It was the last Friday of September that Professor Slughorn delievered the blow that altered my life.
This is no joke. I will take an oath on it. Slughorn literally ruined my entire life.
"I will be choosing potion parteners. It has become clear that if you must make it through this intense course, than you must be able to concentrate." I snorted mentally. Concentrate with someone other than Lily? Unlikely.
Before the big explosion between her and Severus, all three of us were potions parteners. We always received an Outstanding on every potion, homework assignment, and test. But I must say that even without them, I would still do good. Working with potions comes with the family business.
"So I've made my list and I would like you all to start working immediately on the sleeping potion when you have your parteners. Rest assured, this is only a test run. Should you like to change your parteners at the end of the semester, just let me know. But it goes to the majority." He smiled. "Everyone gathered your things?" We all said yes. Well it was friday afternoon, so it was more like 'ehhh'. I glanced at Lily to see her exchanging glances with remus. He was motioning towards me, making hand gestures I could not begin to interpet.
"Lily..."I said, chiding her. She gave Remus a final huff and turned around.
"It's for your own good you know." When I gave her a credulous look, she continued. "Look, remember what I said last night?" I nodded, desperate to move on so no one could overhear. "Ignoring Remus won't make anything better. It will only make it worse."
"You're telling me that ignoring the man who won't even stand up for his best friend-"
"crush..." Lily interjected.
"Best Friend..." I continued as if I hadn't heard her. "Is a bad thing? Or, better yet, completely ignoring him and his friends who terrorize me on a daily basis is bad? Lily, your smart and everything, but truly, ignorance is simply better." Lily opened her mouth to argue, but Slughorn called for the class to simmer down.
"Okay, now let's see..." He put on his bi-focals and scanned through the list. "Yes, Pettigrew and Smittens." I supressed a smiled. Smittens was in our dormitory and tried to tell all the teachers to call her by her first name. Smittens really doesn't go with the 'i-hate-life' look she has. Peter shrugged and moved over to her.
"Lupin and Terra" A girl in Hufflepuff moved over. She had stars in her eyes as Remus sat down next to her. When he said hello, she giggled. I thought I tasted vomit.
"Lily, ohmysweetsweetmerlin..." I looked behind me to see the one and only....
Sirius Black.
I screamed. Everyone stared at me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, startled beyond belief.
"I'm your Potion's partener...." He said, trailing off. There was a moment of silence.
"Alright. You got me. Haha. You can go back to Potter now." I siad, opening my book.
"I'm serious." He said, with a dead-on expression. But truthfully, six years of school with these guys teaches you to never believe them.
"I know who you are. I'm Katrina. Good joke now go back to Potter." He smirked at my lame-ass joke.
"No, seriously. I'm your partener."
"Alright, Black. Whatever you say." I said, turning the pages to the potion. I was not aware that everyone was staring at us.
"Katrina..."
"Heartfaw and Black. Is there a problem?" Slughorn said, waddling over towards us.
"Yes, sir. Black seems to think he is my potions partener." I laughed. Slughorn looked down his list, and then stared at me.
"He is your potions partener." Another moment of silence.
"Are you all in on this? Because alright. The gig is up. Really." I said, starting to get a little annoyed.
"Ms. Heartfaw, look." He showed me the list....and sure enough I saw our names next to each other. I grabbed the list out of his hands.
"What..." I started to take a deep intake of breaths. "Oh dear. There is a mistake. Black cannot be my potions partener. He can't."
"Talk to me at the end of the semester, Ms. Heartfaw."
"You don't understand I hate him. I think I'm going to go nuts just sitting next to him." Slughorn walked away, shaking his head. "Oh dear." I was hyperventialating (again) and Lily came over, smiling.
"This isn't funny!" I cried. I hate my life.
"It so is. ANd you say I overreact with Potter."
"But you fancy him!" I hissed. Lily shook her head.
"I do not. Seriously."
"Whatever, Lily-flower. Go back to your snog partener. Oops. I meant potions partener..." I said.
"You know, you're really harsh when you get mad." She said, still smiling.
The class started to talk loudly now, and I turned around to glance at my partener, who, sure enough, was looking at me.
"I don't want you to loose your sanity and everything, but-"
"I lost my sanity the second you popped into my life."
"Ouch." He said, snickering.
"Black, I truly detest you, you know that right?" He laughed.
"And I love you too."
"You're making my skin crawl...again." I said, dramatically rubbing my skin.
"Want me to do that?"
"I think that if you touch me, I would not only burn, but would throw up." He shook his head and smiled.
"Do you really hate me that much?"
"Words cannot explain the deep enmity I feel for you." I said, searing him with my most hateful expression.
"I'll take it as your proclaimation of love, dear." He said, smiling.
"I swear to Merlin that if you ever use me and loving you in the same sentence again, you will not wake up the next day." I said, clutching the desk.
"As much as I love this chit chat, I really think we should start our potion." he said, standing up.
"Oh, he actually does something."
Sirius laughed and wen to the broom cupboard. I turned on the flame and put our cauldron on top of it. I glanced at Lily to see if she and Potter were getting along as well as Black and I, but to my intese surprise, I saw them laughing about something. They worked well together.
Told you she fancies him. She will never hear the end of this.
Sirius returned with all the supplies. We immediately got to work without talking to each other.
Five minutes before the bell, we were done and packed away, looking around at everyone else who still seemed to be working on their potion. Remus and Layla were all smiley and giggly and blah! It made me sick. Lily and James were packing up, and just chatting away. I supressed my displeasure. Was I the only one who hated my partener.
Thankfullly I did not have to dwell on my misgivings. The bell rang and I ran out.
Not because I couldn't stand Sirius Black, but because Chase Werth always passed this corridor on the way to his common room.
I leaned against the pillar outside of the dungeons. Looking at the swarm of students. The mess of dark brown hair caught my eye and I looked over at him. He was tall, at least taller than the people around him, and had piercing blue eyes that made me quiver. He didn't even look over at me, which I didn't mind. I liked it better that way.
"Enjoying the view?" I turned around smack-dab into some very muscualar chest. It was nice and firm and chiseled and it...
was Sirius Black. I just appreciated his body. My mind was convulsing.
"Got caught, red-handed." He smirked. I literally had to tilt my head all the way up just to look in his eyes.
"I didn't know you were a fan of Severus!" I said, trying to hide my motives.
"Hardly. I'm a Werth fan, really. Look at those dreamy eyes." He said looking above me.
"Yeah. sure. We're talking about his sister, right?" I said. Chase had a sister named Sandra. She was notrious with the boys. Nonetheless, everyone loved her but she's a complete bitch.
"Yep. The one who will share a broom cupboard with me tonight. All the beautiful things that a man and women do....with two beautiful people..."
"I just threw up." I said, smirking. He looked down at me.
"Of course, you really don't know anything about that, young and so very innocent."
"I'm the same age as you, idiot." I said, shaking my head.
"I could teach you how, but-"
"My body will go up in flames-"
"Remus already claimed that territory so..." He shrugged.
"It's either Chase or Remus. I can't like two guys."
"Really? And I was so under the impression that you loved me."
"Black we discussed this. If you touch me, than I would die." I said, completely exasperated.
"How old are we?" He said, smirking. "I'm giving you a hint here."
"For what?! I wasn't aware that we were playing Clue!" I said, annoyed.
"What?" He said, confused.
"It's a muggle game. Of course...you wouldn't know it." I said.
"Well, anyway....All I'm trying to say is that you can't expect Remus to hang around long if you don't give him anything. It's not how we roll." He said, shrugging.
"How we roll? We being the Maurauders, right?"
"You've heard of us?" He said, teasing me.
"Cute." I said, than I stopped smiling. "Remus isn't like you...at all. Unlike you, he respects women, he follows the rules and he's just an all around good friend. Don't categorize him with you, because although you may be friends, he is completely the opposite of you."
"Is that why you like him?" Sirius asked, tilting his head.
"Yes."
Wait...what?
"Wait, wait. No. I mean. I like him. As a friend."
"A friend...right." He said, rolling his eyes.
"Right. A friend. My best friend. Well right now he's totally not."
"Because he wouldn't stand up for poor poor Katrina?" he mocked.
"Exactly!" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands. "I mean, being friends is about loyalties." I huffed.
"You like him."
"As a friend."
"No you like-like him." He smirked.
"How old are we?" I said, mocking him now. He grinned.
"You want to snog him and shag him and do things beautiful people do together." He said, all sing-songy.
Laughing and shaking my head, I said, "Not all that..."
"You might be innocent and everything but really, what girl does not want a nice shaggin once in a while?"
"Me." I said, raising my hand.
"That's okay. When you start, you just can't stop." He winked.
"Sure."
"And Remus goes strong."
My eyes widened. "How would you know??!"
"Trust me, I've been around to hear things from girls..."
"Remus is a virgin." Sirius started cracking up laughing. I was positive about this one. I knew Remus well enough to know this.
"Are you serious? Remus? Please! This dude is an animal." He said, still laughing.
"Nice choice of words," I said, smiling.
"Just ask him. Or is my little kitty scared?" He purred.
"Kitty?" I asked, appalled.
"Short for Kat which is short for Katrina."
"I have a nickname?"
"It's my very own." He smiled at me.
Wait a moment....am I being nice to Sirius??? Is this world ending?
Well to save my mind, I would have to answer yes. Because if this world was still going round and round, I would be killing Black by now.
"i got to go." I said, stepping back.
"Same. Sandra and I have to-"
"Do what beautiful people do?" I said, winking at him. He laughed.
"That's all right. I'll just tell Remus when you'll be available. Make-up sex is the best." I blushed and turned around, walking away. No, I don't like him...but talking about sex with Sirius Black is like...well I really don't know. It is a little uncomfortable to say the least.
Since the corridors were empty, I took my time walking. Usually I would run to each class, hating being stuck behind slow people. But I'm all alone, basking in the awesomeness that comes with alone time. All alone...just me and some nice looking man...wait...he wasn't there a moment ago...
He resembled Sirius. Same long black hair, same chiseled body...
"I thought you were going to...." When he turned around, I saw how different they were. Where Sirius was arrogant, he was chill. Sirius' eyes were always downcast, his were bright and smiling. Even his voice was like honey.
"Excuse me?" He trilled. Oh jeez....beautiful man....
"Um, I thought you were...."
"Sirius. yeah, I tend to get that a lot. I'm his brother, Regulus." He said. I nodded.
"Right. I'm Katrina Heartfaw."
"I don't know where he's at. But it doesn't surprise me that he's running late for a meeting with a beautiful girl." Wait. He just called me beautiful!!! aw! I snorted! I overexaggerated by looking around and behind me.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to see who you are talking too." He laughed, and so did I.
Glancing at my watch I realized it was dinnertime.
"I have to go to the Great Hall."
"So do I." He smiled. "Let's go together" He jumped off of the window sill and came by my side.
"Does being tall run in your family?" I asked, annoyed that I was like twenty feet smaller than him.
He laughed again. Walking to the Hall, we were silent. I didn't say much and neither did he. But it wasn't awkward. It was nice. When we parted before the Hall, he grabbed my hand and kissed it.
"Have a good night." He smiled. I smiled too. He walked in, and after a moment of gathering myself, I bounded into the hall, bursting with smiles and giggles.
Lily looked at me and smiled.
"New boy?" She should take Trelawney's position.
"Maybe." I said, putting food on my plate.
"Regulus Black?" She whispered.
"How do you know?!" I aksed, dropping my fork.
"He just walked in. Then in you come all smiley and happy."
"Was he all smiley and happy too?" I said in a very girly fashion.
"Yes." Lily replied and I giggled. Lily laughed at my girliness.
"You're nice when you're in the new crush stage. It's very adorable. So how's Remus?" Lily said, trying to burst my bubble.
"I wouldn't know." I said, glancing down the table to find the Maurauders all intently talking. Remus glanced and smile and gave me a small, sad smile. Which I ignored by turning my head.
"Katrina. Give the man the benefit of the doubt!" Lily said a little loudly.
"I will not!" I replied just as loud. Some heads turned our way.
"Katrina, I thought we discussed about Re-"
"LILY! Later!" I hissed to shut her up. When i looked, everyone turned back around. The Maurauders were staring at us, and Sirius waggled his eyebrows and whispered to Remus who turned read. I groaned.
Did he have to be such a prat?
WOW! Two chapters in one day! That's awesome!
Not much to say here, it's just the beginning afterall.
But please comment!
lovelovelove,
Megg