Thieves Like Us. [FIN]

Sirius' grey eyes flicked to the person he knocked into. He opened his mouth to apologize, but then noticed the wand that she had in her hand. They were in the same year - he instantly recognized her as the Slytherin Monika Mystar, even if there was no recognition in her eyes, which he suddenly realized he thought was hard to believe. How did she not know who he was? The anger on her face distorted her usually pretty face, and he knew it was kind of justified - wasn't it? Or was it an overreaction? To be fair, he had been dancing around her in a joking fashion - maybe it could have been seen as taunting? His mind went to a thousand places, but at the end of the day, she was pointing her wand at him and his hands were too busy holding himself up in a sitting position on the ground to get his wand. Besides, if he did, Monika would no doubt hex him into next year. 

"Sirius Black. And you're Monika Mystar," he said in what he hoped was a calm voice. He went to continue, but at that moment, something caught her eye, and suddenly she was down on her arse as well. He took the opportunity to stand up and grab his own wand. She was now outside, so he stepped there as well and let the front door close behind them. It was painfully cold outside, but he tried not to notice. It was extremely cold if he could feel it through his coat. Sirius himself had not seen the Potions Master, but that particular person was now out of sight due to the closed door. "So who's the lucky person that Monika Mystar is frightened of?"  he asked in a taunting voice. "Never mind, I realize I don't care."  Sirius put his wand back inside of his coat. "Next time you point your wand at me, I'll make sure you won't have a wand to point anymore." 

Sirius went to turn to go back inside. He grabbed the front door and pulled, only to find it wouldn't budge. It made his threat seem stupid and petty when he couldn't dramatically walk away like he had planned. He closed his eyes in a frustrated fashion before turning back around and looking at her. He decided to sit and put his back against the cold front door. 

"Well, I hope you think about that threat as we freeze to death overnight," he said simply in a resigned voice. "We're locked out. Hope your little thin jacket is enough to keep you warm."

Sirius had no intention of hanging around. If he transformed, he'd be able to meet up with his friends and stay warm at the Shrieking Shack, or at least by running around. However, he wouldn't be able to do that if he was under the watchful eye of Monika. He hoped to eventually rid himself of her - maybe she'd stomp off angrily or refuse to sit with a blood traitor like him - but for now he had to keep up the ruse that he had no intention of leaving. 

Sirius bit his tongue at her comment. A thousand different replies popped into his head when he told him to bite her, and most of them were flirtatious, but that was only because she was attractive. Her personality wasn't nearly as attractive as her face, so he kept quiet and tried desperately to not smile at her. He knew it would only antagonize her, especially in her current state. He also kept quiet about the fact that his best skill was duelling. He felt as if he mentioned this that she might take him up on a duel, and he wasn't really in the mood to fight a girl. 

Sirius rolled his eyes at her words. "Yes, because I wanted to get stuck outside with a snarling beast stuck inside the body of a blonde girl,"  he retorted rather rudely. He found it difficult to stay polite as she was quickly getting on his nerves, even though they had scarcely met. He also didn't enjoy the fact that she was blaming him for this, even though technically it was entirely his fault. They didn't need to dwell upon it, did they? It was his fault, but it was hardly intentional. "Do you really think placing blame is useful? Because yes, me admitting it was my fault is going to get that door open." 

Sirius knew full well that nothing was going to open that damn door. He had tried everything he could think of in the past. He secretly hoped that Monika would come up with something that he hadn't, but it didn't look like that was going to happen any time soon. He watched as she began to bang her head against the door. 

"Because that's exactly what you need, more brain damage,"  he sneered, angrily. Sirius was confused by her next words. He was never lumped into a group before, other than being a Gryffindor. He had no idea what she was talking about, and he couldn't resist his curiousity. "Exactly like whom?"  he wondered out loud.

Sirius watched as she plopped down and pulled a wool blanket out of her bag that should have been too small for it. He was familiar with this type of magic, but still found it amusing every time he saw it anyways. He looked away from her and couldn't hide his smile. Okay, so she wasn't completely brain dead after all, but it didn't mean he had to tell her that. 

"Looks like you were expecting to spend the entire night out here," he observed. She looked comfy in her blanket, and he was sort of glad that she had something, as he wasn't exactly prepared to give up his warm coat, especially for someone who wasn't exactly a pleasure to be around. 

Sirius couldn't help but grin at Monika's retort. A hairy beast? She didn't know how close she was. If that was the best she was going to do, he could hardly keep going on with the fight, as an insult like that was weak and half-hearted. He knew that she could do better, and the fact that she hadn't showed that she, too, probably didn't want to waste her energy on such a thing in such frightful weather. Sirius didn't even stop to think that maybe he had hurt her feelings - that had been the goal, right? Whatever, he didn't care. 

He listened out her explanation of who actually he was like, and he laughed out loud. "A bit hypocritical, don't you think? You automatically judge me for being like everyone else due to the fact that everyone else judges you. So you're judging out of judging."  He chuckled again and looked away from her out at the dark lawn. His eyes were growing accustomed to the dark, and he was beginning to see further out. There was no doubt they were alone, but he wasn't sure for how long. "I suppose I'm talking in circles. Or is that a classic Gryffindor of me?"  He'd be lying if he said he hadn't judged her for being a Slytherin - it was what he was best at. In fact, there hadn't been a single Slytherin outside of family that he really exchanged more than just a few words, or more likely, a few insults. It was easier that way. Slytherins were cunning, and if they feigned kindness it was usually to get something out of someone. Everyone knew that. Why else were Slytherins (in his mind) avoided like the plague? 

When Sirius looked back at her, he could practically see Monika struggling with herself. Her face showed everything, and he found it amusing to watch. The small muscles in her face kept moving, as if she was struggling to decide whether to settle her face upon a scowl or a more relaxed pose. Sirius exhaled and saw his breath form in a little cloud in front of him.

"You can relax, you know,"  he stated, calmly. "I'm not about to jinx you if you're not going to do the same to me. Why don't we just let the cold do it's job and not spoil it for the weather by killing each other early." 

Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out his gloves and put them on. It was a little late as his fingers had already begun to get cold, but that was fine. He was pretty resilient against most weather types. In fact, he preferred the cold over that horrible stuff that came after in the spring. All that slush and rain/snow mixtures were always the worst. The slush always got into boots and you were never completely dry. At least if any participation fell upon the two, it would be snow, and they were protected from that as long as they stayed under the overhang. 

Sirius raised an eyebrow to her, and only replied with a simple, "Yeah, it is warm."  he looked at her suspiciously. If her trick was to be nice until he gave up his coat, she was sorely mistaken. After all, she was a Mystar  after all, and a Mystar was always prepared. He detested when people referred to themselves as their last name. "You know you're more than your last name, right?"  he couldn't help but blurt out. "Just because a Mystar always has to be prepared, doesn't mean you have to be."  It was, of course, in reference to his own family and his own last name, but if that wasn't evident he wasn't going to give it away. She didn't even know his name, he doubted if she knew his complex history with his family. He didn't usually delve into that with anyone, and infrequently with his closest mates. He usually just referred to his family members with scowls and grunts as replies. Most of all, Sirius just hated when people thought they had to fit into a certain box because their last name told them that they had to be. 

"What the hell is super moon?"  he suddenly felt quite defensive. He didn't like anyone mentioning the moon on a full moon night, mostly because he didn't want anything to lead to Remus. He was incredibly protective of the boy, and the thought of him made him grew wary of the fact that he was out here with Monika again. He would have much preferred to be out at the Shrieking Shack and doing what he did best: protecting and helping Remus. Now instead he was sharing small talk with a Slytherin. How was he ever going to explain this to his friends? He began to think of a thousand different reasons to leave, but none of them passed his lips. There was realistically nothing he could say to Monika to explain why he was disappearing off into the night. He supposed right now the only way he could protect Remus was by staying put and not doing a thing, which was something Sirius wasn't good at. He wasn't good at sitting around and doing nothing. Deep inside, he knew Moony would be fine with the others. It wasn't the first time Sirius hadn't gone: he had gotten detentions once or twice on full moons that he couldn't get out of, and one time he had a nasty flu that he pretended was nothing but the others refused to go if Sirius went heaving every three seconds, so he had to sit that one out, too. But those all seemed like reasonable excuses, and this one hardly did. 

Sirius looked at her almost in a way that said that Monika was crazy. "If I hexed everyone I disliked every time I felt like it, all the Slytherins would be in the hospital wing at the same time, on a rather regular basis,"  he explained. Yes, he was a hypocrite too. At the end of the day, he still had the Black genetics in him. Just because he strived to be different didn't mean he didn't have similarities. "You have to be smart about who you hex; then again, most of your lot is lacking in the intelligence department aren't they, if they think that all their enemies will hex on sight?"  Sirius grinned like he was being completely clever, instead of an insulting Gryffindor who seemed to fail to remember that whilst they were inside, they were under the supervision of the staff, but outside no one knew they were there. Technically, it would be a good time for Monika to hex him. By the time that thought occurred, however, his insults had already escaped him. 

Sirius was glad that she laughed. She had a nice smile, and her laugh was pleasant to the ears, but he wasn't sure what she was laughing so hard about. What was so funny about them killing each other? He supposed it would be an amusing sight. He tried to suppress his grin, but it was difficult. Perhaps there was some humour in what he said after all, even if he didn't find murder as funny as she seemed to. 

Sirius' humour vanished quickly. It was so funny with this girl so far: she made him smile and then frown within seconds. It was infuriating. He rolled his eyes, "That's not what I meant, I was trying to be nice. I was just saying, you're not your last name. I just -"  how was he supposed to explain to her that he just couldn't stand when people referred to their habits as being from which family surname they possessed? Why would she care anyways? "You know, never mind. It doesn't matter." 

His surliness returned, which wasn't too hard for Sirius. It was probably one of his top three most common moods, and one of his top two moods for dealing with people he didn't particularly care for. 

He looked up at the sky at her words. It was better than looking at her. At least the sky was beautiful, but silent. The sky was clear, but had rather large clouds lurking in the sky. He could tell as many of the stars were blotted out, and the moon was covered by cloud. Despite the cloud, though, Sirius could see how bright the moon was. It was rather startling. 

"I guess I should know about the skies and stars and stuff more considering my name,"  he said, toning down the irritability from earlier. He almost said "my name and my family members' names" but he had stopped himself. He didn't want to refer to them as family anymore. He didn't want to refer to them at all. He never even caught sight of her whiskey, as he had been too busy looking at the sky. "So are you like a pro at this ... this sky stuff?"  he asked as he waved his hand vaguely at the moon. He hardly even realized that he was making conversation. It was just natural for him. 

Sirius saw Monika go for her wand. It was the slightest movement, but he was always quick on that sort of thing. One did not become a very good duellist without having strong reflexes. He had to admit on this one that she probably would have gotten her wand out first, and that worried him a bit. He tried to recall the last time someone had him first, and none came to mind. He wasn't sure what to make of his hot-and-cold behaviour from her. It was certainly dangerous, and that was something Sirius wasn't sure he felt comfortable with, at all. Maybe she was stupid enough to hex him while they were outside alone. He suddenly wondered how many student homicides there had been at Hogwarts. Sirius was internally grateful that she hadn't gone for her wand. He would have been smoked. It only took a few seconds to fall behind in a duel, and one hex could have ended it all, especially since he was seated and therefore had less mobility to get away from her. 

Sirius snorted. "I'd like to think so."  He was close to mentioning that his OWLs agreed with his thought process, but that sounded much too book-nosey for him. Instead, he kept quiet on that regard. He doubted a Slytherin would be impressed anyways. They were probably the sort of lot that thought school didn't matter and actually believed it. Sirius wasn't the studious type, but he also knew he'd get nowhere without his grades. "I'm sure in time, you'll come to find me clever too when I leave you tongue-tied." It sounded a lot dirtier than he had intended. He let it hang there, though, because he didn't know how to fix his error. He just hoped that she didn't take it that way. An irritating personality with a good looking face did not match - at all. 

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her comment, and couldn't help but let out a quick, small - yet loud - laugh. "I need to learn to take a joke?"  he said in disbelief. "Do you have any idea of who I am? The Marauders? You must have heard of us, although I doubt fondly." he didn't like being so arrogant about being so popular but - well, he actually loved bragging about it. She could claim all she wanted that she didn't know who he was, but she must have recognized him once he told her his name. Either that, or she was the only one in the school - certainly in their year - who didn't know him. "We're the masters of joking around. Maybe you just need to learn to be funnier."

He was suspicious of her new tactic, but less so when she drank her own product before offering it to him. "What, is this poisoned but you have the antidote in your bag for yourself?"  he kidded as he took her peace offering from her and took his own swig. It wasn't his particular favourite whiskey, but it would do. 

Sirius tried to keep up with her explanation, but ended up just staring at her with his mouth slightly open. He wasn't really into Astronomy, so it all sounded jumbled, and besides, she was talking way too fast (in his opinion). He took another long swig before sliding it back to her on the ice that was forming on the stone. "Why's the dog one your favourite? Are you a big dog person or something?"  He couldn't help but enjoy his own little private joke. Really, all he got out of anything she was saying was 'greater dog' and pieces of his name. "So my namesake constellation is the heart of your favourite constellation? Transference, much?"  He raised both eyebrows at her in an interested fashion. He couldn't help but poke fun at her. He poked fun at everyone, but she was making it way too easy.

Sirius noticed the smirk on her face at his words, and it had the opposite effect on him. No, no, no, no, he did not want a Slytherin girl to think that he wanted to get her tongue tied in any way except in the hypothetical way, not in the literal way. Ugh. Why did he always have to speak before he thought? It got him into a lot of trouble quite frequently. 

"No." he answered flatly. He was going to go on and tell her that he hadn't been tongue tied with anyone, but then he'd have to explain himself. How was he supposed to say to a girl that he didn't know that he had never even kissed a girl? He just didn't have the interest. Not in girls, he meant, he was interested in girls, but he just never made time for them. There were more important things to Sirius, like having a laugh with his friends than chasing after someone. The group got enough humour from watching James chase after Lily, they didn't need another one. Sirius suddenly vaguely wondered what was going to happen when they were all grown up - it was coming up soon. Would they all go their separate ways, only to visit infrequently? Have families on their own? Sirius never thought much about actually having to share his closest mates, and the thought worried him out of the blue. His thought process helped him, because it allowed him to not speak to Monika for several moments. 

"I'd rather run around like an idiot than have no fun in my life at all,"  he told her, and it was absolutely true. "I'm not all that concerned on how others view me. It's actually a quite freeing feeling." 

Sirius was admittedly quite a light weight, but at the same time frowned when she put the alcohol away. At least that would have kept him a little warmer. 

Sirius laughed at her story about her dog. Not at the ending, however, that was obviously was not sad. "The fact that you managed to get a dog that big in undetected is rather impressive. I never even noticed, personally. I'm sure I could have made fast friends with him. I'm kind of a dog person myself," he said. Sirius liked to toy around with others and basically tell them what he could do without actually telling them what he could do. It wasn't a lie anyways. Just because he turned into a dog and barked like a dog didn't mean he had to like other dogs, but he did. The bigger the better, as well. He supposed that was why Remus was his favourite dog - they didn't get much bigger than Remus when he was transformed. He was reminded yet again that his friends were out there, and one of them was Remus, who couldn't control what happened under the state of the full moon. He focused his attention back to Monika, the only one he could focus on at the moment. "I'm sorry. Must be hard to lose a pet. I've never had one." 

Sirius was at least sincere in his apology. He hated when someone lost someone they loved. He recently lost his favourite uncle, and although he had gotten a wealthy inheritance, he would have rather kept his uncle. He and his uncle didn't even speak frequently - the inheritance had been a surprise. Regardless, he had to admit that losing a dog that was by your side at all times had to be difficult, and no doubt the residual feelings of hurt still got to her. He had the urge suddenly to tell her about his uncle, but resisted. What was the point? He was dead. It was over. Sirius tended to internalize things, especially when it came to family matters.

Sirius actually felt his ears burn in embarrassment. He was actually aware that she was flirting with him, which was something that was new to him. Usually it went right over his head. He tried to think of something back, so he replied, "Don't worry, I doubt it'd hurt, I'm used to being bitten."  he then realized how stupid he sounded. "Never mind. That was dumb, shut up." 

He had to admit that she had flustered him, which was impressive. He had never felt a loss for words towards a girl before, unless they were fighting and he got too angry. He felt stupid for not being able to come up with something to say. What did you say when you were essentially innocent? He had added 'shut up' at the end because he figured that she would start laughing. He would have if the situations were reversed. 

Sirius looked at the snow, and then back to the door. "And not to jinx anything, but when the teachers do their nightly prowl, they tend to check right outside the door, so I'm not sure if staying here is the best idea," he informed her. "I mean, staying here is the best idea, just not if we don't want to get caught."

He realized that maybe Monika wasn't so bad, and he didn't like that feeling. She was a Slytherin, she was mouthy, but he didn't have the instinct to run off on her like he had been feeling like doing when they first got trapped. Maybe this alright-ness of hers was merely a cover because they were stuck, and she probably couldn't afford to be out there alone. 

((You don't have to apologize for being sick, you silly goose))