This is my first story, so it may not be much. Read and tell me what you think! I think I'll post chapter 2 if I get one review or alert or anything. Well, I'll probably post it anyway, but that will speed up the process.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the song Set Fire to the Rain by Adele.
Sirius Black sidled up to the Ravenclaw girl sitting in the library, leaning over her homework - honestly, homework? On the first day of the sixth year? - intently as she brushed thick chestnut curls out of her face. "Hello, there, Sasha," Black greeted her smoothly, sliding into the empty seat beside her.
"Sirius Black, in the library?" Sasha Williams replied sarcastically by way of greeting. Without giving him a chance to respond, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Look, Black. I don't want to hear any of your crap. I don't want to be just another girl right now."
Black barked a laugh and leaned closer. "What crap?" he asked, making his eyes "innocent."
Sasha twirled a ringlet around her finger and responded, maybe a little too harshly, "Come on. You're Mr. Rich-and-Perfect, Black. And I don't care. So go away and chase some other girl. I'm in Ravenclaw, after all, and I'm too smart to be all dewy-eyed over you like the other girls. Although you should hear my friends talk..."
He grinned, obviously enjoying this. "Dewy-eyed girls are boring. I like someone with more... adventure."
Sasha cocked her head at him and smiled mockingly. "Good. Go bother someone in Gryffindor. That's what you're known for, right? Adventure?"
Before he could utter another word, James Potter came up behind Black. "Hey, Sirius. What are you doing in here? I was looking everywhere for you, but then Moony told me you were here, talking to some nice-looking girl," Potter said, winking at Sasha. She simply stared back at him, mildly annoyed, and gestured with her hands to make them go away as her own Ravenclaw friends approached.
"I'll be seeing you." Black waved good-bye, as Sasha though in relief, Thank God that's over. And hopefully, he won't be seeing me.
"Oh. My. God," Carmen squealed running forward ecstatically. "Sirius Black is so into you!"
Sasha sighed theatrically, rolling her eyes, to the giggles of her classmates.
But Sasha wasn't done with Sirius Black. He was everywhere - trying to be her partner in their shared classes (only Potions and Transfiguration, thankfully), attempting to ask her out between classes, and even coming to the Ravenclaw table to talk to her. "Who knew that Sirius Black would actually turn to liking just one girl?" Anna muttered distastefully, as he once again moved away from their table, without once glancing at her and her blonde beauty.
"Don't be ridiculous," Sasha giggled. "Black doesn't really like me. Probably just not used to girls turning him down. Anyway, even if he did like a girl, why me?" Her friends seemed to think that this was a good enough argument. With her crazy chestnut curls, plain gray eyes, and unobtrusive features, Sasha was, though not ugly, certainly nothing special.
The conversation soon turned to other things, and before she knew it, it was time for Potions. Sasha groaned, remembering that she and Black shared that class. Before Black could reach her, however, and offer to be partners - to which she could hardly say no - Severus Snape disentangled from his Slytherin friends and set his cauldron down by her. "Severus Snape?" she exclaimed, beyond surprised now, as Lily Evans and Black stared at them, Black looking thoroughly angry, and Evans just as though she had been slapped. "Why are you partnering up with me, and not your Death Eater buddies?"
"Honestly?" Snape answered, looking, in fact, very friendly. "They're not really at my level," he shrugged.
Sasha snorted. "And you think you're at my level?" she asked, making it perfectly clear that a Slytherin could not hope to compete with a Ravenclaw such as herself.
Snape quirked an eyebrow. "Let's just see, shall we?"
Sasha shrugged, cracking open her copy of Advanced Potion Making, and trying to ignore the was Black was staring at her from across the room, as she laughed with Snape. It turned out to be quite fun, and she told him as much as they turned in their superb potion.
"Thanks," Snape replied, looking mildly surprised. "I thought Ravenclaws were too good to associate with Slytherins."
Sasha laughed. "Maybe not all Slytherins, Severus." But as she was saying this, Black came up, his face murderous.
"Sinking to a new low, Snivellus?" he sneered. "Trying to steal my girl?"
Sasha stared at him, enraged. "Back off, Black," she snarled. "Severus has never done anything to you. And last time I checked, I was not 'your girl!'" They glared at each other for a moment, but then, to her great surprise, Black's face changed to one of sincere regret. It was so quick, she thought she had imagined it, but then he replaced it with his usual languid grin and raised his hands jauntily, as if to say "whatever." I'll show you whatever, Sasha thought, her eyes narrowed to slits. She pulled Severus out of the room, but she wasn't done yet.
"Well? Is it true? Are you just trying to be friendly because you think Black likes me or something?" she queried, not caring, for once, how many chestnut curls were escaping their bonds.
"Of course not," Severus responded, looking angry himself. "It's Potter and Black and their friends that do that kind of stuff, not me."
"Oh, yeah, Mr. Slytherin," she countered, putting emphasis on the last word. "Then what do you want? Because in case you haven't noticed, there aren't many Slytherins parading around with Ravenclaws. Or am I some sort of replacement for Lily Evans?" Severus jumped back, clearly stung by her words. "Did you think I didn't notice that, not counting summer break, you just stopped being friends with another girl a few weeks ago?"
"I would never try to replace Lily," he responded vehemently. "Never. I just needed a friend. And it doesn't matter that you're in Ravenclaw. I thought you were nice, and smart."
"Let me paint you a picture," Sasha said, curling her lip. "Ravenclaw: brainy. Slytherin," she hesitated for a moment, teetering on the brink of a much worse word, "Proud. Put brainy and proud together and you get cunning and evil. C'mon, Severus. I think you're nice, too, but what do you really want?"
Severus' black eyes became earnest as he answered, "I just want a friend, Sasha. I swear. I would never try anything else."
Finally, Sasha gave in, cracking a small smile. "Okay. By the way, I'm a half-blood."
"I don't care," Severus told her fervently.
"Right," she responded sarcastically, but with very real sympathy. "That's what you told Lily Evans, until you accidentally called her Mudblood, right?"