CHAPTER EIGHT! ༉‧₊˚✧
━━━━ ⋆𖤐₊˚.༄ ♡ ━━━━

"OI, TALWAR!" SIRIUS'S voice carried down the corridor as he jogged toward Diya. "Finally found you! Been searching all over the damned castle."

Hearing her name attached to a familiar voice, Diya slowed in pace and whipped her head around, making eye contact with Sirius.

"Good Morning, Black." Diya smiled at him, having gotten more familiar with him since her birthday. "What can I do for you?"

"Why the hell are you so formal?" Sirius chuckled, straightening his back. "'Makes me feel like my mother will pop around the corner any minute."

"What d'you want me to say?" Diya waved her hand around, "Hey, What's crackin', Black?"

"It'd be a lot better than, 'How dost thou, sweet lord?' or whatever the hell you just said."

Diya scoffed playfully, "That is not what I said! And was that Shakespeare?"

"Yeah, I've been brushing up on my muggle books to piss off Walburga."

Diya felt a smile light up her face as she looked to the ground, her hair forming a curtain for the sides of her face.

She remembered Regulus telling her he'd always appreciated his brother's ability to stand up for himself against his parents. It was an ability that he wasn't entirely sure he could muster, and that made Sirius a superhero in his brother's eyes. He couldn't tell him that, of course. He was far too stubborn.

Diya cleared her throat and wiped the grin off of her face, looking back to Sirius. He was already looking at her. When he saw that Diya's attention had returned to him, he coughed a few times and looking around rapidly, trying to act nonchalant.

"Uh, I came here to ask if you want to chat for a little bit," Sirius admitted, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"I have a class in fifteen minutes. I was about to make a stop and then head there." Diya frowned. "Maybe another time?"

"Diya, come on, you're already probably acing the class, just like you ace everything else." Sirius pouted and clasped his hands together, looking eerily similar to a wounded puppy. "Skip just this once?"

"Why do you want my company so bad, Black?" Diya smirked to herself. "I always knew that you fancied me, but this is a bit obvious, even for you."

Sirius spluttered, "Me fancy you? You fancy me!"

Diya laughed, throwing her head back as Sirius continued to bicker with her.

"Okay, the reason that I wanted to spend time with you is that honestly, I feel neglected," Sirius stated dramatically, sighing as loud as he could. "You've studied with Remus for years, tutored Peter at one point, and you're on the Quidditch team with James!"

Diya looked at Sirius, who was still in his dramatics mode, and fake pouted, placing her hand on her chest. "Oh, you poor thing!"

Sirius put his charade on pause for a moment to glare at Diya before sighing once again.

"Plus, you missed my birthday, and I ate your birthday present!" Sirius pointed to Diya accusatorily, laughing once in victory.

"How is it my fault that you ate all of the sweets?" Diya raised an eyebrow.

Sirius ignored her.

"I feel wounded. Personally attacked, almost." Sirius turned to Diya as they continued walking. "Kiss it better?"

He leaned forward with his eyes closed and lips puckered comically. Diya almost hadn't noticed until he got dangerously close to the side of her face. She pushed his face away from her using the palm of her hand frantically, eliciting a bark of laughter from Sirius.

"Honestly, Black, you're only proving that you fancy me." Diya smiled. Sirius pushed her shoulder, smiling.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Sirius asked, throwing an arm around the girl's shoulders as she continued to walk through the hallways.

"The Great Hall. I have to drop something off for someone."

"Ooh! Sounds secretive." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm in."

Diya snickered, "Fine, but you might regret it!"

Sirius waved her off.

Needless to say, he had regretted it.

He should've fled the minute that Diya entered the Great Hall, walking toward the Hufflepuff table with purpose.

But it was too late, and now they were standing in front of Lucretia and her boyfriend, Marshall Fawley.

Sirius blanched and stood rigid, his arm slipping from around Diya's shoulders.

Diya pulled the folded sweater from between a few books, and Sirius beat himself up for not noticing it before.

"Here's your sweater back, Lucretia." Diya handed the sweater to the girl.

Marshall leaned over and whispered into the girl's ear, "Why'd she have your sweater?"

Lucretia grimaced, "Er, she was borrowing it."

Marshall nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer, as he smiled falsely to Sirius.

"I'm really sorry once again." Lucretia frowned. Marshall quirked an eyebrow for the odd response, making Lucretia stumble over her words. "F-for bothering you about returning it!"

"Right..." Diya nodded slowly, her gaze flickering between Lucretia and Marshall. "I'm gonna go."

Lucretia nodded gratefully and turned back to her boyfriend.

Diya grabbed Sirius by the wrist and dragged him out of the Hall, knowing that he was still shocked by the confrontation.

Sirius was gobsmacked, to say the least. His jaw was slackened, creating a cartoony appearance on the boy's features, almost as though he had just been told that Scooby-Doo had gotten into another sticky situation.

Diya dragged him past the threshold of the Hall, looking back toward an uncomfortable Lucretia and an oblivious Marshall. Her expression held a faint grimace, which she wiped off the second she realized it was there.

"You knew?" Sirius asked when he finally got his bearings, pulling his wrist back to get Diya's attention.

"Well, yeah, I found out in a rather rude way." Diya snorted, still dragging Sirius away from the Hall.

Sirius winced, "Oh, Merlin, what did Lucretia do?"

Diya let go of Sirius's wrist, "She poured a cup of tea on my head."

Sirius's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's fine, though! It was only lukewarm. Didn't burn me at all." Diya admitted, smiling reassuringly. "I do expect a makeup present, though, since the last one wasn't yours to give."

"Merlin, Diya, you couldn't've said something?" Sirius whisper yelled at the girl, feeling horrible. "When did this happen?"

"Your birthday," Diya hummed, acting completely cool.

"That long ago, and you didn't even confront me?" Sirius asked, slack-jawed.

"Well, I'm sure you had no ill intentions. I was more upset from Lucretia's point of view, seeing as you stole her sweater."

"I owe you big time, then, Talwar." Sirius scratched the back of his neck with the hand that Diya had held moments prior. "Let me make it up to you. Skip class with me?"

Diya stared between Sirius's face and his outstretched hand.

"Fine." Diya sighed, shaking his hand as Sirius celebrated silently.

"Stellar!" Sirius threw his arm around Diya's shoulders once again, leading her away from her classes.

༉‧₊˚✧

After a few minutes of careful walking and trying to avoid any teachers that may confront them, Sirius had taken Diya to a mirror on the fourth floor between the entrances to the Hospital Wing and the History of Magic classroom. After some judgment from Diya's end (and rolled eyes from Sirius), Sirius pulled the mirror open, revealing a large passage decorated with two benches and functioning lights.

Diya looked around the room in awe, taking in the secret passage.

"How many secrets do you know about this castle?" Diya gasped, walking through the entrance before Professor Binns could catch them skipping class. "You could probably make a more detailed map than the ones in those books about Hogwarts!"

Sirius shushed the girl to prevent anyone from hearing her, chuckling at her awestruck expression as he looked around in precaution.

He led her to the bench and sat on the other side, pulling his legs up onto the seat and crossing them. There were several expensive-looking benches, as well as foliage and Renaissance paintings lining the walls. This hidden room was extravagant, and it took Diya aback.

"So, tell me about Diya Talwar." Sirius sat down, his hands in his lap. He began searching his pockets for something, patting up and down.

Diya raised an eyebrow, "We've known each other for five years, Black."

"And yet, I just recently found out that you could speak another language." Sirius pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

Diya smiled, looking at the irritated boy.

"Look, I just think that we should get to know each other better— especially since it seems like we're stuck with each other," Sirius sighed. He plucked a cigarette from the pack, placing it between his lips before offering the carton to Diya.

Diya smiled, nodding as she tucked a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear. She waved the carton away from her, eliciting a shrug from Sirius, who lit the cigarette.

"Alright, then. How about 20 Questions?"

"20 Questions?" Sirius tilted his head like a lost puppy. He took a drag from the cigarette.

"What, you've never heard of 20 questions?" Diya paused as Sirius shook his head, no. "We need to get you away from the books and toward Lily; I swear, the girl's a muggle encyclopedia. Anyway, the game is simple; you just exchange questions until you hit 20."

Sirius nodded, his hair flopping about. "Alright, then, I'll start: Are you a virgin?"

Diya spluttered slightly, coughing in shock. As she regained her bearings, she leaned forward to whack Sirius, who was laughing as he took another puff.

"Subtle much?" Diya giggled.

Sirius continued to laugh, only stopping when Diya playfully glared at him. "Fine, fine. What's your favorite color?"

"Probably red or blue," Diya hummed, a smile gracing her features. "I suppose it might be because the sorting hat was stuck between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor for me."

"Talwar the Ravenclaw?" Sirius shook his head, scrunching his face up in mock disgust. "'Talwar the Gryffindor' sounds much better."

Diya let out a soft laugh as she swayed in her seat, "I still don't know why I was placed in Gryffindor. I've never thought of myself as a brave person, really."

"To be fair, I'm not entirely sure the Sorting Hat knows what it's doing," Sirius replied, extinguished the cigarette prematurely, instead beginning to braid the front strands of his hair. "I mean, I know that the whole point of its existence is to sort the students, but I've noticed many mistakes just in our year alone that the hat has made."

Diya nodded, zoning out as she continued to speak, "I suppose that makes sense. Patil definitely should've been a Slytherin."

Sirius snorted, "Why? Because he's a git?"

Diya shook her head, "No, that's not what a Slytherin is. They're cunning and ambitious, and it's their personal choice on how they choose to use their traits. Just like how Rahul is cunning, and it is my personal choice to hate him for it."

Sirius waved her off, "Nah, they're all just gits."

Diya quirked an eyebrow, scanning her brain to think of ways to get Sirius to understand her point. "Well, I believe that everyone has a combination of the houses in their personalities. For example, Alice is a brilliant combination of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. She's loyal and patient while also being courageous and brave."

Sirius shrugged, still not grasping the concept.

Diya sighed, rolling her eyes at the boy's inflexibility, "Fine, then. What houses were the sorting hat stuck on for you?"

Sirius hummed, not conscious of his words, "Gryffindor and Sly— Hey!"

"A-ha!" Diya snapped her fingers together, smiling at Sirius's pout. "I knew it! Still think all Slytherin's are gits?"

"I guess it depends on the person," Sirius finally admitted in a mocking tone, undoing the small braid in his hickory hair in frustration.

Diya did a dance of victory in her seat, chuckling at her success before returning to the game. 

"Alright, my turn to ask a question." Diya stared at the ceiling as she leaned back on the bench. "What's a song that you'll always remember?"

Sirius stared at Diya, expression blank, "I don't think I have one."

Diya gaped. "What? You don't have a favorite song?"

"No, I don't think I do. Any muggle music that I listen to is mainly the loud stuff that pisses of Walburga. Other than that, I don't listen to much music." Sirius mused, a smile pulling at his lips as he studied Diya's concerned expression.

"Surely, you're not serious!"

"I am Sirius."

"Oh, shut up!" Diya reached out to swat Sirius, who backed away quickly. "Here's what we'll do: I'm going to get Lily to introduce you to the same songs that she introduced to me."

Sirius groaned, throwing his head back. "Ugh, what's the point?"

"What is the point? Are you joking right now?" Diya's eyes widened, and she sprung out of her chair, beginning to pace while waving her arms around. "The point, Sirius, is that music evokes emotion! It can manipulate emotions so easily."

Sirius laughed, throwing his knotted hair back, "Alright! I get it. I'll talk to Evans about it."

"Good." Diya cleared her throat and fixed her posture before returning to her seat. "Remind me to also teach you how to braid your hair properly, by the way."

Sirius scoffed, offended, pulling the knotted strands of hair into his face so he could look at them, "What's wrong with the way I braid my hair?"

"You don't braid it! You just twist strands together until they all get knotted!" Diya laughed out.

Sirius huffed, "Fine, let's see just how good you are, then."

Diya raised an eyebrow and pulled all of her hair over her shoulder, quickly and expertly braiding her hair. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I've been braiding hair since I could walk, Black."

"Fine, you'll just have to teach me," Sirius sighed in defeat,

Diya nodded in victory, knowing that she had a lot to introduce Sirius to.

༉‧₊˚✧

"Diya, where the hell were you?" Lily hissed under her breath as her friend took a seat next to her, two braids cascading over her shoulders.

"Sorry! Something came up." Diya stole a glance to the door of a classroom, glancing at Sirius, who was donning a similar hairstyle.

Sirius caught Diya's glance and pointed to his hair, miming a thumbs up to the girl. He looked around as people started to notice him lingering and waved quickly, taking a sharp turn and sprinting down the corridor.

Lily noticed Diya's distracted gaze and turned to the door, spotting him just before he ran away. "Black? Seriously?"

"Siriusly," Diya smirked, laughing under her breath.

Lily groaned, throwing her head back both in disgust at the pun and the thought of Diya getting close with Sirius.

Either way, she knew things would only go downhill from there.

༉‧₊˚✧
a/n

the way that i promised a quicker update last time and i think i took longer this time...

i literally had this almost finished back on saturday or sunday but IT WAS DIWALI AND MY FAMILY CROWDED ME FOR ALMOST THE WHOLE WEEK. my bad ‼️

anyway, here's a shorter than usual chapter almost ENTIRELY made up of dirius (is that their ship name?) content, due to the lack of content last chapter (plus there was sirius bashing).

another reason that this chapter was hard to finish was because i got DEEP into my remus obsession again for literally no reason other than andrew garfield is so hot.

anyway, next chapter is gonna be exciting! at least, i think so, since i've been waiting to write this chapter since SEPTEMBER.

also, i hit 1k on tiktok which is wild wtf, i keep gaining like 100 followers a day, and it's scary to think that people like my content but alright, go off ig. anyway, the acc name is siriusblackluvrs and i run it w shay DFJGHJHS

P.S. i think that before i post the next chapter, i will be rewriting 001. STRANGERS bc it genuinely pisses me off reading it, knowing that i could've written it a lot better and was pressured to post it before september ended. i will add another update to this chapter if i rewrite it!

UPDATE: i rewrote it LMKFGJSDHFJ

hopefully the next NEW chapter will be up in the next day or two,, i was swarmed by my family for the entirety of thanksgiving break :(