Taste of Youth

Sirius did in fact follow me to the rest of my classes. He even took to making fun of Flitwick behind his back distracting me from a bunch of different charms. Then during my Care of Magical Creatures class he set a cage full of Doxy’s free, a group of them attacking Kettleburn and sending him to the Hospital Wing. While we headed to my Healing class he was prodding me about why I wasn’t in Ravenclaw with brains like mine.

“Come on, Luciana. Tell me why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw.”

I sent him a sideways look, “No questions about Slytherin?”

Sirius snorted, “You’re pleasant to be around, there’s no way.”

“Mmm.” I shook my head, “Tell me about your Sorting and I’ll tell you about mine.”

Sirius smiled a little, “There’s not a lot to tell really. The hat told me that I was different than the rest of my family. I’d never really believed what my parents had said about Muggles, Muggle-borns and the like. I liked having my own opinions, my own thoughts. I was never good at taking peoples words for things, especially my parents.The Sorting Hat said it made me brave, going against years and years of my family’s beliefs. Said it was reckless of me doing that. Guess that’s why.”

“You’re family was in another house I take it.” I got the feeling he didn’t talk about his family a lot.

“Slytherin. That’s how I know that there’s no way you’d be a Slytherin.”

“What if there are those few Slytherin’s that are different and to be fair,” I told him spinning around so I was walking in front of him backwards, “you don’t know me very well.”

He shrugged, “Well enough I think. Now it’s your turn, spill it.”

I laughed at that, “It was because of my memories. He told me that I had some very Slytherin methods that I used going about my life after some of them. Avoidance, was what it told me was so Slytherin. The Hat wanted to put me there but I said no.”

“You told a hat that has been around, sorting kids for several millennium, no? I mean I can understand that you didn’t want to be a Slytherin but why?” He questioned eying me with an unhappy look on his face ever since I had mentioned being put in Slytherin.

“Because the woman who murdered my brother was a Slytherin and I didn’t want to be part of that, any where near where she had been.”

Sirius nodded slowly, “Okay but that doesn’t explain why you were put in Gryffindor.”

“If I remember correctly it was because I was hardheaded, driven, and vindictive. The main reason seemed to be reckless strength, because I told it that death was a price I was willing to pay.” I was staring over Sirius’ shoulder now lost somewhere in the time that I still thought I had a brother to go back to.

“To pay for what?” Sirius caught my arm when I tripped on the last stair.

I started, “Sorry?”

“What was it that you were willing to pay your life for?”

I smiled and shook my head again, “You ask a lot of personal questions you know but you don’t like to answer them do you?”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, “You’re changing the subject.”

“I know.”

“Why?”

“Because, Sirius, we’re not friends exactly are we. You’re not Lily or Alice and I’m not James.” I spread my arms a bit, “I haven’t talked about my Sorting to Lily or Alice, they never asked me but you did. I probably shouldn’t have told you about my Sorting, right? Because you’re questioning me now, trying to figure out if I’m like your family.”

“See, Ravenclaw would have been excellent for you.” Sirius managed a smile, “You’re smart.”

“Not really, this is the first time I’ve been to school in five years. Muggle or otherwise.”

“Are you joking?”

“No, I’m not. James and Remus are probably waiting for you and I have class. See you.” I waved sprinting the rest of the way to the Hospital wing.

“Oi, wait!”

I bumped into Kettleburn as he came out and greeted him waving until he disappeared. I leaned forward rubbing my temples cursing myself. I shouldn’t have started that conversation with Sirius. Conversations about myself never did turn out well even when my mother still called me her princess. I sucked in a deep breath and walked into the Hospital.

“Evening, Luciana! ” Poppy smiled brilliantly, "Stuffs on the desk."

Poppy and I talked about how to heal bruises and other small injuries and about the lack of medical knowledge in the Muggle world. She asked me if I was considering taking an internship in St. Mungo’s and I told her about the Auror job that I had in mind. She was worried about my safety and I smiled.

“All the more reason so learn Healing then right?”

Poppy wagged a finger at me, “You’ll need it for yourself more than anyone else. I noticed you haven’t been having as many accidents.”

I nodded, “Professor Cormack is helping me with that, working on balance and such.”

“That’s good.”

The timer I had set rang and I checked on the potion again, “What you don’t miss me?”

“You’re here every night.” Poppy laughed, “I have no time to miss you, deary. Are you going to be continuing this when school starts?”

“Most likely, I have to get it approved by McGonagall and the Headmaster.”

“I hope you do. You’re a natural.”

“Me too, I might have to resort to unbalancing myself to talk with you again.”

“Don’t you dare.” Poppy told me wagging her finger again, “You will be in so much trouble with me.”