For her, it started with a crash and a pact.
For him, it started on a dreary October's day, near the Forbidden Forest. He had gone out for a breath of fresh air but the grey cloud of gloom that seemed to have enveloped him throughout the day, wasn't that easy to shake off. He had already performed two Cheering Charms on himself to no avail.
Idly fingering a pack of cigarettes in his pocket, he strolled along the edge of the forest. But his listless rambling was cut short when he caught sight of something sprawled out on the ground ahead of him. It looked vaguely female in form.
He would not admit it unless he was force-fed Veritaserum, but females made him acutely uncomfortable. Well, uncomfortable was an understatement. They always hovered around him in hordes, twittering and giggling like imbeciles. Occasionally, one would break from the herd, approach him coyly and try to strike up a conversation by uttering insipid inanities. He would usually grunt uncomfortably and beat a hasty retreat. Then there were the delusional ones who thought slipping him love potions would unlock the frosty gates of his heart. He had taken to screening all anonymous food items he found lying around. Good ole Peter. You could get him to eat anything if you pretended you wanted to eat it first. The poor gullible bastard never stood a chance. He had been in the infirmary just last week, vomiting pink hearts after eating a pastry laced with what was later found to be expired Amortentia spiked with cheap cough syrup. The rapidly dropping standards of his fan club were, it could be denied, giving Sirius Black some sleepless nights.
He was about to follow his usual course of action when confronted with a member of the opposite sex, but something made him hesitate. The figure was too still. Now, on most days Sirius Black was a sensible young man. But on that particular day, to snap him out of his funk, Michael Weatherstone had procured some very potent Ashwinder Hash. So it would not be completely unjustified to say that his judgment was slightly impaired.
And that was how Samara Simon opened her eyes to the sight of the infamous Sirius Black poking her with a stick.
"URGGH… Geroff!"
Sirius had not completely dismissed the possibility that this was an elaborate and perplexingly complex ruse to ensnare him. And he could not be blamed for the same. Had he not spent years dodging into hidden corridors, ducking behind tapestries, purposefully ending up in detention to get away from such barmy fangirls? The Marauders had even tried to start a rumor that he was gay. Remus had resisted at first, but had relented after they threatened to stun him, put him in a dress and tell people he was Sirius' muggle girlfriend. But the gay plan had not worked out. Neither he nor Remus had been able to stomach kissing each other in public as proof and his fangirls were nothing if not tenacious. This had been around the time Moaning Myrtle had also developed a crush on him, so they roped her in as well, and made her tail him to gather evidence. After three days of not showering and generally shunning all aspects of personal hygiene, Sirius had had enough. He had gone back into the metaphorical closet and barricaded himself there.
But Sirius decided it was unlikely that this girl was trying something, If she had gone to so much trouble to position herself out on his path, then she could have done something about her appearance as well. A rather plain looking female, her appearance was not improved by the grass stains and dirt. But now that the confused look she had given him had morphed into an annoyed glare, he was at a loss. How could he explain he was merely checking to see if she was alive and not a figment of his imagination?
"Er… Thought you were unconscious. M'sorry," he said in a rush, taking a slow step back.
"And obviously, poking me with a stick was the best way you could think of to help?" she asked, with a touch of asperity.
Sirius paused in his strategic retreat. She did have a point.
"I considered shooting a stream of water at you," he offered.
"Much obliged you refrained from the impulse," she was rolling her eyes now.
"What would you have done?" he asked with an edge to his voice.
"Oh, I don't know. Checked for a heartbeat. Or a pulse," she replied challengingly," But oh, I forgot who I was addressing. God forbid the infamous Sirius Black catch cooties from a member of the female species."
He was about to deliver a biting retort when a terrible, shrill scream pierced the air. The girl jumped to her feet and whipped her wand out, staring at the Forbidden Forest with full alertness. Sirius decided to mirror her movements. But another scream filled the air and both of them whirled around, realizing the noise was coming from behind them, from the vicinity of the castle.
A bespectacled figure was running full tilt at them, all the while emitting a banshee-like wail. As the figure loomed closer, they could make out the familiar disheveled mop of James Potter. He seemed to be clawing at a bulge in his pants. The only problem was, the bulge was on the wrong side. It also had what looked like tentacles emerging from it.
For a pregnant second, both Sirius and Samara stared at the terrifying sight in front of them, transfixed. Then, without even sharing a glance, they both turned tail and fled.
Right into the Forbidden Forest.
Authors's Notes: This is the first story I've ever written and I would really value your take on it. I have a few of the subsequent chapters all typed out, but I thought I'd post them according to the response I get. If all goes well, expect weekly updates.
So what do you think, guys? Does this seem like a story you might be interested in?