other boy’s face. “How do you feel about the other thing?”
“What other-” Then Sirius realized what his friend was referring to. He looked at the ground, uncertain of the answer. “I’m not sure” Sirius started. “I think maybe I don’t really care.”
James only spoke a word, but Sirius understood its meaning. James didn’t believe him. “Really.” There wasn’t even a hint of interrogation in his tone. It was just a flat word.
Sirius knew James knew he was lying.
“I mean…” Sirius was afraid of the truth, but he had to remind himself that he was talking to his best friend.
If anyone on earth cared about Sirius’s wellbeing, it was James Potter. There was no point in withholding the amount of pain the situation had forced onto Sirius.
“It sucks that we're not friends anymore.” James stayed silent, Sirius continued. “but he hates me and doesn’t realize the pain he’s caused me. The things he said that day… He’ll never apologize… and never forgive me. Pretending he doesn’t exist is fine by me and I’ll just continue on avoiding him until we’re done with school next year.”
“Okay.”
“It was just a bit weird to… you know, touch him..? After a year of no talking, no eye contact and no physical contact, it was a bit unsettling.”
James laughed. “Yeah. I mean, having your naked body pressed to your enemy’s doesn’t seem that appealing.”
Sirius was taken aback but didn’t let it show on his face. How could the word “enemy” roll so easily off James’s tongue? Was that really what Remus and Sirius were, not strangers, not acquaintances, certainly not friends, but antagonists? Of course, Sirius hated Remus and Remus hated him, but the fact that James let that define them felt unnatural.
Did James think Sirius’s thoughts on Remus were the same as James’s on Snape? Those two were real enemies.
What even defines the realness of enemies?
“While we’re on the subject, what was he doing topless when I walked it?” Sirius asked.
“Oh. Well, he always changes in the dorm” James spoke as if it was obvious. “I hadn’t realized you didn’t know, but it makes sense since he’s always changing when you’re not in the room. He doesn’t feel that comfortable showing his scars around people he’s not friends with-”
Ouch.
Was James joking around? Was this a bad prank? Did the concussions cause hallucinations?
Sirius’s feelings were probably obvious, because, with one look to his face, James stopped mid-sentence.
“I’m sorry.” James quickly said. “I don’t know why I said that.”
James and Sirius were alike about stuff like that. Saying things without thinking first. Never intending to hurt anyone but ending up causing problems.
“It’s not a big deal, don’t be sorry” Sirius bluntly muttered. “You said it because Remus and I aren’t friends.”
“No, but Sirius-“
Sirius didn’t let him finish his sentence before looking around, making sure no one could see him, and turning into a big black dog.
He wasn’t angry with James. He only wanted to be alone.
He didn’t change into a dog often anymore, because he didn’t partake in the full moon activities anymore.
“Padfoot!” A whining James called, but the mutt took the opportunity of being on the ground level and walked out the first door he saw.
The only thing Padfoot could think of while running around in the rain was Remus. Was their friendship salvageable? and if so, should he even try to salvage it? What was it’s worth?
Hogwarts’ grounds were broad and the grass was slippery.
An hour later, he found himself wandering near the school as he heard his friends having a discussion.
“Is he going to be here on time to leave for potions?” Padfoot picked up Peter’s tiny voice through the window, thanks to his heightened hearing. “It’s almost a five-minute walk”
Sirius transformed back into his human form. He was drenched to the bone and shivering in coldness but that didn’t stop him from looking dashing handsome. He twisted his hair into a ponytail, his uniform magically dry.
“You need not worry yourselves, my friends, I have arrived” He theatrically announced himself and jogged up to his friends. James, Peter, Marlene and Mary were chatting, sitting lazily on a school bench.
The friend group directed their gaze to Sirius. “What were you doing outside? Aren’t you freezing? Wasn’t the rain too cold?” Mary asked as she stood up in worry and wrapped her arms around his body.
It wasn’t even an affectionate hug. The curly-headed girl seemed to only be trying to give her warmth to Sirius. He indulged in her body heat.
“Nah I’m alright, ‘was just walking around,” Sirius said looking at his friends, his head over Mary’s shoulder, involuntarily inhaling the aroma of her powerful strawberry scented perfume.
Sirius could feel Mary chuckling against his body, she then stepped away, took her wand out and charmed him dry.
“Thanks love,” He offered his arm. “Shall we?” He winked at Mary, keeping his theatrical persona.
“Yes, we shall.” She declared with a beaming smile, wrapping her arm around his.
The group of Gryffindors walked to their potion class. When they entered the room everyone noticed a strong scent.
Sirius’s nostrils flared and he wondered why professor Slughorn’s classroom smelled so much like the library. Before he could think any further about it, James pulled him aside.
“About what I said earlier, Pads, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t trying to rub salt in the wound or anything… It’s just you know how sometimes things come out of your mouth before your brain approves. I didn’t-”
“James, stop.” Sirius grasped both his shoulders. “I know you weren’t trying to make me feel bad or anything like that. You don’t need to apologize. I’m alright.” Sirius’s facial expression reflected truthfulness.
“Are you sure because I really don’t-” James started but Sirius interrupted him.
“James, It’s not a big deal.”
James looked into Sirius’s eyes, searching for doubt and when he found none, he nodded, accepting that his friend was actually alright.
“Hello students!” came Slughorn’s voice calling all the teenagers. “You may gather around.” The teacher made a gesture for the students to observe a pot that was on display on a table at the front of the class. “Anyone brave enough to have a guess at the name of this potion?”
Two hands rose in the air; Lily’s and Remus’s. They were standing side by side.
“Miss Evans?”
Lily looked around before answering. “It’s amortentia.”
Sirius could hear James’s breathing changing its pace at the sound of Lily’s voice.
“Can you tell us what effects this liquid has?”
The redhead didn’t even hesitate before answering. “Amortentia is a love potion, the most powerful in existence.”
Slughorn’s eyebrows raised, his face reflecting that he was impressed. “Bravo! Ten points to Gryffindor. Really impressive.”
The Slytherins groaned with envy, while the Gryffindors revelled.
“Can anyone tell me how Miss Evans knew this was Amortentia?”
The only student in the whole classroom who seemed to know the answer was Remus.
“Go on Mister Lupin.”
“It’s a spiralling steam and… well, it smells different from person to person” Remus responded.
“Can you elaborate?”
Remus nodded. “The steam takes the scent of the things one is attracted to.”
“Exactly, Can you tell us what it smells like for you?”
Remus sighed, preparing himself to answer the question.
Sirius did not want to know. He really did not want to know the things that attracted Remus.
He tried to focus on another noise, but the only sound he could hear was Remus’s voice. The students’ quiet chatters fell away and the words coming out of Remus’s mouth were the only thing in the room. “Smells like rain, leather and lavender.”
Lavender.
That plant didn’t grow anywhere near the school.
Sirius liked the smell of lavender and due to his canine nose, he knew for a fact that there was only one thing in this whole castle that smelled like lavender; James Potter’s shampoo.
What the fuck?
Every head in the room turned to stare at Sirius. That's when he realized his confusion had been audible...