Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

Chapter 2: The Deal

Sirius held his breath as he put another card on the card house that he and Riley had begun building. He started to breath after he put the card on and lean back into the bench but just as he was about to relax the cards blew up. Sirius's bark like laugh echoed through the compartment mixed with Riley's own laugh.

"We were so close." Sirius said as he put out the small fire.

"You lost." Riley said pointing a finger at him. Sirius laughed harder, "I have to go." Riley said suddenly, cutting off Sirius's laughter.

"Where you going?" Sirius asked.

"I just have to go." She said, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the strap on her bag.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked as he slowly got to his feet.

"I'm fine." She snapped at him, ripping open the compartment door and slamming it shut.

Riley pushed her way through the corridor to the bathroom. She quickly locked the door, leaning against it afterwards before slowly sliding to the floor. She took a couple of deep breaths before digging through her bag until she found the small plastic baggy she needed.

Sirius didn't know what had just happened. Sirius sat in shock staring at the door; he didn't know what to do. He was still staring at the door when James and Remus had returned.

"Still not dressed, mate?" James said drawing Sirius out of his daze.

"Are we almost there, already?" Sirius hadn't realized how much time he had actually spent with Riley building the card house.

"Yeah." Remus asked, "What have you been doing?"

"I must have dozed off longer than I thought." Sirius lied before rummaging through his trunk to find his uniform.

The weather never failed to change on the first night of the school year; the sky was cloudy and thunder cracked in the distance. Students rushed from the train to the carriages to beat the rain. Sirius stood on the platform, while the students rushed around him, he looked up at the castle in the distance; it would be last time he'd arrive here. He glanced around the station, finally seeing Riley since she had run out of the compartment. Her hazel eyes met his for a moment before she quickly looked away and disappeared into the crowd. Sirius climbed into the carriage with James, Lily and Remus.

"Well, guys this is it." James said as the carriage lurched forward; no one looked happy at his words.

"I can't believe it." Remus said.

"Seven years can never go by faster." Sirius said. They all nodded in agreement and sat in silence, as the carriage grew closer to the castle.

----

The school year has begun; the first years walked the halls in groups hoping not to get lost. The seventh years counted down the minutes to the end of every class and the end of year. The fourth and fifth years moped about another year starting. Sixth years told summer stories that weren't true. By Friday, the students were thankful for the weekend and the rest they wanted.

Riley was pressed between a wall and a strong body while hands roamed over her and a tongue attacked hers. Riley was thankful that the guy could not see the bored look on her face; she had been attracted to him the moment he approached her after charms earlier in the week but he was a boring kisser and Riley had been spending the last ten minutes trying to come up with an excuse to get away.
"Uhh…umm…" She had forgotten his name, "You know what I have to use the bathroom." She said, pulling her neck away from his mouth and slipping her body past his, "I'll be right back." She said seductively before quickly walking away but not quick enough to look like she running away from him. Riley laughed to herself as she quickly made her way down the corridor.

"Poor schmuck." She whispered to herself as she rounded the corner with a sly glance back at her abandoned date, "Ommpf." She grunted as she collided with someone and started to loose her balance. She felt a strong pair of hands re-steady her.

"All right there?" He said; Riley tossed her hair out of her face, "Whose the poor schmuck?" He said as Riley found herself staring into a pair of handsome grey eyes.

"I thought you were going to the bathroom." Riley was knocked out of her daze at the sound of a new, not nearly as sultry, voice. Riley felt Sirius's hand slid off her hips as she mouthed the word damn.

"I didn't want to mean." Riley said, turning to face the date that she thought she had escaped.

"You did, did you?" He said stepping closer to her; the anger evident in his face but Sirius stepped in between her and the guy.

"Got a problem?" Sirius asked, calmly but the guy looked intimidated.

The guy cast Riley one more look of resentment, "No." He said before quickly walking passed Sirius and Riley.

"What the hell?" Riley asked, "Why did you go and do that?"

"Do what?" Sirius asked, starting down the corridor with Riley quickly following.

"That was my night and you just scared him away." Riley said pointing behind her in the direction the guy had walked off in.

"Weren't you walking away from him a second ago."

"No." Riley said defiantly.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at her, "Why do you always find the need to argue with me?"

"I don't always argue with you." Riley said and Sirius's smirk grew wider. They stopped in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit before Riley could say anymore.

"Be right back." He said before disappearing. Riley popped out her hip, resting her hand on it impatiently. Sirius reappeared a few minutes later and continued down the corridor with Riley in tow.

"I don't always argue with you; just the stuff you say is pointless and dumb." Riley said like it was common knowledge, "Plus, you were the one who already judged me and had a opinion of me before you ever talked to me."

"I did I." Sirius said to amuse her as she continued to follow him.

Riley followed Sirius up the stairs of one of the many towers in Hogwarts. The top landing was completely open and a cool wind blew around them. Riley looked around, her gaze finally looking up. Her jaw hung open as she stared at the stars memorized until Sirius handed her a glass bottle over her shoulder.

"Care to have a drink with me?" He asked. She gave him a dirty look but took the bottle.

"So, you seem to be enjoying yourself here." Sirius said after taking a swig from his bottle. She was sitting across the room from his taking swigs out of her own bottle, gagging after some extra large gulps that burned her throat.

"What's that suppose to mean?" She asked suspiciously.

"I've just heard a few things." He said with a mischievous smirk, "The guys like to talk."

Riley rolled her eyes, realizing what he was talking about, "You're no virgin either, Black." She told him, "You should here what some girls say about you."

Sirius shrugged, "They should be hearing what I say about them." Riley gave him a disgusted look. Riley got to her feet, stumbling a little but maintained her balance.

"I don't think we're much different." Sirius said, after a few minutes of silence where Riley roamed the room as she continued to drink.

"Yeah, we both appreciate a good romp between the sheets." Riley said laughing.

"True." He said. Riley tripped over her feet and Sirius managed to catch her before she fell. Riley wasn't in his arm for a minute before she kissed him. They both pulled back quickly at the shiver that ran through their body as their lips met but their lips met again for kiss more aggressive than the first.

---

Riley groggily made her way into the Great Hall Sunday morning in great need of food and painkillers for her terrible headache. She knew he was watching her as she made her way to the opposite end of the table from him to enjoy breakfast alone. Riley knew he followed out of the Great Hall after she had finished, even before he finally called her name when she got to the gardens on the side of castle. She had been hoping that he would give up his pursuit but she heard him follow her outside, she knew she wouldn't be getting the alone time she wanted in the gardens.

"Riley." Sirius called as he followed her though the gate to the flower gardens.

Riley put on an oblivious look before she turned to face him, "Oh, hey."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I just wanted some alone time." She said, her fingers discreetly playing with something in her back pocket.

"Need anything?" Riley looked at him confused, "I have Pepper up potions."

"No, I'm fine." Sirius nodded slowly as he walked along one of the hedgerows.

"You know I was thinking…"

"Look, it was nothing." Riley interrupted him, "We drank, we made out, no big deal." She said quickly.

"But…"

"Anyways, James would kill you if he found out." Riley added, "It's for the best." She said quietly.

"You're right." He gave her a charming smile and wink before heading out the garden.

Riley let out a sigh of relief as she watched Sirius leave; she sank behind a bush, as she pulled out a lighter and the small blunt from her back pocket.

----

Riley, frustrated, rolled onto her back to stare at the dark ceiling; it's the third night in a row that she hasn't been able to sleep, her mind and body were restless. She thought that at least after her earlier rendezvous with a handsome seventh year Ravenclaw, she would be able to sleep but it was no use. Riley ripped her blanket off her bed and headed down to the common room. She didn't know what she was going to do when she got down there; she knew what she wanted to do though, go straight up the boy's stairs to the seventh year dorms and finally get what she's been yearning after since Saturday but that was out of the picture. Riley realized that she wouldn't even have to go through all trouble, if she wanted to; when she got into the common room the fire was still alive a raven haired seventh year sat in front of the fire, reading. He hadn't noticed her and she was debating whether or not to go back upstairs and save herself the trouble of having to cover up whatever would start if she went to him right now. Riley quietly walked on her tiptoes, around the back of the couch and sat quietly on the floor next to him.

"Hey." A voice said quietly, breaking Sirius's concentration in his book. He looked to find Riley sitting next to him, wrapped up in a blanket. He hadn't even heard her cross the room from the stairs.

"It's late don't you think." Sirius said, returning to his book missing her shrug.

"You read?" Sirius gave her a pissed look, "Sorry." He continued to read as she stared at the fireplace.

"Sirius." She whispered quietly, taking the book from him. He looked up at her confused as she put the book behind her, "Fuck it all." She said before her lips crashed against his; he didn't object.

Riley got her knees, making it easier to deepen the kiss. Sirius's hands slid down her sides to her lower back before he gently laid her down on the blanket that she had abandoned when she got on her knees. Sirius broke away, hovering over her while she breathed heavily.

"Why are you doing this?" Sirius didn't know why he was asking questions at a time like this or why he was asking a question that he didn't even want her to answer.

"I don't know why." Riley said, "It was something about that kiss Saturday night that I can't stop thinking about." Sirius was glad with her answer; glad to know he wasn't the only one bothered by the kiss from Saturday, "I wanted to offer you a deal." She continued, "A no strings attached relationship; we get to continue doing what we are doing and eventually take it a little farther because god knows neither of us are any good at relationships."

"I don't think god is the only one who knows." Sirius laughed, "But I don't like your deal." He whispered in her ear, watching the goose bumps rise on her neck from his hot breath, "I don't want to wait for eventually." She let out a sharp breath before his began to suck on the sensitive spot on her neck. Her fingers had just started to get tangled in his hair when she pushed him off her.

"I think someone is coming." She said urgently, "Remember, we can't tell anyone because if James ever found out all hell would break loose, for both of us." She grabbed her blanket and hurried back up the girl's stairs, leaving Sirius on the common room floor needing her.

"Padfoot, what are you still doing down here?" A sleepy James stood on the last step of the boy's stairs, "We have double transfiguration tomorrow; McGonagall will have you hide if you start falling asleep in her class this early in the year."

"Be up in a second, Prongs." James yawned and shuffled back upstairs.

A/n: I hope you guys are liking this version of the story better than the orginal; I think it's better. So let me know how you guys are liking it.

Review, please. Muchas Gracias!