Their Seventh Year

Yay, in this chapter, we see a little of a serious Sirius. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)

Chapter 21- That Which We Are

With Peter setting his eyebrows aflame with the exploding snap cards, and James accepting a dare to see how many chocolate frogs he could eat without getting sick, no one really noticed that Sirius was unusually quiet and subdued during the train ride back to King's Cross for the holidays.

He hated holidays, always had. For him, Hogwart's had been an escape from his family, and he hated the times that sent him back under the critical and disapprovingeyes of his parents. Since he'd run away from home, Hogwart's had been an escape from the fact that he didn't have a family. He knew the Potters genuinely did not mind him staying, he was always made to feel welcome in their home, but seeing the lot of them and how much they loved each other just reminded him that what he came from was the complete opposite. It had been his choice to run away, and given the chance to do it over again he would do exactly the same thing, but that didn't stop him envying his friends and their close-knit families.

He was watching the countryside go by, hills covered in patchy snow, when a loud discussion between Peter and James dragged him out of his stupor.

“I haven’t got any frogs left now!”

“Well, I told you I could eat all of them without getting sick!”

“Well, I didn’t know you were going to take all of them…now I haven’t got any.”

Sirius jumped up restlessly, for some reason more annoyed than he would normally be by Peter’s whining.

“I’ll get you some more damn frogs.”

He didn’t really care if Peter got more frogs, but he felt like he needed to get out of the compartment.  He wandered down the corridor, looking for the trolley with the sweets, when he heard a familiar voice.  Well, two familiar voices really.  He ducked behind a luggage rack, wondering why she was talking to him.

“I already said no.  If you have business with my brother you can deal with him directly, I want no part of it.”  Sirius was quite sure he had never heard her raise her voice before.  They were coming closer so he ducked into the nearest compartment, which was unoccupied.

“It’s just a letter Arianna.”

“I don’t want to be mixed up in the things you two are.  I’m not going to be your messenger Severus.”

She burst into the compartment and shut the door behind her with some force, and then started when she saw him.

“We really have to stop meeting like this.”  He smiled.

She narrowed her eyes at him.  “Were you eavesdropping?”

He considered his options.  He wanted to know what she’d been arguing with Snape about, but he didn’t think she’d tell him if he admitted to eavesdropping.  He decided to play dumb.

“On what?”

“Nothing.”  She muttered, and sat down, managing to make the simple gesture radiate annoyance.

“May I join you?”  He asked politely.

“If I said no, would you leave?”

”Probably not.”  He sat across from her, and fixed her with a thoughtful look.  “Why don’t you like me?”

“Would you like a list?”

“Give me your top two reasons.”  He suggested.

“You’re arrogant and self-centered.”  She replied promptly.

“Hm.”  He raised an eyebrow.  “I would have been happy with “I’m so intimidated by your good looks and charm.”

“Are you flirting with yourself?”

“Impressive, no?”

She made a sound that might have been amusement or annoyance, or possibly a combination of the two.

“So what are you doing for the holidays?”  He changed the subject completely.  She gave him another suspicious look.

“Why?”

“We call it conversation Arianna.  I know you may not be acquainted with it personally, but surely you’ve seen other people having them.”

“I worried about your creativity Black, if you’re borrowing comebacks from me.”

He ignored that comment.  “Why are you sitting in here all alone?”

“I wasn’t, I’m not sure where my friends went.”  She indicated a few other bags and a stack of witches’ magazines that did suggest other people sitting in the compartment.

“Your friend, the one with the blond hair, she’s quite pretty.”  The moment he said that, he wondered why.  Was he trying to gauge her reaction?  Did he want her to be upset that he was interested in her friend?  Did he really expect her to care?  And why did it matter to him if she cared?  Whatever the reason, it didn’t appear to bother her.

“You’re not her type.”  She replied carelessly.  The glanced around.  “Where are your little friends?”

He smiled at this, and then stood, the better to make use of his considerable height.  “I don’t think you’re in much of a position to call anyone “little” Miss Malfoy, if you can still be taken for a third year.”

She stood as well, and despite being far shorter than him, looked him directly in the eye.  He had been intending to say something else, but at that moment, he forgot what it was.

“I’m going to go find my friends.  Merry Christmas Black.”

She turned and was gone.

======

The train pulled into King's Cross station to a crowd of parents milling on the platform waiting for their children. Homesick first years were the first off the train, followed at a more normal pace by the other students. Sirius spotted James's parents, and Peter's Mum, but then his attention was caught by another man, standing slightly to the side looking cool, elegant, and detached-- Lucius Malfoy. Curious, he turned in time to see Arianna step off the train, and was surprised as she scanned the crowd, and then smiled when she saw her brother. Aside from the fact he didn't think Lucius Malfoy was much to smile about, he couldn't remember ever seeing any expression from her that wasn't a smirk. She slipped easily past the crowds towhere he was standing, and much to Sirius's surprise, hugged him. He watched, riveted, because from what he knew about the Malfoys, they did not seem like a very affectionate family. And sure enough, Malfoy extricated himself quickly.

"Please Arianna, you are sixteen, control yourself." The reprimand was quiet, but firm.

When she turned enough for him to get another glimpse of her face, it was again the detached, composed expression, but he stood stunned for a moment, as he realized he had not been far off when he'd told her they were very much alike.

======

James made a mental note to ask Sirius, when they were alone, what exactly was going on between him and the Malfoy girl, but at that moment in the train station, while they were greeting his parents, he was distracted by the fact that Lily had also found her parents, and they appeared to be getting ready to leave.

"Be right back." He hurried across the platform, knocking several other students and their families out of the way. "Lily! Wait!"

He caught up with her, and noted that her parents were giving him a rather odd look. Realizing it would be rude not to do so, he turned to them and stuck out his hand politely.

"Hello, I'm James Potter."

Although a little taken aback by the abruptness of the young man who had just come sprinting across the platform, they both shook his hand.

"Good to meet you James."

"Likewise. I won't keep you, I was just wondering, er..." He had hoped to have time to plan how exactly he was going to phrase this, but he was just going to have to say it. "Would it be okay if I owled you over the holiday Lily? I mean, not a lot or anything, but just once or something?" He was well aware he was sounding like an idiot, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. "I mean, like if I had an idea about the dueling club, or about...um...homework or something." Wow, that has got to be the flimsiest excuse ever. "But if not...uh...that's okay too..."

"It would be fine if you owled me James." She said, not looking the least bit annoyed by his bumbling idiocy. He wasn't sure if she actually wanted him to owl her or if she was just being polite in front of her parents, but he didn't really care, she had said yes anyway!

"Great." There was a momentary pause made even more awkward by the fact that her parents were there. "Great, well, er, Merry Christmas Lily."

"Merry Christmas James."

He walked back to his parents with a spring in his step. Now he just had to figure out what to get her.

======

Lily tried to put on a cheerful face as she left King's Cross with her parents, despite the fact that she had been rather dreading holidays. She was glad Petunia had not come along to the station to collect her, forcing her tobe around so much magicwould have only made her more unbearable.

"So," Her Mum was smiling at her in the rearview mirror. "That was James Potter?"

She nodded, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"You sure did mention him a lot in your letters."

"I...I did not!"

Surely she would not waste space in her letters on James! And if she had mentioned him, it was probably just to tell them what a prat he was.

"Oh you did, nearly every letter, wouldn't you say Dear?"

"At least." Her father agreed.

"I...well, he's justHead boy, so I have to see him a lot, that's all." She finally explained, hating that she sounded so defensive.

"And someone who's "just head boy" made a point of asking if he could write to you over the holidays?"

Lily squirmed under their amused looks, maybe this visit was going to be even more uncomfortable than she'd feared.

======

As James went back to collect his trunk, they were going to take a portkey to their house, his Dad was grinning at him, and over his shoulder James saw Lily disappear out the door with her parents.

“Well she’s pretty.”

Sirius answered for him.  “You’re wasting your time Mr. Potter, you can’t get anything intelligent out of him where Lily Evans is concerned.”

“Oh, so that’s Lily Evans?”

Both of his parents were now looking after the red-haired girl with some interest.

“Perhaps we should go introduce ourselves to her…”

James had turned an interesting shade of dark red and muttered, “Dad!” in a pained voice.

Mr. Potter grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder, and then one around Sirius’s.

“Let’s get going, and Sirius, you can tell us all about Jamie’s girl.”