Author's note: this story has seven 'parts' but I posted the first three together because they're very short. Please review!

i. Three : Bubblegum

It was a nice summer day and the Vances were having their annual Pureblood Wizards party. For the first times in years, Orion Black was present; usually, his wife prevented him (and pretty much the whole family) from going. But she had the flu and Orion had been persuaded to go by ten-year-old Andromeda who wanted to meet other children before going to Hogwarts (in spite of Bellatrix insisting that she'd introduce her to her Slytherin friends). Orion had taken all the children: Bella, Andy, Cissy, Sirius and one-year-old Reg. He would have left Reg home but Walburga wouldn't hear it. And he had to admit that Vivian Vance was a delicious woman.

"Mummy ! Mummy ! Sirius put bubblegum in my hair!"

Three-year-old Venus was running towards the group of adults, shrieking to her mother and holding her hair with a pained and disgusted expression. Orion sighed as the Blacks children came behind Venus, all looking rather morose.

"Sirius," Orion said reprovingly, "what have you done again?"

Sirius looked up sheepishly at his father but then glanced mischievously at Venus.

Narcissa snickered, tugging at her long blonde hair which had been spared from Sirius's gum. "Sirius is in love! Sirius is in love!"

"Am not!" Sirius protested, blushing, though he did not know what being in love was.

"Mummy," Venus complained, pulling at her mother's dress, "Sirius is nasty."

"He's not," Vivian said soothingly. "He's a very nice boy, I assure you."

Orion laughed darkly. "I think you're being too diplomatic here, Vivian."

"I don't like him," Venus said stubbornly.

Vivian looked apologetically at Orion and smiled charmingly. "I don't think our children are getting on… Sirius, why don't you be nice and apologize to Venusta?"

But Sirius stuck out his tongue at Venus.

"Stupid," Venus said. "Mummy, I don't ever want to see him again!"

ii. Eleven: Water

"Sirius, Venus, I'm sure you remember each other," James said, smiling cheerfully as they stepped into the boat that would lead them to the castle.

James was too busy glancing curiously at the red-haired girl he'd met on the train and who was boarding another boat with her greasy-haired friend to notice Sirius and Venus scowling at each other.

"Mr Bubblegum?" Venus said, her lips curved in disdain. "How could I forget?"

With that, she turned to a blonde girl and started talking to her rather haughtily for a first year.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" James whispered to Sirius, grinning.

Sirius shrugged, looking careless. "Guess so."

The two of them then started talking excitedly about Hogwarts, with Sirius glancing furtively at Venus a few times, his grey eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Why are you staring at me?" Venus snapped as she caught his eyes.

Sirius just smirked and stood up. They were near the shore now, and just as Venus turned her head to admire the castle, Sirius suddenly pushed her into the dark water.

That was how Sirius Black got his first detention ever. He was always happy to tell the story, especially if Venus was within ear-shot.

James always said it was the moment he thought they would complete each other perfectly.

Venus always claimed it was the moment she realized boys were stupid, and especially one Sirius Black. In truth, it was the beginning of a life-long relationship of not being able to leave each other alone, for the best and for the worst.

iii. Fifteen: Cigarette

"So, alone we are, Vance. Think you can stand it?"

Sirius chuckled to himself as he leant against the wall. Venus peered at him through her fringe, her yellow-green eyes surveying him like a cat chasing a mouse. He noticed that she was wearing eyeliner, and how much it looked good on her; she made him think of someone, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it…

"D'you think it makes you look cool?" Venus asked scornfully.

What the hell is James doing?, was what Sirius repeated to himself. It was nearly time for Quidditch practice and Venus and he were waiting in the common room (apparently, the rest of the team was late, too).

"What?"

"Smoking."

Sirius shrugged casually, not even bothering to answer her question.

"Because it doesn't," Venus insisted. "Actually, it makes you look ridiculous."

Sirius had found it: she looked just like an Egyptian queen (he'd seen one of these in one of Remus's books). Though he didn't think Egyptian queens were supposed to be so attractive.

Sirius smirked. "You're getting predictable, Vance."

Venus scowled at him as he blew smoke stylishly. She coughed, thus indicating that the smoke bothered her, but he ignored her. She hated the smell of it, too. And she hated him. She ran her hand through her hair; her nails were long and she wore red nail polish. A few minutes passed by, or maybe it was merely ten seconds.

"Did you smarten yourself up for your boyfriend?" Sirius asked, and though his tone was teasing, there was something else in his eyes – something which strangely resembled jealousy.

"Did you just say I was smart?"

Venus's words hung in the smoky air and she was suppressing a smirk, cat-like eyes blinking coolly, once, twice, Sirius could get lost in her eyes…

"James is here," Venus said briskly, waving at James who was behind Sirius's back.

Sirius briefly wondered why he felt strangely disappointed when he had been sure that all he had been waiting for was for James to arrive.

"I think Mark Riley is the stupidest boy in Hogwarts," Sirius announced.

Venus looked at him again. James was hovering near the doorway with the rest of the team, watching them with the air of someone who had been anticipating the scene.

"Are you jealous, Black?" Venus expectedly asked, her voice loud enough for everyone else to hear.

Sirius held her gaze; she watched as the ice in his eyes melted and twinkled maliciously.

"You wish I were, don't you?"

Venus looked down, having not expected such a reply. Sirius brushed past her intentionally on his way out, his fingers just an inch from her thigh.

"Sirius Black: one, Venusta Vance: zero," Sirius murmured in her ear.

He left the common room with a smirk on his face, his hands in his pockets.

"Prick," Venus muttered, angry with herself and with Sirius because no matter how much she denied it, he was the first one to send shivers down her spine with a few words and a brush of his fingers.