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x. CHAPTER TEN

FEVERS & PUNS
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THE NEXT MORNING, Briar sat down alone at the Slytherin table. She'd barely gotten any sleep, both from patrolling the corridors and staying up thinking about Andromeda Black and her muggle-born boyfriend. She'd been unable to digest what she found out, but she finally managed to accept it. The Black family day clearly weren't too big on loyalty.

Andromeda had shown no remorse or even the slightest guilt for what she was doing. She clearly believed that she was right, and Briar doubted that anybody could convince her otherwise.

But how was that possible? How could something that was so wrong according to one person be so right to another? The thought seemed to make Briar's head ache. If she accepted that Andromeda was doing the right thing, that would mean questioning everything that her parents had taught her since her childhood.

Perhaps it was too late for that.

"Morning, Briar. Are you all right? You're hair's a mess," Lucius commented, sitting down beside her. He patted her head, making the messy crown plait even worse. "I wouldn't go to class like that, if I were you."

Briar eyes widened in surprise, as she reached up to touch her hair. Crap, she'd completely forgotten to brush it, one look at her reflection in her empty silver glass told her that strands were sticking out everywhere. Sighing, she tried to smooth it down. "Are you all right, Lucius?" she asked him lightly. "You seem to be in a good mood."

"I'm fine," Lucius replied, putting food on his plate. "But really, Briar, you're the one that looks pale. I suggest you go brush that hair of yours before someone mistakes you for a ghost."

Frowning, Briar got out of her seat and quickly headed to the nearest girls' toilets, she only had five minutes before class, and she needed to hurry. She unraveled the messy plait, and tried using her wand to remove the tangles. It was proving rather difficult, and she groaned in frustration. In the end, she grabbed the entire bunch of platinum blonde hair in her fist, and tied it up in a ponytail. It wasn't much, but it was an improvement from the disastrous hair before.

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She slid into her desk during Potions quickly, noticing that there were very few empty seats left because she was relatively late. She spotted one near Rabastan, but decided against it. There was another beside a Gryffindor girl whom she barely knew, and one in front of Remus Lupin. Deciding that Lupin was her best bet, she quickly sat down in front of him and smiled.

"D'Alessio," he greeted her politely. "Had a rough morning?"

"You have no idea," she muttered, quickly pulling out her Potions textbook. She turned around to ask him about his morning, and noticed that Black and Potter were sitting right behind him. Black was beaming with happiness, and there were no signs of any injury on him. Clearly Madame Pomfrey had worked her magic. Avoiding his gaze, she smiled politely at Lupin and turned to face the front as Professor Slughorn entered the classroom.

"Good morning! Now, having completed the lesson on Revival Potions, I think it's time we moved on to a new topic Today, we'll be..."

Briar drifted off, as Slughorn began his class. She'd always thought Potions was interesting, but somehow she simply wasn't in the mood to concentrate, that day. Her head started to throb softly, and she could feel her eyelids getting heavy, she could barely take notes. When the bell rang for the end of class, she was relieved. She closed her books quickly, and tried to shake off the drowsy feeling that was overcoming her.

A large hand placed itself on her desk, and Briar jumped, startled. She looked up and saw that Sirius Black was standing there, smiling at her.

"New hairstyle? I like it. Gives you that I-just-got-out-of-bed look. Very attractive."

Briar glared, trying to control the blush that was threatening to rise up to her cheeks. Her hair didn't look that bad, did it? It must have been worse than she thought, if Black noticed it. "Go away."

"All right, all right, don't get mad! I just wanted to say thanks for the chocolates," he said, with a cheeky grin. "I really liked the card as well."

Briar froze, but tried to look straight at him, confidently. "I'm sorry? What chocolates?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at her. "Don't try to fool me. I saw you last night, I know you left those Chocolate Frogs and the get-well-soon card on my table. Missed me so much, eh?"

Briar forced herself to look away from his gaze, and glanced behind him. Lucius was just leaving the classroom, and she was relieved that he hadn't turned back and noticed Black talking to her. That could have turned ugly. "Black, you should stay away from me. If Lucius sees you talking to me, he won't take it well."

Sirius's smile dropped. Her grey eyes stared into hers, with an expression that Briar wasn't sure she could decipher. "Is that a threat, D'Alessio?"

"No," she replied, standing up and gathering her things. She quickly slung her bag over her shoulder. "It's a warning. You're an arsehole, but you don't deserve what Lucius will do to you if you don't leave now."

Sirius smiled once more. "Are you scared of him?"

         "No," Briar said. Most of the students had left the class, and she was consciously aware of the fact that she and Black were among the few people left. She was terrified that Lucius would decide to walk back into the classroom, and tried to push past Sirius. He grabbed her arm. "Black, let me go."

         He smiled, stepping closer. "I would, but I'm not sure you want me to."

       She felt her breath catch in her throat as his grip on her arm tightened slightly. It wasn't painful, but there was no way she could shake it off. With a small jerk of his arm, she was trapped between him and the desk, his chest almost touching hers.

        No. Not again. I promised myself that I would never get into this situation with him again-

      "Here's what I see, D'Alessio," Sirius said softly, his head leaning closer to hers. She could almost feel his breath on her face. "You claim you want me to stay away from you, but you don't complain about me to your cousin. You could have; Malfoy would have hexed me in a second if you let him. But for some reason, you don't. Then, you leave chocolates and a get-well-soon note beside my sickbed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that you fancy me."

Briar could feel her temper rising slightly. Her heartbeat quickened, but she wasn't sure if it was because he was irritating her or because he was too close. "I don't fancy you. Stop flattering yourself."

"Yet for some reason, you won't admit it. Why? Is it because I'm a blood traitor?"

"No, it's because you're an infuriating prick," Briar snapped, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "And if you don't step away from me right now, I will tell Lucius. And I won't be responsible for what he does to you."

Sirius laughed. "Wonderful plan. There's only two problems. The first being that I'm not afraid of your little cousin. And even if I was, it wouldn't matter. You'd never tell him anyway. Pretty good at keeping secrets, aren't you, Rosie?"

Briar could feel her anger bubbling up. She felt the urge to hit him, but she stopped herself. "Yes, I am, Black. And I'm not sure if you're aware, but one of the secrets I'm keeping involves your cousin Andromeda. So I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Don't act like you're doing Andromeda a favor. You know perfectly well that you could never tell anyone about her even if you wanted to. Want to know why, D'Alessio? Because she's just like you, only one step ahead. She admits that she's not like the rest of her family while you hide behind your perfect little act, convincing yourself and dear Mummy and Daddy that you're their perfect pureblood princess."

"Don't-"

"But you're not, are you? You're friends with a muggle-born. You fraternize with blood traitors. And you don't want to be some pathetic little trophy wife to a man like Rabastan Lestrange who doesn't give a damn about your feelings."

Briar could feel her throat constrict. He was right, she knew it. Every word that came out of his mouth was true, and it hit Briar like a lightning bolt. She was a fraud and a liar. She pretended and she convinced herself that she was what her parents wanted her to be. But what was the point, when the likes of Sirius Black could see straight through her?

Briar's head felt light for a moment, and black spots appeared in her vision. Her knees could no longer hold her up and they jerked suddenly. Sirius looked shocked, but he grabbed her shoulders and helped her stand up. "Briar? Are you all right?"

"Fine, just... dizzy..." she mumbled. There was a sick feeling in the back of her throat, and she could feel everything spinning. Her legs started to feel even more weak, and Sirius put his arms around her back carefully.

"Wait, just sit for a moment. Put your head down."

        Briar followed his instructions, and she felt the sick feeling slowly start to subside. She rested her forehead on the desk, taking slow, shuddering breaths. Sirius's hand rubbed her back gently, and she found herself leaning into the comfort of his touch. She stopped thinking for a few seconds, and simply took deep breaths. Once her breathing returned to normal, she lifted her head.

         "Are you all right?" Sirius asked. He was smiling weakly, but he looked concerned. "Scared me for a minute, there."

        "I'm fine," Briar replied sharply, grabbing her bag. She stood up slowly, her legs wobbling for a moment before holding her up. Sirius reached out to help her, but she pushed him away.

          "Rosie, I don't think you should be walking. You look like you're going to faint. Have you even been eating?" Sirius demanded, following her as she walked out of the Potions classroom. Briar only turned around and glared at him.

         "You know what, Black? Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm a liar and a fraud, and maybe I pretend to be someone I'm not for my family," she said, her voice cracking. Her blue eyes were shining with tears that were starting to pool in her eyes. Sirius stepped back in surprise. "If I disgust you so much, then I'm fucking sorry. But I can't make everyone happy."

          She walked away from him, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks and the throbbing in her head.

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         Briar spent the rest of her afternoon in the Hospital Wing. She'd just barely managed to make it to Transfiguration when she almost collapsed. Luckily, she'd been caught by Professor McGonagall, who sent her straight to the Hospital Wing with another student to escort her.

        Madame Pomfrey had fussed over Briar. It seemed that the nurse had taken a liking to the young Slytherin girl, and she insisted that Briar take a nap in the Hospital Wing and catch up on some sleep instead of attending her other classes. The idea was delightful. The teenage girl' eyelids had been drooping all day, and the hard, hospital bed was more than welcoming.

          She awoke to someone gently prodding her shoulder. "Miss D'Alessio? You need to wake up." Briar's eyelids fluttered open, and she saw Madame Pomfrey standing over her. "Dear, it's time for lunch. If you're up to it, I must insist that you go down and eat something. You'll feel better. Perhaps you can make it to your afternoon classes."

          Briar nodded, carefully standing up. She glanced around the room and saw that Sirius Black was standing behind Madame Pomfrey, smiling sheepishly at her. "What's he doing here?"

         "Mr. Black came to get his head checked up. He's offered to help you down to the Great Hall for lunch," Madame Pomfrey explained. She shot Sirius a stern look. "You will be careful with her, won't you?"

        "Absolutely," Sirius promised, holding his arm out to Briar. She frowned at him, but took it reluctantly. She didn't want to walk alone, because she wasn't sure when her knees would give out again. Collapsing in the middle of a corridor could be very embarrassing.

         They left the Hospital Wing, walking slowly so that Briar could feel comfortable on her feet. She had to admit that Sirius was being surprisingly caring. He slowed his pace for her, and kept a light grip on her elbow in case she should stumble.

       "Are you feeling all right?" he asked her, once they'd stepped into the corridor. Briar glanced up at him, incredulously. "Sorry, I suppose that's a stupid question. I'll keep quiet if you don't want to talk."

        Briar sighed. "I'm fine, thank you. Just having a long day."

        "I should have taken you to the Hospital Wing when you felt dizzy after Potions," Sirius muttered, more to himself than Briar. "I didn't realize it was that bad. Madame Pomfrey seems to like you, though. That's good. She doesn't like me and James much, thinks we trouble her unnecessarily."

        "You probably do," Briar muttered in response. Sirius smiled.

        "I suppose..." he trailed off, as they reached the beginning of a staircase. Briar looked down it, and began to feel slightly dizzy again. "Can you make it down these? Here, I'll help you..."

        He shifted his arm from her elbow to her back, and Briar almost froze as his warm hand pressed into her waist softly, offering her support. She grabbed the railing of the stairs with one hand, and allowed herself to lean onto his arm. As she took the first step, she glanced at him and saw that he was smirking.

      "You're enjoying this."

        "Having a pretty girl lean on me? Absolutely."

        Briar Rose couldn't control the blush that crept onto her cheeks. She pretended to concentrate on her step, hiding her face from Sirius so that he wouldn't notice. They were halfway down the stairs, when Sirius stopped suddenly. Briar took another step down, and glanced back when she saw that he hadn't followed her.

        "What?" she questioned.

      "You don't disgust me. You know that, don't you?"

       Briar stared at him in confusion for a few seconds, before she remembered that he was echoing her words from earlier that morning. If I disgust you so much, then I'm sorry, was what she'd said. "Oh."

          "Believe me, I wouldn't be spending this much time around you, if you did," Sirius continued with a light smile, starting down the stairs again. "And, erm... I'm sorry if it seemed that way to you. Besides, I was just fooling around. I never thought you would take my words so seriously."

        Briar wasn't sure how to respond to that. His apology seemed sincere, and she had to admit that she'd over-reacted. She smiled to herself, as she realized the pun in his words. "Well, of course I took you seriously. You are Sirius."

          Sirius paused, staring at her for a few seconds, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "No! Did Briar Rose D'Alessio, the Slytherin ice princess, just make a joke?"

        Briar scoffed, smiling. "I can joke."

       "No, clearly you can't. That was pathetic. Let me tell you what a real joke-"

       Sirius was, however, interrupted when he felt a wand at the back of his neck. Startled, he dropped his arm from around Briar and whirled around to see Lucius Malfoy sneering at him. "Malfoy," Sirius greeted lightly. "Problem?"

       Malfoy, however, wasn't looking at Sirius. He was glaring at Briar, who seemed to almost shrink under his gaze. "You promised you'd tell me if he bothered you again! Briar, what the hell is wrong with you?"

        Briar lower lip trembled, and she flinched away from Malfoy's loud voice. Her head started to throb, and she clutched onto the railing of the staircase. Sirius watched her, worried, before turning back to Lucius. "Leave her alone, Malfoy. She almost fainted in class today, can't you see she's not well?"

         Lucius glanced at Briar, who's face was scrunched up in obvious pain. He lowered his wand slightly, watching her. "Briar? Are you all right?"

         "Fine," she mumbled, trying to ignore the fact that her head was spinning. "Really, Lucius, it's all right. Black was just helping me get to the Great Hall..."

       Lucius stared at both Sirius and Briar for a moment, as though unsure whether to believe them. After a long pause, he finally stowed his wand back into his robes and shoved Sirius aside to take Briar's arm. "I'll take it from here. And if I ever see you near her again, Black-"

        Sirius rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, you'll hex me into oblivion. I'll believe it when I see it, Malfoy."

        Angry, Lucius reached into his robes to pull his wand back out, but Briar caught his arm. "Not now, Lucius. Come, let's go."

        Sirius watched as Malfoy reluctantly dropped his hand and turned away from him. He and Briar continued down the stairs, before disappearing from sight.

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hello! for once i actually don't have anything to say lol but hope you guys enjoy this new chapter,, love you you all so fucking much
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