I tossed the Quaffle into the far left goal hoop from 250 ft. (half field) away. It went so far and so fast, that the Keeper, who happened to be my best friend, Sirius Black, had no chance of diving to save it. Of course, that doesn't mean he didn't try his best.
When we touched back down to the ground, he said, "Nice one, Riss!"
"Why, thank you! You didn't do too bad yourself!" I said, as we put our brooms over our shoulders and walked back to the castle.
"What are you talking about? I had no chance of saving that! Now, we look at the brilliant moves of my little Riss, and we have a whole different story!" Sirius said, then blushing slightly as what he had really said donned on him. "I-I didn't mean it like that, honestly!" then blushing even more at the obvious lie he had just told.
I cocked an eyebrow at him, "Really," I said sarcastically, "Nice try, Padfoot, but I can easily see through the lie." He liked me, and everyone knew it. I also liked him, but only my best friend, Tonks, knew it.
Remus Lupin, me, Sirius and my twin brother, James all made up a group called the Marauders, and our nicknames are, respectively, Moony, Blacktail, Padfoot, and Prongs.
We stored our brooms in a broom closet, then we up to the Gryffindor tower. When we got up to the Gryffindor Tower and shouted the Fat Lady awake, she said, "W-w-what are you doing out at this time of night?" She asked, stifling a yawn.
"Why does that matter? Croton Capitatus." Sirius said, slightly impatiently.
We walked into the Gryffindor common room and started towards the staircases, when a voice said, "So, where did you two lovebirds go this time?" I recognized it as the voice of James. Shortly after I realized this, the owner of the voice came around the couch to us. "I've gotten up to get water a couple of times at night on different nights recently, and Sirius has been gone. Lily has told me the same thing about you, Rissa. Where have you two been going?"
I put the Muffliato charm on all the doors, figuring this was going to get ugly. After that, I said in a low and dangerous voice, then growling after, my cat (my animagus) inside me showing itself slightly, "Where I go with my best friend, whether at midnight, or not, really shouldn't matter to you, Prongs! I'm your older twin sister, and so you should let me do what I want, when I want! Now, if you don't mind, I'm tired, and am going to go off to bed now."
"Oh no, you don't!" James yelled. "You don't just go sneaking off with my best friend at all hours of the night for nights on end, and expect to get away with it! For all I know you two could have been off in a broom cupboard, snogging!"
"Well, we weren't! We were-" Sirius started, then broke off blushing considerably, both from what James had suggested, and that he had almost disclosed our previous location.
"Yes! You were where?" James said.
"That doesn't matter where we were! It's none of your business!" I said. I turned and marched up the staircase to my dormitory on the fifth level. When I got up to the dormitory, I noticed Tonks was sitting up on her bed, wide awake. "What are you doing up?" I asked.
"Waiting for you." Tonks said.
"You were all asleep when I left, right?" I asked, worried that my sneaking out had been noticed from being up when I left, rather than waking up and getting water in the middle of the night.
"I was asleep right up until I heard James yelling his head off! I then noticed you were gone, and assumed that he was yelling at you. My suspicion was confirmed when I also heard you and Sirius yelling." Tonks said.
"Oh. I'm sorry we woke you up, Tonks!" I said, feeling horrible.
"It's okay, Rissa! I don't mind, but I would like it if you were to tell me where you were?" Tonks said, curious.
"That's classified." I said, mischievously.
"OK, one question then. Were you guys snogging?" Tonks asked.
"That would normally be highly classified as well, but I'll make an exception for you. I'm smart, I wouldn't go around doing that, because my mum would certainly be after me; she'd say, "You won't be sixteen for a month I've told you not to do that!" I've told you before, I haven't ever snogged him, or anyone, for that matter, and I still hold true to that. When I do, you will be the first to know. " I said, getting up to get ready for bed, then stopped as I asked, "Hang on, I put the Muffliato charm on all the doors, how did you hear us?"
"That's classified." Tonks said, much like I had said the same thing before. I have the strong feeling that it had something to do with Remus.
One month later…
It had been tough. It had been a lot of work. And it had been totally and exhaustively worth it! Gryffindor had won the House Championship!
In the middle of the party, I walked over to Sirius with my hands behind my back in a shy sort of way, then I said, "So, did you enjoy the feast?" He smiled and nodded. Suddenly, I don't know why I did it, I threw my arms around him. He stumbled back slightly but, quickly recovered. He leaned out of my embrace slightly then suddenly kissed me. It was only a short kiss, for he must have thought that my lack of response was because I didn't want it, not shock. He pulled out only little bit, because I stopped him by putting a hand on the back of his head. I said, "Don't you dare stop!" then pulled my hand towards me, thus taking his head with it, and our lips crashed together. It was a long kiss, and somewhere during it, it turned into a full on snog. We broke apart, and I looked up at Sirius' face, and saw an expression of pure glee. We soon realized that the room had gone so quiet, you could have heard a feather hit the ground. I looked around and saw Lupin and Tonks beaming, and the furious faces of most of the people in that room, because a lot of people thought that Sirius and I (respective of their gender, of course) were the best looking people in the school and most of them had crushes on us, or so I've heard. I eventually found James in the crowd, who looked neither furious nor glad, in fact, he looked rather shocked. I made eye contact with him, and he made a slight shooing motion with his hand. Sirius kept his hand where it had been resting on my lower back and guided me out of the common room and onto the grounds. I doubt that the party ever recovered.
After an extremely long walk on the grounds, we walked through the common room, holding hands. I walked up to my dormitory. Everyone was still down partying except, apparently, Tonks. "Hey," she said.
"Hi! Does that count, for you to find out first, even though you found out at the same time as everyone else?" I asked.
"Not really, but I'll let you slide." Tonks replied.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you can be the first to know something else." I said.
"What?" Tonks asked, excited.
"We are officially dating!" I replied, happily.
"That's good! I'm very happy for you! I figured you two would start dating, especially after that kiss. Actually, it was much more of a snog!" Tonks said.
"So, what about you and Lupin? Are you two dating?" I asked, curious and a little mischievous.
"That's classified!" She said, again in the same voice as me.
"Oh, come on! No, 'that's classified.'" I said hitting her with my pillow. "It is one of the most obvious things that you two like each other! I've watched you two dance around each other for years now!"
"I've seen the same thing for you and Sirius, hence the point I asked you about it the night you came in late. Where, have you guys been going at night? What have you been doing?"
I launched into the long tale, "We both suffer from severe insomnia. I found out the first night we got to Hogwarts. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go down to work on homework. He was down their too, and we decided to go out and practice Quidditch, because we were both planning on trying out for the team. We got into a pattern of doing that every night, and it is one we just can't break, because it is so much fun! We go out about eleven o'clock every night and stay out, either until we are tired or about three o'clock."
"You very well might be doing more than just getting brooms in the broom cupboard, now!" She said. We both smiled and I laughed.
"You never answered my question though: are you and Lupin dating?" I asked.
"Yes, we are!" Tonks answered.
I squealed. "Since when?"
"Since tonight. When we saw you and Sirius kissing, we couldn't help but think that we wanted that for ourselves. We left the castle and walked to the Shrieking Shack, as we figured you two didn't want to be interrupted."
"Even if you had walked up and screamed our names in our ears, I doubt we would have noticed. We kind of were snogging half the time we were out there. The other half was spent talking, and we didn't notice a thing! Now, yes, before you say anything, yes we were out there for three hours. Ah, good times, good times!" I said, smiling at the not long past memory, then frowning as I said, "Now, if I can just get James off my back. He's been on me for weeks about even my friendship with Sirius. After we got back, he got on me about snogging him. Have you ever seen how he wraps around Lily and snogs her all the time? He's such a hypocrite, and I hate it! What do I do about it?" I said.
"I don't know. Have you tried talking to him about it?"
"Are you kidding? If I were to do that, he most certainly would write my mum and say 'Rissa is dating Sirius! She snogs him all the time and, especially in public, their lips never leave each other!'" I said with a roll of my eyes, "And then I would have to tell her that it isn't true for me and Sirius, but is definitely true for him and Lily! Did you see them yesterday in the common room? It was absolutely disgusting! They were wrapped around each other like vines on a tree! Ugh!"
"You and Sirius were quite wrapped around each other tonight as well! It was almost as bad as James and Lily yesterday!"
"It was not! We were all kissing, and nothing else, while James and Lily were doing more, well, more stuff, we will say that."
"That still was quite a passionate kiss, for your first kiss!"
"Well, that wasn't our first kiss." I said, and she raised her eyebrows as I continued, "We had that kiss, then the really short kiss right before that, then that one kiss from Second Year," She raised her eyebrows even higher, until they mingled with her hairline, "You know how Sirius and James used to tease people meanly? Well, one time, I couldn't take it anymore. I dragged him down the hall and pushed him against the wall. I told him, "If I EVER see you tease someone meanly again, I will personally make sure that this never happens to you again! By me, or by any other woman!" Before he could get in a word, I kissed him, much like I did tonight, except when he started to kiss back, I pulled back and smiled at him.
That night was a full moon, so it was spent in the Shrieking Shack. When James looked over into the corner of one of the rooms, he saw a mass of black fur. He could probably tell the difference between dog fur and cat fur. If that is true, he would have seen that I was curled inside of Sirius, asleep, which is very unusual.
The next morning at breakfast, Tonks noticed that we looked very rested and asked about it. I replied, "Well, I had a very comfy bed last night!" I looked at Sirius and smiled.
"I don't want to know!" She said.
When we got to the next class after breakfast, Tonks said, "Rissa, is that necklace new? Can I see it?"
"Sure, but I'd rather not take it off. Sirius gave it to me and it's quite special to me. I'll just use a spell to magnify what it says." I said.
She read aloud what the silver heart shaped pendant said, "'Rissa and Sirius Forever.' Aw! It's cute! Let me guess, he just got it this morning?"
"No, actually. He got it a long time ago, he was just finding a good time to give it to me. He figured that when we first started dating is as good a time as any to give it to me." I said, smiling at the memory of when he gave the necklace to me. After words, there had been a very heated kiss by the lake, which had resulted in much more than the night before in the common room. It was much like the kisses that had been shared by James and Lily.
"Ooooh!" Tonks said.
"What?" Rissa asked her, still smiling so much, she almost looked like an idiot.
"You are so completely in love, aren't you?"
"Why does it matter to you?"
"Because, I am your best friend, besides Sirius, at least. I care about what happens to you!"
"Ok. If you must know, I am deeply in love with him! How did you know?"
"Because, the smile on your face! It is the very same smile I see on my mum's face when she looks at my dad! The smile is, and always has been, a dead give away! I've noticed that I occasionally smile that very same way when I think of Lupin."
"You guys have been dating and together for less than 3 hours!" I said, slightly appalled.
"I could say the same for you and Sirius!"
"No, you couldn't! Sirius and I were together all night last night, because last night was…"
"Last night was what, exactly?"
"Nothing. I can't talk about it. It is personal, but not for me. If he hasn't told you, I'm not going to be the one to tell you." I said, determined not to spill the secret.
"Who is it?" Tonks asked, very curious.
I chewed my lower lip as I just thought about whether or not to tell her. I sat just like that for about a minute. I then spoke, "Ok, fine. I'll tell you. If he kills me, I blame it entirely on you. If he kills you, well, he wouldn't dare to kill you! It is Remus Lupin. If you want to ask him what his secret is, go ahead. To my knowledge, which about your relationship with him is quite limited, you do not know."
"If you are talking about him being a werewolf, yes I already know that," Tonks said. I must have looked surprised, for she continued, "Yes, last night. He told me last night before he had to leave for the Shrieking Shack. He also told me that you, Sirius, and James are all Animagi. Is that true?" Tonks asked.
"Yes, it is. And, before you ask, no, we are not registered." I said.
"Will you show me?" Tonks asked, and I complied and quickly transformed into a cat. "Wow! Did you know that now you have a heart shape, right on the front of your chest as a cat?"
"WHAT! I do? Why didn't Sir say anything? Is it obvious?" I fired off the questions, now incredibly worried, after I transformed back into a human.
"No. It isn't obvious, just a little bit of lightening of the fur in that area, in a small heart shape. I doubt James would ever notice. You should probably tell Sirius, though, so he doesn't freak out at the next full moon." Tonks said. I nodded and walked downstairs to find Sirius and tell him.
When I got downstairs, I quickly found him, talking with James, and it was very clear that both of them were fighting very hard to keep their tempers even, so they didn't get into a huge fight in the middle of a party. Sirius was growling every single one of his words, the ultimate sign that he was very angry. He stopped mid growl as I tapped him on the arm and said, "Sir, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure thing, Riss!" Sirius said, happily and not growling, as if nothing was wrong. We quickly stepped out into the hall.
"Not here, this conversation is very important, and very private. Where do you want to go?" I asked. He grabbed my hand and led me to the broom cupboard where we got out brooms each night. "Much better… Did you come in here just because it was private, or were you hoping for something else commonly done in a broom cupboard?"
"Both," Sirius replied, smiling, "What was so important that it couldn't even be said in the hall?"
"Well, because it's not really something I can tell you. I have to show you. I'm going to transform. When I am a cat, watch my chest carefully." I transformed. He looked at the chest of my cat form.
Sirius said, his mouth dropping open, and he was obviously worried. "What do we do? Did James notice?"
"I don't think so. I don't know what to. I don't think it's that noticeable. Oh, well. If he notices it's his fault. We will be ok." I said, after I changed back into a human. After I said that last sentence I kissed him, and it ended up much like the kiss in the common room.
We walked slowly back to the common room, stopping to kiss and talk, so it took us twenty-five minutes to walk down the fifty foot corridor. When we finally got there, James met us at the door. He sent Sirius off to their dormitory, and Sirius went very reluctantly. When Sirius was gone, James yelled, "What on earth were you thinking?" I looked very confused, so he continued, "I walked into the broom cupboard when I saw that you guys weren't coming out, and you guys were snogging! It was even worse than the common room kiss! I'm writing home to Mum, and telling her your lips never leave Sirius in public!"
"No, you won't! It isn't true! I will write to her also, and tell her about you and Lily, and how you are just as what you said about me and Sir! I will also tell her that Sirius and I do not snog in public. Mum always listens to my story better, and she almost always sides with me!" I said, throwing in a little attitude with a shake of my head, even though I could feel that I was about to cry. After I said that, I turned and sprinted the staircase, and ran straight into Tonks, who (with no doubt from the flush on her face) was going down to see Lupin. I broke down sobbing, and Tonks held me while I got it all out then asked me what was wrong. I said, still crying, but not sobbing, "James just ruined the best day of my life! ... Sir and I were snogging, and he came in, but we didn't notice. After we got back to the common room, which took a while, James yelled at us and told me he was going to write our mum! And…and…I don't know! I'm so sick of him doing this to us! What do I do, Tonks?" I was sobbing again.
"Hang on, just a second, Rissa. I'll be right back." Tonks said. I nodded. A few seconds later, she came walking up the stairs with Sirius, the stairs miraculously not collapsing under him.
"Oh, Rissa! Come here." Sirius said, wrapping his arms around me. "What is wrong?" I told him. He looked appalled at James' nerve. "Well, we certainly have a problem then, don't we!" He said, smiling.
I hit him then said, smiling also, "Stop making jokes, Padfoot! Now is not the time for jokes!"
"I'm just trying to lighten the mood! I got you to stop crying, didn't I?" Sirius said, smiling as I nodded, "I will try to talk to James tomorrow after all this has worn off."
"Hey, remember when we were at our sorting ceremony? When he almost killed us, 'cause you congratulated me?'" I said, as thought back to that night.
First Year…
Sir and I were waiting in the Great Hall to be sorted. I turned around as some one tapped my arm. I saw a girl with bubblegum pink hair standing behind me. I assumed she had also tapped Sirius as he had turned around as well.
"Hey! I'm Tonks." she said.
"Hey! I'm Rissa. Rissa Potter. Is Tonks your first name, or your last name?" I asked.
"It's my last name, but I hate my first name." Tonks said.
"I'm Sirius Black." Sirius said, smiling.
"Having fun there, with your boyfriend, Risssssssa?" a voice said, drawing my name out in the way I hate, while grabbing hold of my arm.
"Shut it, James!" I said, shaking him off and elbowing him hard in the gut, causing him to double over in pain. I smiled slightly as I turned back to my new friends. Seeing their stricken looks I said, "My pig-headed brother!" They both nodded.
"Excuse me! Children, we are ready to begin the sorting." A woman with a tight bun at the back of her head and a stern look on her face said, "When I call your name, please come up and sit on the stool, the sorting hat will be placed on your head, and you will be sorted."
"Sirius Black!" She yelled.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled. The Gryffindors cheered.
"Remus Lupin!"
"GRYFFINDOR!" They cheered again.
"James Potter!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Rissa Potter!"
"GRYFFINDOR!" I breathed a sigh of relief, and walked over to the Gryffindor table. Sirius patted my back, then to my surprise, let his arm drop down so it was around my waist.
"Getting cozy with my sister there, Sirius? Don't get too comfortable!" James said.
We both glared at him, but Sirius did not remove his arm.
"And last, but not least, Nymphadora Tonks!"
"GRYFFINDOR!" We all cheered, and she ran over to our table.
She noticed our glaring at our plates, and asked, "What's wrong?" We looked up and glared at James, then back at our plates.
"I'll tell you later," I said.
Later that night…
"So, are you guys dating?" Tonks asked. I shook my head. She continued, "You guys looked quite cozy when I got to the table!"
"Well, we're not!" I said.
Next day…
On our break between lunch and our first afternoon class, Sirius, Tonks, Remus, and I were lounging on the grounds, when Tonks said something that surprised me, "You know, what? You guys should act like you are dating when you walk down the hall, and see what James does!"
Our response probably surprised her even more, "Ok. We will!"
The next day, we did what she said, and as we expected, James flipped out and yelled at us. It was still great fun, though!
Summer Following Fifth Year…
"Hey, Sirius! What are you doing here?" James asked as Sirius walked into the parlor, carrying his trunk.
"I'm staying here now. I've had some, er, problems with my family, and Riss, er," Sirius trailed off.
I walked further into the parlor from where I been standing in the doorway, and said, my smile and words slow and sugar coated, as if talking to a small child, "Offered to let him stay here with us. I cleared it with Mum and now he is here!" I grabbed Sirius' arm and dragged him, and his trunk, down the hall.
"So, Sir, do you want to sleep in the same room as James, or in the guest bedroom down the hall?" I asked.
"Well, since James and I are currently not on the best of terms, I'll take the guest bedroom. Is that ok?" Sirius asked. I nodded. He carried his trunk into the room and set it on the bed.
He undid the clasps and took something out off his trunk. He said, "Rissa, close your eyes." I did what he asked, and he put something long, skinny, and heavy in my hands.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Your birthday present," He answered. I smiled and undid the wrappings.
"Oh my goodness! I love it! Thanks so much, Sir!" I shouted jumping on top of him, almost knocking him over. He had given me a brand new Cleansweep Seven!
I kissed him hard, and James walked in a few minutes into it. James said, "Oh. My. Goodness!" I could hear him running down the hall, then I could hear him say, "Mum! Rissa and Sirius are snogging." My mum replied, but I could not hear it.
Sirius and I broke it off, then walked into the kitchen hand in hand, as if nothing had happened between us. My mum looked at us questioningly, but said nothing.
"Hey, James, Sir and I were going to go out and play Quidditch one on one, but we can play two on one, if you want. Would you like to come?" I asked, slightly worried what his answer would be, "If you want, we can also Floo Tonks and Remus."
"Ok. I'll do it, if we can Floo Tonks, Remus, and Lily." James negotiated. We did as he asked, and they came over. I was on a team with Sirius and Tonks. James, Lily, and Remus were on the other. I was acting as chaser, Sirius as keeper, and Tonks (who was not on the Gryffindor team, but was still very good) as Seeker. We had bewitched a Muggle soccer ball for the Quaffle, and a Muggle golf ball for the Snitch. Our mum didn't want us to use anything for Bludgers, because it can get bloody. I threw the "Quaffle" at the tree in our yard that was the other team's goal. It hit right on, and Sirius high fived me as I flew by him in a victory loop. A few minutes later, and I heard a shout of joy from Tonks. She had caught the Snitch before James, who is the best seeker Hogwarts has seen yet! Sirius and I flew to her and high fived her. Then Sirius did something that surprised me very much. He grabbed me with one arm and pulled me onto his broom, and kissed me. We continued to kiss passionately, until it was absolutely necessary to break for air. I looked over to our house and saw something in the window.
"Uh oh." I said.
"What?" asked Sirius.
I pointed to the window and said, "My mum. She saw everything!"
We flew to the ground, trying to act as if nothing had happened. Sirius told me a very funny joke right before we walked in, and so we were both laughing hard when we walked in. We quit laughing when we saw my mum standing there with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. Sirius let out a quiet moan, as he knew there was going to be serious trouble. My mum said, "Sirius, Rissa, come with me. NOW!"
We complied with her and walked down the hallway to the room that Sirius now occupied. She shut the door, then asked, in a voice that matched her look, "What, exactly, were the two of you doing snogging on a broomstick in our yard?"
I answered her question, carefully choosing my words, though ended up shouting the last few words, "Mum. We are 16 years old! You told me and James that we could do whatever we wanted as far as dating goes, as long as we keep it PG-13 or under! If you think that what we just did is bad, you should see James when he is with Lily! They are 10, or even 20 times worse than us! They sit curled around each other in a tiny chair, snogging their heads off! It's disgusting! Just ask Tonks and Remus! They have seen it too, and definitely agree with us!"
"Rissa, Rissa," my mum chided, "Keep your voice level down. I understand what you are saying, and I will certainly talk to both Tonks and Remus, also possibly James and Lily themselves. I apologize for what I said to you Rissa, and I will let you continue to do what you want, as long as you keep it on the terms previously set, ok?" Sirius and I nodded, grateful she understood and will let us continue like we had before.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Four Years Later…
"Rissa Potter," Sirius said, a look of hope in his eye, "Will you marry me?"
"Yes! Yes! YES!" I yelled, happily, with tears rolling down my cheeks. I grabbed him and kissed him hard and passionate. I could feel tears rolling down his cheeks as well. I let out a small sob.
He immediately pulled away, and asked, "Rissa, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, Padfoot, nothing! These are entirely tears of happiness."
Our wedding happened a month later. James was Sirius' Best Man. Tonks was my Maid of Honor. It was a very beautiful ceremony.
One Year, Three Months Later…
I woke up on the couch in the living room of the house that Sirius and I have, which is the house that was his when he was younger, Number 12 Grimmauld Place. We had opened up walls and added lights and paint, to make the house very bright, and with no screaming painting of his mother.
I heard odd noises coming from the kitchen. I got up, slowly disentangling my self from Sirius' arms, so as not to wake him. I walked in with my wand out, then I jumped as I heard a very familiar voice whisper, "Hello, Rissa."
I jumped, turned, and said, "STUPE-" Before I realized it was Remus Lupin. I sighed and said, "Remus! You scared me!"
"I walked into the living room where I expected to find you and Padfoot awake, but you were asleep." Remus said, accepting the tea I handed him.
"Well, having three kids under a year and a half will do that to you, Remus!" I said. Suddenly I heard a scream from my one kids' bedroom, the one with the twins. I said, "There's James. Sorry, I have to go get them." Remus nodded. I went up and calmed him down and put him back to sleep, then came back down.
"Was he ok?" Remus asked, and I nodded.
Suddenly the door opened again, and Sirius came in. "Hi!" I said, kissing him, "What are you doing in here?"
Sirius said, "I heard voices, and so I thought I'd come investigate. I see now it was you and Remus."
"Sorry, we didn't think we were talking loud enough to wake you up, Sir!" I said.
"It's ok, 'cause I love you!" Sirius said, kissing me like we had many times, hard and passionate. We broke apart when we heard a cough from Remus. Sirius continued, "Sorry, Remus!"
Remus laughed slightly, then said, "It's ok, Padfoot! We're all adults here!" We all laughed together.