A/N: This is a preview chapter, I haven't written much in an order that can be read but I've decided to put it up and if it gains interest then I'll consider continuing however the sequel to "Sand to Snow" has first preference at the present time. Tell me whether you love it, hate it whatever, if you've read "The Unseen Protector your opinion would be particularly welcome.

Memories, Peas and Beans

Elizabeth

It was the night of the Valentine ball. Sirius so did not want to be anywhere near James on Valentine's Day. He would be depressed at Lily not accepting him again and then he would be with his date, snogging and what not.

Sirius had a date with Amelia Bones but she wasn't really the romantic type either. This was the third time she had been his Valentine, both of them only wanted to snog and then get back to business. In fifth year the two of them had agreed to be the others Valentine from that point on, because other people got ideas. Although now that Sirius thought about it, he had never actually snogged Amelia. Probably because they were such good friends.

Amelia was somewhere or other but Sirius wasn't bothered looking for her. She wasn't his property. Remus was helping set up the dance and wouldn't be about till the dance itself. Peter had still not worked up the nerve to ask Emily out, so the pair of them sat in the common room, alone except for the third years and below who couldn't care less about Valentine's Day.

"Don't you have a date Sirius?" Asked Peter a little later.

Sirius gave his friend a 'of course I do what the fuck' look.

"Yeah, Amelia remember. We made our little pact in fifth year? After Drake from Hufflepuff was convinced they were dating because they went to the dance together, and after – Laura."

Peter grinned. Sirius had taken Laura to the Valentine dance, she and stalked him for the entire rest of the year. Scaring off many girls.

"I'm taking Claire." Peter offered.

Sirius looked at his friend in surprise.

"The super hot sixth year?"

Peter nodded.

"She's nice."

"Good catch Wormy! I should catch girls with you more often."

Peter grinned looking up at the clock.

"I should probably go meet her soon."

Sirius nodded seriously.

"Oh yeah and take some of the emergency girl bribe supplies. I hear Claire is really high maintenance."

Peter leapt up and ran to their dorm, coming down with an armful of brightly wrapped gifts.

"Bye Padfoot!"

"Good luck Wormy!" Sirius called waving to his friend.

Great. Now he was alone.

Sirius' thoughts wandered for a while, he had all day before he needed to get ready for the dance and eventually rested on Elizabeth. He had seen her at breakfast and she had looked spectacular, why did Valentine's Day have to be on a Saturday? While she wore her uniform he could normally cope but no she was in casual. All dressed up too. Tight jeans and top, hair perfect and something done to her eyes that made it impossible for Sirius to avoid them. He was afraid to go to the dance and see her. Sirius just sat there for what seemed like an age thoughts lingering on Elizabeth until finally he noticed streams of older girls coming into the common rooms.

Lily came in followed closely by James and she looked all right Sirius supposed but she was James' girl and in his mind no more than that. Which put her as the only girl to not be family, enemy or potential date.

"Where's Peter?" asked James looking around as Lily disappeared up the staircase.

"Got a date with that Claire girl in sixth year." Said Sirius with a grin.

James nodded appreciatively.

"Nice. You seen Amelia yet?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Nah, we'll meet up at the dance. Same old same old."

James nodded.

"Lily is so hot. Is her date lucky or what?"

"Or what."

James rolled his eyes.

"I can't wait till you fall for a girl. Anyway, I need to go look great, bye."

James left and went upstairs.

Bored Sirius followed him to get ready.

Later that night Sirius, Remus, Peter and James went downstairs together. In the entrance hall Amelia, looking stunning, caught up with Sirius.

"Nice. Love the dress." Sirius said with a grin.

Which he did, she looked great dressed in a silver dress, that fell to her ankles but was so tight it left nothing to the imagination.

"Thanks, I'm on conquest. Kurt Peterson - Ravenclaw. I want him to ask me out before the month is done."

"Ask you out? Are you thinking of a relationship?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Don't even tell me you aren't. I've seen the covert looks you send Elizabeth's way. I say go for it, but she is James' sister."

Sirius nodded he wasn't really surprised Amelia had guessed. They had been friends since they were six or seven and she knew him as well as James did.

"Yeah well I am probably going to die when I see her tonight, and Kurt is already dead."

Sirius turned Amelia around so she could see Kurt Peterson, mouth open staring at her.

"Shall we go in? I assume by the time the night is out I will have to find some girl to snog while you and Kurt are finding the nearest broom cupboard. I suggest the one on the fourth floor nearest the painting of the drunken monks."

Amelia giggled and linked arms with Sirius leading him into the Great Hall.

The night was a good one. Sirius and Amelia spent the first half of it eating, mingling and dancing, until Kurt asked Sirius politely if he could dance with Amelia. Sirius followed Amelia's lead and gave Kurt Amelia's arm. The two of them were right beside Kara and James dancing every dance, James was hoping Lily would be jealous.

Peter was nowhere to be found. He was Claire's perfect date, seeing to her every whim and watching her covertly. It was mildly disturbing. Remus was having a good time with his date Sarah Clearwater and Sirius had so far snogged three girls – none of them Amelia.

Now it was late the party was getting wild, the teachers having disappeared and the alcohol come out. Sirius got bored with his friends dancing and went for a walk on the grounds.

He heard giggling in bushes and instantly knew where the teachers had gone. To check all the broom cupboards, classrooms and other similar places, Sirius grinned. They would never think to check outside in this weather.

That's when Sirius saw Elizabeth. She was drunk out of her mind and her date Robbie Johan was taking advantage of the fact.

"HEY!" He called and Robbie looked over. Upon seeing Sirius he paled. Everyone knew that Sirius was practically a Potter.

"Get stuffed before I tell James!" He yelled at Robbie, the sixth year scampered, knowing already he was in for at least a month of being the butt of humiliating pranks.

"Sirius!" Said Elizabeth turning to him with a smile. Sirius gulped. Her dress was amazing. A bright shade of red that contrasted well with her hair and skin, it fell to her knees, showing an ample amount of cleavage.

"Elizabeth." He said his voice oddly rough, he had taken in a fair amount of alcohol himself and it was becoming difficult to control his emotions. He was warm all over and the sight of her lips painted red was almost too much for him.

Elizabeth walked forward putting her arms around his neck.

"Sirius, you are so handsome tonight. Am I pretty Sirius?"

Sirius tried to shake her off but his mind fuzzy and his body reacting to her touch.

"You're beautiful Elizabeth." Sirius heard himself say. Some part of his mind realised Elizabeth would not remember any of this and it might be all right to say the words.

"I love you Elizabeth." He said, almost against his own will.

"Good." Said Elizabeth vaguely.

Taking advantage of Elizabeth's intoxication but in a much more innocent way than Robbie Sirius put his arms around Elizabeth, mirroring her action. Prompted by his bottled up feelings and the buzzing in his mind Sirius leaned in and pressed his lips against Elizabeth's.

Sirius was no stranger to kissing. He had kissed nearly every girl in the sixth and seventh years. But kissing Elizabeth didn't even compare to kissing those girls. Sirius' mind was reeling with the complicity of it all. His heart was racing as he ran his hands down her back, the feel of her intoxicating beyond any liquor. He wanted to touch all of her, see all of her and never take his lips from hers.

"Hurry up Kara, we don't want to get caught!" James' voice was like cold water, sobering Sirius immediately. He shouldn't have kissed Elizabeth it was wrong. He pulled away from her looking at her. She looked back at him gaze steadier than it had been but a moment before.

"I shouldn't have – I'm sorry – I won't." Sirius stumbled over his words; frantic that Elizabeth might remember this tomorrow.

Elizabeth just smiled vaguely at him and Sirius realised with a surge of triumph that his kiss had momentarily pushed back her intoxication. Perhaps there was a chance between them. But it didn't matter now, she wouldn't remember a thing. Even Robbie.

"Come on Elizabeth, let's get you to bed." Sirius led her by the hand back inside.

On one of the staircases he met Professor Dumbledore.

"Off to bed already Sirius? I would have thought you would be enjoying the company of a Miss Bones."

"Nah Professor, there's nothing romantic there. We're just friends."

Dumbledore nodded wisely.

"I suspected as much. Good of you too look after Elizabeth in her brother's absence. I imagine he is with Miss Evans?"

Sirius laughed.

"He wishes."

"Ah I see he has still not convinced her, but given time I am confident in his success." Dumbledore said.

"Me too Professor, he's certainly persistent enough."

"To Miss Evans determination may be the key." Dumbledore said with a nod. "Well goodnight Mr Black."

"Night Professor."

In his dormitory Sirius thought of the way Elizabeth's lips had felt on his and sighed. If only he could get the courage up to ask her out, and the courage to tell James he was in love with his baby sister. At least Elizabeth wouldn't remember.

Little did he know that the next morning when Elizabeth awoke she remembered everything perfectly, especially the way Sirius had kissed her. Smiling she rolled over and went back to sleep.

Elizabeth woke from her dream smiling. She was remembering the Valentine's Ball last year in her dreams. Only Sirius didn't realise what and whom he was snogging in most of her dreams.

She sat up and looked around her dorm. The other girls were all sleeping, including her best friends Emily and Jade. Elizabeth felt uncertain and could do with reassurance but she decided not to wake them.

There was always a certain amount of distance between her and her two best friends, they were close but –

James and the marauders were closer.

She weighed her options before deciding to get up, she had only been back at Hogwarts for a week and was still getting used to her restricted freedoms.

Elizabeth pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt before heading downstairs with a book in hand. She hadn't thought about the kiss with Sirius for a while. She normally didn't let herself, she did see Sirius quite often and she needed to be able to act normal around him. Well what passed for normal for her.

Elizabeth sat down and immersed herself in her book. Trying to forget the kiss and quell the excitement that the dream had brought on. Getting rid of the blush would be nice too. The book was a boring tome discussing the theory behind the patronus charm.

Their defence against the dark arts teacher wanted to give them a head start, what he didn't know being a muggle born, was that all the purebloods were sure to know the charm. It was a dangerous world of wizard politics out there and while the Potter's weren't generally involved, her parent's opinion held sway.

Even Sirius who had run away from his obsessive muggle-hating parents was in the minds of the old fashioned pureblood more important than the most intelligent of half bloods.

It was just the way those old freaks worked. The Potter's were however not like that, they weren't Death Eaters nor were they ever likely to be.

Elizabeth had forgotten all about the dream in her thoughts and was about to return to her bed when she heard two girls talking together and ignoring her. Normally Elizabeth would have ignored whatever they were saying, Gryffindor's were generally a respectful bunch, well to each other anyway. However she heard her brother's name and listened carefully.

" – He won't leave me alone! I don't know how I'm going to survive being Head Girl with him as Head Boy. The prick is so self-centred, arrogant, ugh I simply hate James!" The taller of the two was saying, she had dark red hair and Elizabeth suddenly had an inkling of who she might be. But had she met James? Sure he was arrogant but self-centred he was not, James was fiercely and often annoyingly loyal, he always put his friends first.

"Oh he's not so bad. Calm down Lily." The shorter dark haired girl said. Yes she had been right; it was Lily Evans the girl her brother was completely in love with. Did she not understand how lucky she was? Well Elizabeth might be a little biased towards James but still! He was a good guy and he really did love Lily, Elizabeth and Sirius had made a game of counting how many times James mentioned Lily in a day.

But when everyday it mounted up to over a hundred they dropped it in what could only be called horror.

"No he is not alright! He is a pretentious, egocentric, self-important git! By what right would he ask me out? I get to decide who asks me out!"

Hot anger swelled up in Elizabeth and she felt like hitting this stupid Lily girl.

"Oh and you say my brother is self-centred? Bit of a control freak aren't you? By what right does he ask you out? He's in love with you! Idiot girl!" Elizabeth burst out standing up hazel eyes flashing with anger.

"So stop talking shit about James when you obviously have no idea what he's like! If I needed something badly enough from fucking France my brother would chance being expelled in his seventh year just to get it for me. I honestly have no idea what he sees in you if you're always such a little bitch, he raves about how wonderful you are all the time but clearly he's deluded."

And with that cutting remark Elizabeth pushed past the two shell-shocked girls and back up to her dorm still boiling with anger and hatred towards that stupid Lily.

The next day Elizabeth was walking with Jade to Divination discussing the upcoming Christmas Ball, perhaps that was why the dreams of the kiss with Sirius were haunting her again.

"Thomas gave me a rose this morning and asked me to be his date for the Ball. I mean obviously I was going to be but that he asked was so cute!" Jade was saying with a sigh to Elizabeth who grinned in return.

"That is pretty romantic." Elizabeth agreed thoughts lingering on romantic scenes involving herself and Sirius, but, she reminded herself, even if Sirius did like her he would never do any of those things. He would tell her plainly, probably nervously without any of his charm on. Well that's how Elizabeth supposed he would.

"I know isn't it? I love him so much! He said he loved me the other day –" and Jade went on to describe the whole scene to Elizabeth for the third time that day.

"Uh Elizabeth is it?" Jade and Elizabeth turned around to stare at a tall red haired girl, her green eyes displaying how nervous she was. It was Lily.

"Yeah?" Elizabeth asked, albeit a little ungraciously.

"Could I – could I talk to you for a moment? Privately?" Lily asked.

Elizabeth found herself nodding.

"Sure I've only got Divination, I'll skip." Jade would be fine, Thomas was in that class and Elizabeth could see her friend smiling at the idea of a whole lesson alone with Thomas.

"Oh no I don't think –" Lily protested as Jade left with a wave for class.

"Are you seriously going to try to tell me what to do? Have you ever heard the marauders mention their "little mother"?"

Lily nodded looking a little alarmed by Elizabeth's forceful nature.

"Yeah well that's me." She said with a grin and Lily laughed.

"What?" Elizabeth demanded.

"Do you really force them to eat their vegetables?" Lily asked looking insanely curious.

"They're Quiddich players and extreme pranksters, they need their strength." Elizabeth said with a sniff.

"That is hilarious!" Lily exclaimed.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"I just wanted to, to mention that James may be your brother but he isn't all good!" Lily said and Elizabeth fought the urge to roll her eyes, oh she was defending herself. Bring it on.

"No one's 'all good' Lily but he's a damn sight nicer than some of those Slytherin's I've seen you with. Did you plan to be the first muggle-born death eater?" Elizabeth knew that it was a low blow and very inaccurate but she was annoyed at this girl. Couldn't she get it through her head?

"No! Of course not, I'm in the Order – oh you wouldn't know about the Order would you -?" Lily asked in a smug condescending tone.

"Of course I know about the Order. Both my parents are aurors and I live with James and Sirius, how stupid do you think I am?"

"Sirius lives with you?" Lily asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he ran away from his rotten bitch of a mother a few years ago. He lives with us now. He practically did anyway, Mum and Dad would adopt him if his parents would agree but they never will. They still have hope that Sirius will give up his dealings with us filthy blood traitors." Elizabeth said her tone bitter and angry.

"Wow, I never would have guessed, Sirius just seemed a prat to me." Lily said her tone shocked.

"You have to look further than what people present to you at first sight if you want to find something beautiful." Elizabeth said absent-mindedly.

Lily stared at Elizabeth in disbelief and Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow at the beautiful girl.

"Anything else? Or did you just come to see if I was in the Order, which I am not allowed to be until my seventeenth birthday by the way."

"You are a strange girl." Lily said in awe.

"I know, it helps to keep James and Sirius humble. Trust me, it's a full time job."

Lily smirked a little then drew herself to her full height. Here it comes.

"Look, I know he's your brother but he can't keep chasing off guys that like me just because I refused him and now he wants to ensure I can't be with anyone until I've dated him!" Lily said her tone angry and indignant.

"Newsflash Lily! He's jealous! James is in love with you and don't just write it off as being an ass! If you really can't stand him then tell him kindly, let him down easy. He won't believe you otherwise. Stop being rude, he's perfectly civil to you. More than civil if you ask me." Then for the second time in two days Elizabeth turned on her heel and stalked away from Lily Evans.

At dinner that night James sat beside Elizabeth who looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"I love you." And James hugged her. Everyone around them stopped moving and stared in shock.

"Ummm." Elizabeth said loudly.

"Lizzie you are the best! Lily just came and apologised for me for "being rude" and said that you my little sister had made her see I wasn't horrible! Thank you!" James burst out looking delighted. Several people laughed and the conversation resumed.

"Oh that's alright, but she said some fairly unpleasant stuff about you first, so as your sister I bitched her down, my duty you know. You are alright you know, once you realise your not top of the world." Elizabeth said patting her brother on the head to laughter from Sirius and Remus.

Peter just ate. He was obsessed with food.

"She's got you there! You aren't top of the world Prongs, no that is most certainly me!" Sirius said with a laugh.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and spooned some more peas onto Sirius' plate.

"Eat up your vegetables Padfoot." She said with a grin at his anguished expression.

"Oh come on Elizabeth, please take them off." Sirius asked pouting his face right up close to Elizabeth's so that her heart raced.

"No." Elizabeth said firmly, keeping herself under iron control.

Sirius scowled and poked her with his fork.

"EW!" Elizabeth protested.

"POKE WAR!" James yelled and he, Sirius, Elizabeth, Remus all immediately stopped what they were doing to poke each other with forks, laughing. Peter was a little slow to catch on but he did eventually join in and poked Elizabeth with a fork

"HOW DARE YOU!" Elizabeth said in horror and Peter grinned and did the unthinkable, he picked up a spoon.

After the poke war degenerated into a general food fight, which McGonagall ended with a glare, dinner went fairly smoothly and Elizabeth was pleased to note that Lily watched James constantly.

In the common room Sirius sat down beside Elizabeth and whispered into her ear.

"Ohhh I think its love." Pointing at Lily and James who were talking, it was a casual conversation but had underlying meaning for the future of their friendship – or whatever else might come later.

"Definitely, which means that you're next in line to fall in love. So any candidates?" Elizabeth said teasingly.

"Elizabeth, don't even suggest that I get a permanent girlfriend. Every girl aside from you is annoying and boring, its all your fault you set the brain bar way to high for the other girls." Sirius relied with a smirk as he placed the blame of all the hearts he had broken on her shoulders.

"Its not my fault I'm so amazing, its yours for believing all this awesomeness could be replicated. I mean look at James, same genes, totally different. He's a complete retard mooning over Lily. I would never do that." Elizabeth said with a grin. James wasn't the only Potter with a self-important view of themself.

Sirius nodded in agreement at her summary of James.

"Oh yeah he is a bit of an idiot. You and me will never be such idiots." He said indicating James' obsession with Lily.

Elizabeth laughed to avoid falling silent and giving hint that she was already such an idiot, because then she would have to pretend to be in love with someone else. She simply couldn't tell Sirius the truth.

"Well I'm off to find someone to snog. Night Little Mother." Sirius said with a wave. Elizabeth watched him go trying to repress the wish that she was the one he was about to snog.

Elizabeth turned to look at her brother only to see that Remus had been sitting nearby her and Sirius all the time. The look he directed at her was amused and seem to hold knowledge of her feelings for Sirius.

Remus was one of those people who could see the truth of any problem more clearly than anyone else.

"Oh shut up Mooney." Elizabeth said scowling at him as she stood up.

"I didn't say a word Lizzie." Remus said with a grin.

"Oh you didn't have too." She said through gritted teeth.

"But I will, it looks like someone has a bad case of puppy love." Remus said with a laugh and Elizabeth winced at the very un-funny reference to Sirius' animagus form.

"Look Mooney, I know that you know and you know that if you tell anyone especially him what you know then I will smash your face in with a beater's bat." Elizabeth said her tone completely serious.

"I know, I know. Not a word to anyone." Remus said his hands up in mock surrender.

"Good. Oh and by the way, how did you figure it out?" Elizabeth asked worried Sirius might figure something out.

"You stare Little Mother, a lot." Was the answer and Elizabeth swore under her breath.

"Sorry I didn't catch that." Remus said with a smirk

.

"I said of all the fucking dull minded things to forget." Elizabeth said a little louder so Remus could hear, making him snort in derision.

"Don't worry Lizzie, I have a feeling everything will end out just how you want it too." Remus assured her and with a nod he went off to bed.

"Peter your book is about to fall out of that bag." Elizabeth said absently bossing the boys around her mind elsewhere.

Peter scowled at her; he hated Elizabeth's mothering but did put the book further in the bag.

They were sitting at dinner together, the marauders on one side of her, Jade and Emily on the other. The girls didn't mind, they loved to stare at Sirius, Remus and James and Emily even had a thing for Peter who was cute but not hot.

Elizabeth saw James shoot her a worried look but she smiled at him and James nodded. No words were needed between them; they were like twins that way. James understood she was preoccupied about something and probably guessed it was about a guy. He let it be though, for which Elizabeth was grateful.

Out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth saw Sirius trying to put some of his hated peas back on the serving dish.

"BLACK! Put the peas back on your plate now! Eat them!" She snapped and Sirius swore.

"Good to see that someone can keep you in line Mr Black, I think Miss Potter might be able to give me a few pointers." Said an amused voice behind them. Elizabeth turned to see McGonagall and shot her a grin.

"Sure Professor." Elizabeth said. "Sirius." She added in a warning tone as he tried to put the peas back as second time.

"Yes little mother." He said with a sigh and Professor McGonagall actually laughed.

"What's so funny Professor, surely you've seen this before at our place?" James asked with a slight frown. McGonagall was a regular guest at Potter Manor.

"I think I just had my first ever vision of the future Mr Potter that is all, and it would provide for a very interesting household."

Elizabeth was completely confused by that statement until she saw Remus who was wearing his bloody knowing smile. She so badly wanted to punch him.

"Remus, you haven't had nearly enough beans." She said and spooned half the bowl onto his plate. Remus looked at her in horror and sighed.

"I deserved that I guess."

"You did." Elizabeth agreed.