Their Seventh Year

Did you guys really think Sirius would back off just because she's a Malfoy? That's not like him at all!

I’ve spoiled you guys updating like this, but in the coming weeks I have work conferences, a friend’s wedding, two trips, and I am moving to a new apartment.  October is looking just a little overwhelming now, so if I don’t update as often, sorry about that.

Chapter 19- Friends and Families

James, to his credit, did not mention what Lily had come to think of as "the kissing incident". She knew she was blowing a small kiss on the cheek way out of proportion, but she was just so confused as to what had compelled her to do it. It had seemed the correct thing to do at the moment, and such a bad idea later on. She did not want to give him the wrong idea.

Of course, he knew where he stood with her, she had made it clear enough times. It just seemed that "friendship", which seemed so straightforward with everyone else, was shaky ground with James Potter.

And she was thinking about this as she came back to the common room that evening, thinking about it so hard that she tripped over a chair and landed rather ungracefully on her face in the middle of the common room.

The other students waited to see that she wasn't really hurt, and then began snickering. A hand appeared in front of her, a hand that, looking up, she saw belonged to Remus Lupin.

"Thanks."

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Long day?"

"You could say that." She sank into a chair, cheeks burning, and rubbing her shoulder that had taken most of the impact. He had apparently interrupted his studying to come to her rescue, and so returned to it, and she took this opportunity to study him. She thought Remus was an interesting boy. They were friendly in a general way, but she didn't feel like she knew him, she guessed few people did, the obvious exceptions being his roommates. Quiet and reserved was the side that everyone saw, and she guessed that although he rarely said much outside of classes, he missed nothing.

"Can I ask you something? About James?"

"Does it involve me revealing his deep dark secrets? Showing you his naked baby pictures?"

"Um...I don't think so...."

"Damn. Well, I suppose you can ask anyway."

"What is he after?"

He sat back and folded his hands, resting his chin on them and looking at her pensively. "I don't think he's entirely sure. But he is genuine. He really does like you and he really does want to know you better. As far as what he expects to come from that...well, he may not be sure yet, but he's being honest with you Lily." He paused long enough for her to consider this, and then added. "Perhaps it's time you were honest with yourself." She stared at him, but he just gave her an enigmatic smile andclosed his book. "It's dinner time." He stood, and she glanced up at him.

"Do you really have naked baby pictures of James?"

A mysterious smile. "I make it a policy to have blackmail material on all the people I live with."

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Lily was getting a little sick of cryptic, mysterious "advice", first from , and then from Remus. It was making her feel like everyone else knew something she didn't, and she couldn't figure out what. In the six years she had spent hating James Potter, Lily had never thought about him so much, but while she could not get him out of her head, James himself was conspicuously absent.

And maybe that was why he practically gave her heart attack when he slid into a seat across from her the next afternoon in the library.

"Working on homework? I was going to do my arithmancy, do you mind the company?"

"I'm not doing homework, I'm writing a letter, but no, I don't mind."

For a few minutes they worked in silence. James desperately wanted to know who she was writing to, but he wasn't stupid enough to look at her parchment. A sudden and particularly horrible thought occurred to him...what if it was her boyfriend? What if she had some muggle boyfriend she'd met over holidays and she was keeping it a secret from them all because he was a muggle?

"Who are you writing to?" He burst out, trying to make it sound casual and failing miserably.

She looked at him and arched one eyebrow inquiringly. "My parents."

"Oh." Relief rushed through him. He realized he didn't really know anything about her family, except that they were muggles. "Are you close to them?"

She shrugged. "I used to be. But it's kind of hard for them to understand...Hogwart's and stuff. And I don't see them very much, only holidays. I guess we've kind of grown apart. And my sister, she hates magic."

"Hates magic?" The idea was foreign to him. In his life, magic was not something to be liked or disliked, it was just something you were.

"Yeah. But she's getting married soon, and if there's anyone who hates me more than her, it's her fiancé, so I don't reckon I'll see her much anymore anyway."

The idea of someone, anyone, being mean to her bothered him immensely, so much so that he almost didn't hear when she asked "Are you close to your parents?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I really am. I mean, I'm an only child, so I guess you could say I'm pretty spoiled, but my Mum and Dad are really great."

"Oh, mine are too." She said quickly. "It's just...it must be nice to have people...you can go to. People who understand magic. I mean, like grown-ups, not other students."

"Yeah, it is." He admitted, realizing for the first time how isolated she must sometimes feel. She always seemed so together and so in-control.

She suddenly seemed to think she'd given away too much, because she suddenly folded up her parchment. "I'm going to go send this. See you later."

"Lily wait!" She paused and he realized he had no idea how to put into words what he wanted to say. "Nevermind. I'll see you later."

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Sirius could not help but be amused by his friends. Such a studious little bunch of Gryffindors. He, however, was not going to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon, probably the last day warm enough to be outdoors for the year, with studying. He had succeeded in dragging them outside to study at least. So while they read he was stretched out in the grass, wondering what they would do without him forcing them to relax a bit. Honestly, that Evans was having a bad effect on James- he never used to study this much.

Casting around for some form of entertainment, he saw her sitting at the edge of the lake with two other Slytherin girls. The one who Alice had said looked like a grasshopper, and a blond one who was actually, aside from being in Slytherin, rather pretty.

"You're staring." Peter said shortly.

"Shut up." He replied automatically, but did drag his eyes away from her. The exchange was not lost on James though.

"Sirius, mate, you need to let that one go. You know as well as I do the Malfoys are trouble. You don't want to get mixed up with that."

He didn't reply, but he knewProngs was right, the whole Malfoy family was trouble. They were good friends with his parents, and that said a lot.

Out of the corner, he saw the group get up, and thought it just as well that they were leaving. But as two of the girls walked back towards the castle, she was still sitting by the lake, alone.

Sirius folded his hands behind his head. She was a Malfoy, and that could be nothing but bad. He felt cheated, after all the trouble he'd gone to finding out who she was. And it had been amusing too, although he might not admit it, he liked a challenge. And since when did he let James tell him what to do anyway?

"I'll catch you guys later." He remarked, brushing off grass off his clothes as he got up.

"Sirius...really, I think you should...." James’s voice died off hopelessly, and Sirius ignored him anyway, along with a disapproving sound from Peter.

She barely seemed to notice as he seated himself on the grass next to her.

"Good afternoon, Arianna Malfoy."

"Good afternoon, Sirius Black." She retorted, mimicking his coy tone but giving away nothing on the fact that he had figured out her name. Since she had made it into such a game he thought it something of an accomplishment and this annoyed him a little.

"I figured out your name." He pointed out finally, when it became apparent she was not going to comment on it.

"Yes, and it only took you a month. Aren't you the clever one."

"Aren't you going to ask how?"

"I might, if I was actually interested. I'm not."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"Actually Black, I'm indifferent to you. I don't care enough to actively dislike you."

"So indifferent that you bothered to threaten everyone in Slytherin not to tell me your name?"

"That didn't take much. Hard though it may be to believe, they're not all that eager to talk to you."

"More's the pity for them." He shrugged, and changed the subject. "What are you reading?"

"We call them books. I know you may not be acquainted with them personally, but surely you've seen them lying around."

"I'll have you know I'm near the top of my class in every subject."

"Am I meant to be impressed? You're so impressed with yourself it hardly seems necessary for me to pretend."

"I was merely responding to your dig about books, Miss Malfoy. I am not entirely unfamiliar with the concept of reading."

She closed her book, and finally deigned to look at him. "You're not nearly as interesting as you think Black."

"No? And yet you're still talking to me." He stood up and looked down at her from his considerable height. "We're more alike than you think Arianna."