- Chapter 1 –

The bell echoed through the corridors of Hogwarts, initializing the start of dinner. Students rushed from every door along the narrow corridor, laughing and joking to one another, while teachers tried to shout over the din, final homework instructions from the class room.

Aredhel jostled along with the crowd trying to find her class mates to head off to lunch. She caught sight of a small, red head girl just ahead and hurried to catch up with her.

"HEY, Aredhel!" A familiar voice shouted. She turned around quickly only to bump into someone who had been walking close behind her. Apologizing quickly, she waited for her friend, Remus.

"Hey, how did you find the exam this morning? It was quiet hard, don't you think?" He said, hugging her.

"Meh, it was alright I guess, but come on we've got to find Erin. She was up there before, hurrying after Sirius again"

"God, I swear, she just won't give in, will she?" He said, pushing the door open and walking into the warm, summer sun.

"I guess not, but if she wants to tail around after him and do nothing about it I guess that's her problem. She always tailing after someone, remember her last year, tailing around after Mr. Patrick? Honestly, she'll be one of those people who will fall for anything male."

"Aredhel, your not normally one to lecture Erin on love, it's normally the other way around. So, how's Lucius?" He said in a sarcastic reply.

"Oh shut up Remus." She said hitting him over the head with the book she was carrying. "And I suppose that you can lecture me, look at who you last asked out with."

"Ok, I'm sorry, but you didn't have to bring that up, I couldn't help it I was well you know." He had started to blush.

"Anyway, where are we going for lunch? Do you fancy sitting outside for a change? When we finally find Little Miss Love-Struck."

"Yeah, sure, why not. There's Erin over there look, ooo and Lucius too." He said sarcastically. Aredhel through an evil glance at Remus and ran over to Erin leaving him standing there.

"Hey! Aredhel wait up!" He shouted after her. Oh God help me, he though as he walked over to the normal group of friends he had hung out with everyday since he had first started Hogwarts. He knew he had to tell her somehow, but he just couldn't bear to think of what she would say and he knew if he couldn't trust her, then he couldn't trust anyone else either.

"Oh yeah, thanks for leaving me there looking like and idiot. Hey Erin, we were just talking about you and your obsessions. "He gave a sly glance over in Sirius's direction, who was to busy talking to James about how easy he had found the end of term exams.

"Oh shut up you, and give me a hug, and anyway I'm not obsessed." She stood on her tip-toes to put her arms around his neck to hug him. "Are we going to eat lunch outside then like Aredhel said?" No one replied "Honestly are you all brain dead today or something? Apparently."

"Sorry Erin I wasn't listening, yeah sure where do you want to sit?" Aredhel said quickly turning her head from what she was staring at. She had a habit of doing that, being distracted by the slightest thing and falling in and out of daydreams when she should be paying attention, she wouldn't be surprised if she actually failed her exams because she never paid attention.

"You never are, any where is better than standing here, we'll just sit on the field, we'll be standing here all day if we let Erin make all the decision because look who just walked out of B block." Sirius was right; Erin had been distracted by a certain dark haired potions teacher. She was absent mindedly staring at him with her mouth open.

"Erin, close your mouth, your drooling." Remus said making her jump by clapping his hands in front of her face.

"Huh...what? Hey! I was not drooling!" She quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, just in case. "Anyway, shut up he's coming over." She blushed slightly.

"Erin you do realize that he's a teacher…?" Aredhel said, trying hard not to sound like Sev, looking very concerned. "…and he's engaged?"

"Who cares?" Erin replied.

"Well make it quick, we want to eat."

"Miss Aconis, can I see you for a minute please?" The professor said.

"Yeah. Certainly." She looked at her friends signalling that she'd catch up; they turned and walked slowly to the field.

"I was wondering if it would be possible for me to see you in my office after school."

Erin's mind was racing. Oh my God, Oh my God, she though her heart pounding.

"Err…Yes sir, straight after registration?" She said, quickly closing her mouth after realising it was open.

"Yes, please try not to be late." And he turned and walked away leaving the love struck girl, spell bound.

"Aredhel, you can't, its Erin's business, she'll tell him when she wants too, she'll find out, you know she will. She has a habit of doing that." It was transfiguration and Remus was trying to persuade Aredhel not to write a note telling Sirius everything.

"Remus stop worrying he has a right to know and anyway it's better than doing this stupid exam, so shush and let me get on with it, unless you want a part in it?" She said sarcastically. Having known him for so long she knew that he wouldn't want any part in it and would just leave her to do it, but this time he had a perfect come back.

"Oh so I suppose that means Lucius has a right to know that you have a crush on him then? Right where did I put that paper?" He'd done it; he knew she wouldn't tell him now.

"Oh well you can tell him what you like because I don't have a crush on him actually so there, I like someone else thank you very much." To busy scribbling her note to Sirius, she had realized what she had let slip.

"Ooo, who?" He replied, with an intrigued look on his face. To be honest, she wasn't really sure herself, it had just slipped out.

"Never you mind, now, does this sound alright?" She said waving the folded up piece of paper in front of his face.

"Why do you have to fold it up so tiny? Is it a trait that comes with being and inch high? And yes that sounds fine not that I agree you should do it but there you go" He folded up the paper and handed it back again.

"No, Remus, you're confusing me with Erin again." Remus giggled.

The hawk-eyed teacher looked up from her desk, and saw the pair of them talking at the back of the class room.

"If you two have quite finished I would like to remind you that this test is supposed to be under exam conditions and I am sick of telling you two, to shut up!" Her voice drilled through them, everyone turned around in their seats to see who had dared talk in her lesson but most could guess who it was without looking.

"I've had enough, Miss Sirfalas, go up to the head's office imminently.

"Oh you've blown it now Aredhel."

"Thanks Remus." She packed her books and quills into her bag, picked up her coat and left the class room, not realising she'd left the note for Sirius on her desk.

"Damn teachers thinking there better then everyone else, just because they know more than us doesn't mean that they can boss us around, like we're not equal!" She shouted back to the closed door she had just left. Turning the corner she bumped into a friend of Sirius, James Potter, she had really known him a long time, but already he was beginning to grow on her.

"Hey, watch where you going next time, its Aredhel right, Sirius's friend?" James said politely.

"Oh God, I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going." She said, blushing. Girl, this isn't the time for that, anyway why are you blushing? Oh my God! She thought. I have crush on James!

"Too busy shouting at closed doors I guess." He said sarcastically

"Oh you heard? Yeah well they do, thinking there higher than everybody else!"

"Hey, calm down, what did you get sent out for anyway?"

"I was talking to Remus. I've been sent to the headmaster's office, so I've got to go before she catches me." She said.

"Oh, ok then, I'll see you around." And he turned around leaving her standing at the bottom of the stairs, forgetting she had been sent to see the Headmaster's office.

"Miss Sirfalas? What are you doing wandering the corridors during lessons?" It was Professor Dumbledore, the defence against the dark arts teacher.

"Oh, professor, I was sent to see the headmaster." She replied remembering what she had been sent out for.

"Then don't you think that you should be outside his office, unless he has moved it to underneath the stairs." Dumbledore replied, with the usual twinkle in his eyes underneath his half moon spectacles.

"Yes Professor." And she hurried up the stairs towards the large oak door at the end of the corridor.

Back at the common room, that night, Erin and Aredhel sat talking about what their day had been like and how the exams had went. Aredhel kept drifting away to the Quidditch pitch where James was practicing for the upcoming match. She couldn't stop thinking about him it was driving her crazy.

"You should ask him out, what's the worst that could happen?" Erin suggested, obviously noticing what had been distracting her from their conversation. Although she felt the same about Sirius, she wasn't going to admit it.

"He would say no. I know he would."

"You won't know unless you ask him."

"Anyway, who said I had a crush on James."

"You just did, I wasn't necessarily talking about James."

"Damn you and your way of figuring things out. I can't help it he's just so…"

"Yes…are you going to finish your sentence? You know I'm in patient."

"He's just so God damn hot! And funny and charming and…and…"

"Are we talking about the same person?" She said sarcastically. "Because that's not the James I know, he has habit of pretending to be nice and charming but he's like, I don't know…a goodly apple rotten at the heart."

"You and your god damn Shakespeare. I can't help it, I just like him, you know how it is, it's sort of like you and Sirius, I guess."

"But at least Sirius doesn't pretend to be someone he's not, I like him for who he is, I'm not saying that James is a bad person, all I'm saying is don't fall for the fiction side of him because you'll get hurt when you find out that he's not all that charming as you think he is. He can be sweet and charming at times but not all the time like you make him out to be. All I'm saying is I don't want you to get hurt."

The portrait swung open and Remus came in with James and Sirius, looking happy.

"That cup is going to have Gryffindor's name on it this year again, if we keep up doing like we are now, we'll so wipe the smirks off Slytherin's ugly faces." Said Sirius sitting in the chair opposite the fire, he caught sight of Aredhel sitting in the corner and added "No offence Aredhel."

"Why would that offend me? I've told you before I don't like Lucius!" Standing up and slamming her hands on the table. She stole a glance at James and ran to her dorm.

"Nice going Sirius, planning her future with a Slytherin, I'm sure that's what every girl wants." Said Remus scowling at Sirius

"I'll go see if she's alright." And Erin left them all, looking very confused.

"Sirius you can be really insensitive at times, you know that?" James said picking up his broom. "I'm going for a shower." And with that he walked the stairs to the boy's dorms.

"What's with everyone today?" Sirius asked Remus.