The Taming of Padfoot

Pairing: Sirius Black/ Alice Cullen

Rated: M

One - Prologue

((start))

Alice Cullen made her way up to the Astronomy tower. Matt had asked her to meet him there for some mysterious reason. Alone. Something was nagging at her at the back of her mind about this clandestine rendezvous. Alice shrugged, Matt was a good guy…

A chill wind blew; she shivered and wrapped her night blue cloak tightly around her.

"Hey baby," Matt greeted Alice. He enveloped her in a hug. Alice leaned into his warm body gratefully. Matt gripped her waist tighter and started kissing down her neck. His left hand snaked up her body and squeezed her breast.

"What the hell?!" Alice yelled, as she pushed Matt off her.

"Baby, calm down. Come on, we've been going out for years, it's time we got some action going…" Matt drawled, stepping towards her.

"What are you talking about? We've been going out for a month. And I just don't want to okay? What the hell is wrong with you!"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you frigid or something? All the guys have girlfriends who have sex with them 24/ 7, what's so special about you?"

"I thought you wanted me for me, not for sex!" Alice swallowed back tears that were threatening to fall.

"Baby. Every guy wants the sex, alright. I'm no exception." Matt leered.

Alice slapped him on the face. Hard. "Bastard!"

She fled the astronomy tower as quick as she could. Behind her, Matt yelled out, "Good riddance." Tears were coursing down her cheeks. She had thought Matt was different. She had thought Matt could be trusted… But she was wrong.

She ran across the empty corridors, wanting nothing more than just to throw herself onto her bed and cry to sleep. She wasn't looking where she was going and bumped into someone. Someone with coal black eyes, perpetually messy hair and very very handsome features.

"Sirius Black!" Alice spat out, drying her eyes on the back of her hands.

"Woah! Keel puppy, keel. What's got your knickers in a twist?" Sirius briefly noted that this was Alice, the pixyish Gryffindor from fifth year with the startlingly ice blue eyes. She looked angry, upset and distraught.

"None of your business!" Alice spat out vehemently.

"Did you get dumped by Collins or something? Jeez. But you know, I'll always be there for some TLC – tender loving care." Sirius smirked, no better way to get them than when they were freshly vulnerable from a breakup. Especially the smart ones.

"GO TO HELL!" Alice barged past Sirius, nearly knocking him off his feet.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. So Collins did dump her?

Alice rushed back to her dormitory in mortification. She just had to meet that notorious womanizer Black didn't she? Right after a breakup. And he knew. And he had seen her crying! She really should have put a memory clearing charm on him.

She flounced back to her dormitory, eyes still red and puffy from the previous fiasco. She shared her dormitory with three other girls; Bella Swann, her best friend, Rosalie Hale, her obnoxious cousin and Esme a serene and quiet type of girl. Esme was in the library, it was sort of a routine of hers to stay until the library closed and arrive before it opened. Rosalie was busy giving herself a manicure and pedicure, and Bella was chatting on the "phone" whatever that was. She had tried to explain numerous times to her roommates the wonders of muggle technology, but was met with blank looks and haughty sniffs.

"Cousin," Rosalie nodded in Alice's general direction without looking up from her numerous brushes and paint pots.

Bella snapped her phone close. "Alice, you're back finally. This Pettigrew guy just came up and asked me to go out with him. I was so disgusted I –" Bella was cut short as she saw Alice's disheveled appearance. Her short honey brown hair, which was usually fashioned into a sort of spiky halo around her face, was clumped and damp, her pointy nose and elfin face drawn up in a grimace.

"Matt broke up with me. Because of sex." Alice stated dully. She submerged herself in her inflatable pillow. "I really thought he was the one you know? Or at least a decent guy. The worst part is that I had actually planned to sleep with him, you know, after graduation maybe? But he is such a jerk!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. Bella sighed. They had long known that Matt was no prince in shining armor, but Alice just wouldn't listen. Bella flopped herself on Alice's bed and hugged her awkwardly.

"Alice… tell me what happened from beginning to end okay?"

And thus, one hour, a box of chocolates, and two dozen packets of tissue papers later, Bella had gotten the full story out of Alice. By this time Alice was already over her upset phase. She was now ready to rip Matt's face off. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned indeed. Fortunately her two friends had other plans.

"Alice… I am totally for hexing him, but we can let Edward do that. Don't you think it would come across as kind of desperate if you kept on trying to kill him? People would think he dumped you hard. It's better to appear unaffected and superior." Bella advised.

The girl had a point. But then again, the girl had the perfect boyfriend – her elder brother Edward Cullen– or as close as it was going to get. Edward was really creepy when he got over-protective. But Bella's best, ah, wolf friend, Jacob took care of that easily enough.

"Okay, Bells. But it is kind of hard to appear superior when you just got dumped by your loser boyfriend. He's probably going to go for that slut Jessica just to get back at me. And then he's going to brag non-stop. Ugh."

"You're right Alice. This is where my perfect plan comes in. I've always wanted to try this, but I guess you could do it for me." Rosalie wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Alice, you know that you're kind of beautiful right? Well, why not go for one of the "popular" guys? Then hold out for a couple of months with no sex and dump him hard. That will show Matt."

Alice pondered for a while. While this would certainly devastate her dolt of an ex-boyfriend, Alice just couldn't play someone like that.

"That's kind of harsh to the other boy, Rose." Bella intoned out loud what Alice was thinking.

"Uh-huh, no duh. You guys are such goody goodies." Rosalie waved them away impatiently, "That's why I've picked out the perfect target. I swear, when you hear his name you won't have second thoughts about it. He is practically the king of the man-whores at Hogwarts. He breaks hearts all the time and is ever so smug about it! If you land him and sink him, you'll be the heroine for all Hogwarts' ladies and gents alike!" she gesticulated wildly.

Alice cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Really now, Rose? Who would be so utterly and irredeemably egregious, even to you?"

Two words escaped from Rose's perfect glossy red lips:

"Sirius. Black."

Sirius Black indeed.

Sirius woke with a start.

"Lumos" he muttered sleepily. His 10 inch cedar wand with dragon's heartstring emitted a feeble glow on his bedside table. Yawning he glanced at his "Baby-gee" watch, whatever that was supposed to mean. It had been a present from Nixon, the muggle born Beater on the Quidditch team. It did tell the time alright, but besides that it was useless; no tricks, no music, no nothing. Sirius wore it more out of habit than anything else.

"What the hell? Seven fifteen already?" Sirius groaned. This meant he had fifteen minutes to get dressed, pick up breakfast and go to class. Urgh. Remus, the little goody two shoes that he is, would probably have gone on without him. Sirius rolled over. Good, Prongs was still sleeping like a log.

"PROOOOOONGGGS!!!" Sirius launched himself onto James' prostrate figure, bouncing up and down.

"URGH! GEROFFME!"

Five minutes later two bleary eyed raven haired boys trudged into the Great Hall. They stumbled towards their usual table in the far corner. Lily was already up of course, and Remus was reading the Daily Prophet.

"G'morning Lily" James mumbled, kissing his redheaded girlfriend on the cheek. Sirius made a suspicious noise that sounded like retching.

"Do you guys always have to be so late?" Lily sighed, "We've got double Transfiguration next… you know how McGonagall can get… Here, eat these." Lily handed the boys two peanut butter sandwiches that she had made while waiting for them.

"Aww… Lilikins, you're the best!" James made puppy dog eyes at Lily who blushed slightly.

"Ugh. Why do you guys act so lovesick all the time? It's been months already…" Sirius scrunched up his nose at the love-fest.

"Just because you can't keep up a relationship for more than a week, doesn't give you the right to criticize others!" Lily replied hotly.

"What can I say, the girls love me, have to give everyone a fair turn, now don't I?" Sirius smirked, running his hand through his dashingly messy hair. A girl sitting in the next table swooned.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Seriously. All the girls that you go out with are stupid. Or mentally challenged. What's the matter, can't keep up with intelligent conversation?"

"Well, it's not my fault all the smart ones look like pigs." Sirius managed between mouthfuls.

"What about Alice in fifth year? She's smart, she's decent, but she hates your guts Sirius."

Sirius furrowed his brow. Yes, there was that. As a matter of fact, he had asked her out one of those days and was met with a spiteful remark. It was a public disgrace. A smudge on his otherwise remarkable record. And then she had gone out with that Collins boy. Not that he was ugly, he was quite alright to be fair, but he was several degrees below Sirius in the popularity department. Sirius just didn't know what to make of it.

"See? You can only have the dumb girls." Lily smiled in triumph.

"How about we make a bet Lily? I'll bet you I can get her to be my girlfriend within the week."

Lily looked up in interest, "Okay. A relationship Sirius. A real one. Four months. No sex."

"If you lose you will have to have sex with James. Finally." Sirius challenged.

Lily blushed, James was watching the exchange eagerly, Remus raised his eyebrows from behind the newspaper. "What will you do if you lose?"

Sirius pondered for a minute. "I'll go out and have sex with Crabbe's sister."

"Deal." Lily extended her hand and the pair shook on it.

James clapped Sirius on the back heartily. "You're the man, Sirius, you're the man. You better not fail, or I'd have to kill you, and that would be a pity."

Besides Sirius, Remus folded his paper. Sex for barter? Whatever will his quirky friends think of next? "Well, I hope Lily wins, Padfoot. It's unfair for her and James otherwise." Sirius shook his head resignedly, he wasn't banking on Moony's support anyhow. Lily beamed at Remus, and before James could object, Remus interjected, "We're late for class, come on." Together the posse made their way to McGonagall's, with James loudly voicing his displeasure to Moony.

Alice Cullen… He was going to get her alright. Even if it was just to make Lily eat her words.

((end))