"So will you?"
"Oh Black, hell will freeze over before I go to the Yule Ball with you", said the ebony-haired witch, casting him a dirty look over her shoulder as he ran to catch up with her.
"Surely you can't hate me that much."
"You underestimate me, Black."
"Lily's going with James…"
"And? Just because my best friend has taken leave of her senses, doesn't mean that I have to."
"Look, wait a minute." Sirius grabbed her hand and she spun around to face him, her dark-lidded eyes widened in surprise. "We might even have fun, you know. At least think about it?" His voice was softer then, and more serious.
Rowena sighed exasperatedly, extracting her hand from his.
"I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding another girl to go with. In fact, I see three willing victims over there" she said, pointing at a group of giggling girls as they passed, visibly eyeing-up the handsome boy beside her. "Now, I actually have a class to get to, if you don't mind."
"James says Sirius asked you to the Yule Ball…" Lily said to her friend, as she played around with her food. Rowena had noticed she hadn't eaten properly in days.
"Are you going to eat that, or just play with it?" Rowena asked sharply.
Lily's head shot up in surprise, "what…oh right" she said, realising her friend's meaning, "No, I don't want it". She pushed her plate away, still looking distracted.
"You and James are very cosy these days," Rowena said, disapproval clear in her voice.
"You're avoiding my question."
"You didn't ask a question. Black asked me to the Ball, as you know, and I said no, obviously."
"Did you even consider it?" Lily turned to give her friend a pointed stare.
"Consider it? No! Why on earth would I? James and Sirius are nothing more than arrogant bullies, who think they can get away with anything because they happen to be irritatingly handsome…"
"So you admit he's handsome?" Lily teased, her green eyes twinkling with mischief.
Rowena rolled her eyes.
"What does that matter? He's only wants to take me, because he knows I'm the only girl in Gryffindor, maybe even the whole school, who won't say yes. It's just a game to him, one that he won't win." A look of dislike mixed with determination came over Rowena's face. She wasn't one to back down.
"I think there might be a little more to it than that…" Lily said, cryptically.
Rowena merely raised her eyebrows in question.
"Well," Lily began, her voice dropping to a whisper, "James says Sirius would never admit it, but he reckons that he has had a bit of a thing for you for a while now…"
"That's old news, he's been pestering me for months"
"No but James thinks it's not just some game to him. He was hurt by your rejection"
Rowena snorted with derision, causing the group of third years in front of them to give her a look, "Hurt?" she laughed.
"Well I wouldn't be surprised! From what James had heard, it sounded like you were rather a bitch to him! Surely if you don't want to go with him, you could at least say so kindly!"
"Kindly?" Rowena repeated, looking at her friend as if she thought she were completely deluded.
"Yes! He does have feelings you know. James is actually rather sweet when you get to know him. I'm sure Sirius can't be so bad, or they wouldn't be friends."
Rowena shook her head in disbelief, at a loss for words. As she looked up, the black-haired boy in question entered the Great hall with his three friends, all laughing together, no doubt at some prank they'd just pulled. She saw James catch Lily's eye and the boys sauntered towards them. She was disappointed to note that the group of third years opposite them had left and there was now plenty of space for the four boys to join them. She downed the last of her pumpkin juice and rose quickly from her chair.
"Sorry Lil, that's my cue to leave." She felt Black's eyes on her as she marched swiftly out of the Great Hall.
"Alright class, today we're going to do things a little differently!" Professor Slughorn puffed with enthusiasm, "I've arranged you into pairs…"
The potions class let out a collective groan.
"So we'll have…let me see…Miss Evans with Mr Knott, Miss Carson with Mr Potter…"
Rowena held her breath as he made his way down the list.
"…And last but by no means least, Miss Thornton and Mr Black. Now if you would all pair up at a cauldron…"
'Gods someone has it in for me' Rowena thought miserably as she caught Sirius smirking at her. She took a deep breath and managed a rather forced smile at him as he joined her beside the cauldron.
"Amortentia, a powerful love potion," Sirius read aloud from their textbook, "This may come in handy," he winked at her cheekily. Rowena rolled her eyes but was horrified to feel her cheeks heat slightly, if he saw her blushing she would never live it down.
"Surely you've found yourself a date by now," Rowena asked, genuinely surprised.
"Well, I have asked someone, I'm just waiting for an answer," he said soberly, beginning to chop up roots for the cauldron.
"Who?" Rowena blurted out, then instantly regretted it. Sirius gave her a strange look as she realised her mistake. "You haven't asked anyone else? It has been over a week since you asked me" she paused briefly, "and I did give you an answer, I said no."
"I believe you agreed to think about it," he replied calmly. Rowena felt herself getting riled up.
"I said nothing of the-"
"Could you pass the ground moonstone?" he interrupted. She looked at him incredulously. He infuriated her beyond belief! They worked away in silence for some time before he again brought up the subject of the ball.
"Has anyone else asked you? Because perhaps you shouldn't turn down an offer from such a lovely gentleman as myself without a back-up plan." She gaped at him and he smirked arrogantly in return. Of course it was no surprise to him that no one else had asked her. He had ensured that all the Gryffindor boys knew he had asked her. He saw no reason to let them know she hadn't actually said yes…
"If you need a little longer to consider your options-"
"I don't need to-"she broke off mid-sentence as they both stopped to watch transfixed as their potion transformed from an inky black to a glistening mother-of-pearl, with steam rising off it in spirals. She felt much calmer all of a sudden and paused to breathe in the heady aroma from the potion. It smelled of all her favourite scents combined: trees and the outdoors, a warm spicy scent that reminded her of Christmas, butterbeer, and something else… something distinctly dog-like. Out the corner of her eye she saw Sirius watching her and briefly wondered what he could smell from the cauldron.
"Ah ladies and gentlemen we have our first finished potion!" Slughorn boomed, destroying the serenity of the moment as he pushed past tables to get a better look, "Beautiful, would you look at that! Well done, Mr Black and Miss Thornton, 10 points to Gryffindor! Excellent work!"
Rowena turned to Sirius, mouth open in surprise. They had been so busy arguing she hadn't even realised how well their potion had been coming along.
"Maybe we actually make a good team," Sirius muttered softly in her ear so that only she could hear. This time she was certain he saw her blush.