~Sirius~

There was really no reason for McGonagall to give us such suspicious looks before we headed off to Hogsmeade. Really, what harm could we get up to?

James and I walked down the lane, giving the occasional wink and smile to any pretty Hogwarts girl who walked by. It was a crisp spring morning, with the sun just peeking out its cheerful smile behind the grey clouds and a sharp wind blowing our hair and scarves in any which way direction. Of course, with James, it didn't matter; the bloke had the habit of constantly mussing it with his hand so that it always looked that way. I, on the other hand, spent time in front of the mirror, getting it to look precisely untidy, in a way that bespoke of carelessness and boredom, but not to the extent that it was wild. Because I'm Sirius Black. And I don't give the hide off of a hippogriff's rear end what anyone thinks of me. Except…always…my mates.

"You think Evans might be there?" James asked casually, although I knew better.

"'Course, she will. Who wouldn't go to Hogsmeade on the weekend? We'll find her," I responded with confidence. I liked Lily Evans well enough; she was a bit of a teacher's pet, but she was fiery when riled up and Merlin, did James have an uncanny talent for that.

"You think she'll say yes this time?"

My confidence wavered at that. "Er…well, it has its possibilities."

"It's hopeless, isn't it?" James said forlornly.

"I dunno, not entirely…" I tried boosting his spirits, "But, cheers, Prongs, if all goes sour, we can prank a slimy little Snivellus."

James brightened at the idea, "We never did get him back for slipping unicorn hair into our Potions assignment today, now did we?"

"Not unless you count spelling his potion to smell like vomit…but I don't believe it was quite enough retribution for one day."

The thought of pranking the git brought identical smirks to both our faces. I could believe Lily didn't want to go out with James, I could believe Madam Pince possibly had a secret, long-standing relationship with Filch (although, the idea nearly made me gag), hell, I could believe that three irresponsible, yet extremely good-looking fifth years became Animagi at nights of the full moon to help a certain mate with a "furry little problem"…but what my intelligence completely failed to grasp, was how Lily Evans, smart, brave, beautiful Evans, whom my best mate was mad about, could possibly be friends with such a foul creature as Snape? Mind-boggling, it was. She had to be the slightest bit mad to even entertain the notion, but to carry it through for years…she was barking, absolutely barking.

The sweet, sugary aroma that drifted from Honeyduke's shop across the street, led me following its trail like a dog on a quest for its bone (pun intended). James followed me, as my mind swirled with heavenly images of those delicate Sugar Quills, tongue-tingling Pepper Imps and my personal favourite, the divinely, melt-in-your-mouth Chocoballs, stuffed with clotted cream and pink strawberry mousse.

"You're drooling, Padfoot," James' amused voice broke my fantasies, bringing me back to Earth in a swift, heart-breaking plunge.

"Bugger off."

~James~

We entered Honeydukes and as soon as we did, the welcoming scents of delicious sweets filled the air. All around us were countless varieties of chocolates, candies and savory pastries. Even though Sirius and I were from wizarding families, this was the best sweet shop in the country. I smiled at the memory of the last time we had been in here Wormtail had been the unsuspecting victim of a sugar hex and had spent the rest of our trip in Hogsmeade attempting to hide large and furry bat ears beneath his woolen hat. Unfortunately the hex had not only resulted in bat-like ears, but supersensory hearing as well, making every noise sound about 10 times louder than it actually was. Poor Wormy had a headache for days afterwards.

This time, Sirius and I were careful to avoid suspicious looking sweets, though we tried our best to sample every sweet that we could in the entire store. Personally I'm partial to the Chocolate frogs, and I think Sirius seemed to like the Chocoballs and the Fanged Fizzing Whizbees (probably because he took particular pleasure at whipping them in the direction of an oblivious Snivellus) but we wouldn't pass up a chance to buy sweets when we had them. After all, it was only every so often we were allowed at Hogsmede anyways.

We grabbed as much as we could fit into our baskets and hauled them over to the cashier who gave us a quizzical look, probably wondering what on earth two fifteen year old boys were doing with enough candy to feed the entire Gryffindor house.

"You know," Sirius began after we had left the shop, "We should try learning how to do that undetectable extension charm professor Flitwick was telling us about. I reckon McGonagall will throw a fit when we try bringing another load like this into the common room."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, though I was already grinning, "It's not our fault that Zack accidentally decided to try one of those Jelly Slugs! How were we supposed to know they'd have him coughing up slugs for days?"

Sirius laughed, "Yeah… accidentally. If memory serves me correctly, you were the one that put an 'eat slugs' curse on him for a prank after you forced him to eat one."

"Oh well, I suppose I may have. Whatever… he deserved it, the foul scum."

"Deserved it? You mean, you caught him glancing at Evans the other day and got jealous…" Sirius winked at me. I shoved him playfully, already feeling a blush rising to my face. Sirius opened his mouth with a triumphant look on his face and, knowing he would say something else about my 'ridiculously obsessive crush' on Lily Evans, I shoved him into the nearest store with a joking glare on my face. He jokingly sent an obscene hand gesture my way and turned around to proceed further into the store.

The three broomsticks was the most popular bar in all of Hogsmeade and seemed to be the place where most students gathered when they'd had enough of visiting all the other shops and attractions. I could smell the faint hint of Butterbeer as we made our way over to an empty table in the far corner. The bar was almost full, so we decided to sit for a while and wait for the crowd to clear out before we bought our drinks. Anyway, it wasn't so bad; Padfoot and I had a knack for entertaining ourselves and those around us with constant upbeat conversation, particularly that which involved casually insulting each member of the Slytherin Quidditch team and anyone else who did not suit our fancy.

Glancing around the bar, however, I thought perhaps it was a good thing that Sirius and I hadn't bought our Butterbeers yet. As I looked across the bar I noticed Lily Evans, seated at a table on the other side of the room, and that alone would have been enough to cause me to spit out anything that may have been in my mouth. Though, to my dismay, I noticed that she was not alone. Sitting next to her, and leaning forward in a way which was much too close and possessive for my liking, was a very long nosed, greasy-haired, scrawny kid. Severus Snape. How they even became friends was beyond me; she was way too good of for him. My eyes narrowed.

Sirius, noticing my somewhat sudden change in demeanor, followed my gaze until he too noticed the pair of them sitting about twelve or so tables away from us. His face paled somewhat, and he turned his head hurriedly back towards me.

"Mate, you'd better not be thinking of doing anything stupid, you'll only cause more trouble than that slimy git is worth."

"But-" I protested, "But how can she even want to be with him! He doesn't deserve her! He's just a-"

"Yes," Sirius interjected patiently, probably somewhat tired of the way I reacted to Lily and Snivellus by this point, "But that doesn't mean you have to sink to his level, Prongs."

I processed what he said, and then realized that I had been unconsciously reaching for my wand, prepared to cast a curse. "What if, just this one time…-"

"No." He cut me off, more firmly this time, "It's really not worth it mate. You're better than that. Not here at least, anyways."

I sunk slightly lower in my seat, trying to look anywhere besides the corner in which those two were sitting. Sirius mumbled something about going to 'get drinks while you get over your crazy obsession with Lily Evans' and shuffled off towards the bar. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to really notice him leave, but I guess he had because the next time I looked up he was gone, leaving me to my thoughts.

I signed, resigned, because Sirius (as he usually was when it came to girls, though I'd never tell him that) was right. No matter how hard I tried to impress Lily when I was around her, she always seemed to choose him over me. What was so special about him anyways? Doesn't she realize he's just as bad as them, just as likely to end up a Death Eater as all his other stupid friends? Sometimes I wondered how Sirius did it, how he could so effortless charm a girl with just a few words. Of course, there were those that seemed to fall head over heels for me as well, but they weren't her.

I don't know what it was about Lily, but she'd caught my eye from the first moment I saw her. The more I learned about her and the more I talked to her, the more I fell for her, and the more she seemed to be utterly disgusted by me. The closer I held on, the further she pushed me away. I just needed one chance to prove to her that I was different. But how was I ever supposed to manage that, what with Snivellus always hovering around her like and over-sized bat in need of some shampoo.

No matter where I looked in the room, her face always seemed to appear in front of me. I even closed my eyes, but all I could see was her…

~Sirius~

Tired of watching my love-struck best mate staring woefully at the pair, I decided it was time to fetch us some drinks. It seemed James was in desperate need of something stronger than Butterbeer to drown his sorrows in.

Strutting up to the bar, I said my hellos to Madame Rosmerta, who was looking particularly lovely in those staggeringly high heels of hers. Merlin, why would women put themselves through such torture? Then again, as my gaze wandered past those slender, long legs, they were quite attractive.

"Rosmerta, my darling, my love, you are looking absolutely gorgeous, this fine spring afternoon," I leaned against the bar, offering her a wink.

"Sirius Black, whatever it is you want, flattery will get you nowhere," she replied, laughing and shaking back some golden wisps of hair that had escaped her high bun.

In my experience, there was nothing that got me further, than flattery.

"I never said I wanted a thing," I raised my brow at her suggestively, "But if you're willing to consider it, I am."

She slapped away my hand on the bar, "You, my dear boy, are getting too big for your boots."

"You think so?" I peered downwards.

She couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that rose to her lips. I was prepared to skilfully coax her to bring us some Firewhisky and triumphantly return to James, when she replied, "Sirius, love, I'm thinking that what a little boy like you needs, is possibly a good spanking and a ban from Hogsmeade. I know why you're here and you're not getting it."

I gave her an injured look, "I didn't want the Firewhisky for me, but for James, over there. He's suffering, you see. Head-over-heels, twitterpated, wit-addled and desperately in love with the beautiful Ms. Evans."

Madame Rosmerta looked over at James sympathetically, "Ah, young love."

"So, could I possibly have a teensy shot of Firewhisky…perhaps two, if you could spare?" I eyed the storage cabinet hopefully.

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Not on my life! Away with you! Shoo!" she waved me away, but not before setting two sparkling bottles of Butterbeer on the bar.

"I always knew you had a soft spot for me," I grinned, after paying her, and then watched her walk off, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Damn that bloody fine pair of legs.

I approached my dejected friend and set a bottle down in front of him, "Bottoms up."

James downed the bottle with melancholy resignation.

"You're supposed to savour the taste," I told him reproachfully, smacking my lips after taking a sip.

James buried his face in his hands, "It's hopeless. I'm hopeless."

I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. "She kept staring at you, I saw her, she was probably thinking what an attractive bloke you are."

James lifted his head to glare at me, "I believe she may have been staring at me with rage and hate and disgust."

"Well, that's love, innit?" I spoke in a wise tone, "Soon, all that tension and passion between you is going to come out, one day."

"Quite possibly involving my early and unfortunate demise," came James' muffled voice.

While I secretly agreed with him, I couldn't let him be so glum for the rest of the Hogsmeade trip and so I nudged him, grinning, "There are plenty of other fish in the sea, mate. And half of them would leap at the chance to date the elusive James Potter."

"They're not Lily."

Clearly my tactics were not working.

My eyes were drawn once again to the lovely landlady. "That Rosmerta has a fine pair of legs."

James looked up incredulously, "Were you flirting with her, again?"

"No need to sound so scandalized, Prongsie. I do believe I'm getting through to her."

"Yeah, quite possibly you're getting through to her Anti-Aging Potion. She isn't exactly as youthful and blooming as she appears," my friend said in an ominous tone.

My head snapped back at the warning, "Anti-Aging Potion?"

He was laughing at me now, the bloody git, "You were trying to hook up with an older woman, Padfoot, you old charmer, you."

I kicked him hard under the table, grumbling, "You could have warned me by now."

"I only heard the rumour recently," he winced, then started laughing again, "Fine pair of legs…did you check out the wrinkles, too?"

"Shut. Up. Not. Funny." While I was horrified, I could also see the joke in the situation and before long, I was laughing too.

"C'mon," James said, still chuckling, "Let's go plan something to prank Snivellus with."

"I like the way you think, mate," I agreed, relieved that he wasn't feeling so depressed.

As we exited The Three Broomsticks, I looked back to Madame Rosemerta, who still looked stunning, despite James' remark about her age. I turned back to James with a grin, "So how old is she, exactly?"

~James~

We stepped out of The Three Broomsticks, even more laden with bags upon bags of the day's purchases. Wormy's eyes would be as large as plates when we showed him all of this. Moony, always the sensible one, would probably roll his eyes and tell us that as a prefect it was his duty to inform the Headmaster of any unsolicited activities that may be taking place at Hogwarts. MgGonagall, as well, had made it perfectly clear that all students were to report to her if Sirius and I were to buy anything more from Zonkos or Honeydukes- though of course they wouldn't, seeing as they seemed to look up to us as sorts of Slytherin-defying gods. Then Moony would laugh because, despite his prefect duties, he would never give up his best friends.

We were laughing, amicably discussing how we would next manage to prank Snivellus, when I felt Sirius stiffen by my side. I'd just opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong when, with a quick "shhh", he motioned silently towards a wooden door leading towards what I could only assume was an abandoned alleyway. I looked questioningly at him, wondering what had made him stop so suddenly, until I heard voices drifting through the cracks in the door.

"…great honor… family would be so proud… of course…"

"Wait what? Is that your cousin? Bellatrix? What's she even doing here, I thought she wasn't allowed here anymore, isn't she one of them? And who is she talking t-ow!" I winced, as while I had been talking, Sirius's fancy leather dress shoe had landed promptly on my foot.

"Shut it Prongs, listen." He looked at me pointedly, and then re-focused his attention on the door.

I leaned in further and, to my horror recognized that it was in fact Sirius's older cousin, Bellatrix, who had finished school 5 years prior. She seemed to be in deep discussion with Sirius's younger brother, Regulus, who was in third year at the time. Sirius and I crouched down outside the door, pressing our ears against the wooden slates until they had all but melded together. Sirius was not usually one to discuss family issues, but from what he had said I knew that they were mostly all Death Eaters, and his cousin Bellatrix was quickly becoming the most feared one of them all.

Once I had finally grasped the general concepts of the conversation I turned back, shocked, to face my best friend and see how he had taken this new information. He stared back at me, wide-eyed and with a face as white as a sheet. Never in my life had I ever seen him so terrified. But then again, I couldn't blame him. How else could you react upon finding out that your younger brother had just agreed to join the Death Eaters?