Chapter 1
The unwelcome guest
Rachel Potter woke up in the middle of the night from a sudden craving for food.
It wasn't that she hadn't eaten dinner, it was just that she woke up and realized that she was incredibly hungry and under no circumstances would she be able to go back to sleep without getting something to eat.
So, yawning, she got out of bed, thanking heavens that it was summer, and even dressed only in panties and a night top ending above her navel, she was anything but cold. Groggily, she opened her door and stumbled into the floor, down the staircase and into the kitchen.
By the time she was by the fridge, the prospect of food had pretty much awakened her.
She made herself some cereal, adding an amount of sugar that would have made her mother faint, but thankfully, everyone but her in this house was fast asleep.
Taking her cereal with her over to the couch, she selected a movie, switched on the TV (a present they had gotten from a distant cousin, who was a muggle), plopped down on the couch, and prepared to get comfortable.
What a wonderful thing summer holidays were! You got to get up in the middle of the night to watch your favourite movie while eating sugar with cereal, sitting on a comfy couch barely dressed and still warm.
She picked up her bowl of cereal and started eating slowly, eyes on the screen.
Sitting there, feeling utterly peaceful and comfortable, she was truly happy, until something, or rather someone, decided to intrude upon her peaceful night-movie-lunch.
The movie was just at one of its most suspenseful points, which was the reason why Rachel didn't hear anything, even when the door to the living room opened.
Only when someone cleared the throat beside her, did she look up. Thinking it was one of her parents, come to scold her for watching TV in the middle of the night, she tried to look as guilty as possible.
"Umm .. hi", said the someone.
Rachel screamed.
The bowl of half-eaten cereal clattered to the floor and broke.
They must have made a funny picture, Rachel often thought much later. Herself sitting on the couch, in barely more than her underwear, cereal and the broken pieces of the bowl by her feet, him standing beside the couch wearing only his boxers, his black hair ruffled, his expression shocked and bewildered.
Breathing heavily, Rachel jumped up from the couch, staring at the intruder.
She had to blink several times before she could trust her eyes.
His black hair was slightly long but shorter than it had been before the summer, it now didn't reach his shoulders. His grey eyes were as deep and intense as they had always been, staring at her now with complete confusion. There was a cut over his left eye, that looked like it had only just started to heal. His cheekbones were high and pronounced.
And he was only in his boxers! His upper body, well trained and very good-looking, was an additional distraction to the situation that was confusing enough in itself.
His hair was ruffled and his eyes slightly sleepy, as if he had just gotten out of bed. And even though he looked as bewildered as she felt, his full lips curved upwards ever so slightly, in the smallest hint of a smirk she knew only too well.
It was, without the shadow of a doubt, Sirius Black.
The good-looking, popular guy from school, her brother's best friend, whose arrogant attitude had always annoyed the heck out of her.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she screeched.
"Hi Rach", he said simply.
"Ha-ah!" Rachel screeched again, gesturing wildly at him and then at herself.
"What", he said, the smirk still tugging at his lips.
"Hello! This is my house! It's the middle of the night! You live far away from here! What are you doing here, Black?"
"Oh, um, you didn't know? I'm visiting James…"
"You are visiting James? Why the hell didn't he tell me? And what do you think you are doing, wandering down here in the middle of the night and scaring me half to death, while, I might add, I'm pretty much only in my underwear?"
His eyes sparkled. "Now that", he said cheerily, "is pretty much the thing that bothers me the least about this whole situation."
She let out a frustrated scream and pointed an angry finger at him.
"Get out", she said dangerously.
He held up his hands. "I'm sorry", he said sarcastically. "I was hungry and thought I could get an apple or something down here. Didn't know that you had chosen to be out of bed at the same time."
"This. is. my. house!!" she shouted. "I don't know why you're even here, but if I want to watch a movie in the living room, I will. And I will do it without you! Now go!"
"Alright," he said, giving up. "I will. I had thought you might let me watch that … movie thing with you-" seeing the murderous look in her eyes, he quickly broke off. "But, I have put that idea aside years ago. See you tomorrow, Rach."
"MY NAME IS RACHEL!"
"Woah, woah. That's fine, Rach-" she made a move as if barely restraining herself from strangling him, "-el."
He grinned at her, standing there in her underwear, fuming, then turned swiftly and went up the staircase, two stairs at a time.
"Nighty-night!" she heard him call.
The pillow she threw at the staircase missed him, sadly enough.
-
"Please, please tell me you're joking!"
"I'm really not, Rach."
"You have to be kidding me!"
"Why? Is it so hard to believe that my best friend is going to spend the rest of the summer at this house?"
"Why? Why?"
James looked troubled for a moment, but the look was quickly replaced by his usual cheerfulness.
"Because it's more fun this way. You're such a bore. With Sirius around, I get to have fun."
"And I get to have my holidays ruined!"
"Relax, sis! You don't have to be around him at all, if you don't want to! I don't understand why you don't, though.."
"James, brother of mine-" she stared right at her brother, whose hazel eyes danced with laughter. "I. Hate. Sirius. Black. And I just cannot believe that you're telling me he's going to spend the bloody rest of the summer here! With us! Three weeks in the same house as Sirius bloody Black? Three weeks?"
"You got it, Rachel. He's gonna stay here, and you better start getting friendly with him, because mum and dad have already fixed everything and he's definitely staying."
"Argh!"
"Why in the world do you not like him? I think the two of you really could be great friends."
"James. We could never be friends. Where did you get that idea? He thinks he's able to look down on me. He dislikes me as much as I like him. He's an arrogant prick who thinks himself better than everybody else just because he is apparently "hot" and can play Quidditch. He likes to brag to others about his oh-so-amazing talents and takes pleasure in tormenting other people, which, I might add, you do too and it's really disgusting, and I have many other reasons!"
By now, James was openly laughing. "Oh Rach, this is what any seventeen-year-old is like. He can't help it if he's a guy."
"Don't you ever say something like this again! You know I can't stand this talk, 'I'm just a man, I have to be a prick', it's disgusting an a dumb excuse for people who don't know how to behave themselves."
"Ah, sis, you're just angry that he has never given you the time of the day", James said mockingly.
"HA! You wish! As if! As if I would ever want such a prick to like me! I hate him and I'm quite fine with him not liking me either!"
"Aww, Rach, you really have some serious temper controlling problems. Don't get so worked up about everything." He stood and ruffled her hair. "Bye, sis. I'm gonna go apparate over to Sirius. Oh wait," he winked, "I don't have too. He's here already, and will be for the rest of the summer."
Rachel picked up the nearest object, a book, and threw it at her brother.
Laughing, James disappeared out of the door.
-
"Hey mum, I'm going swimming with Ana today, that okay?"
Mrs Potter put down the pan in which she was making the delicious Potter-pancakes, and said slowly, "actually I was kind of hoping you might want to go with the guys today.."
"With the guys?" Rachel repeated, her voice dangerously low. "The guys, as in my brother and his good-for-nothing friend?"
"Rachel", her mother said, turning to her. "Listen. I know you dislike Sirius, but he's here, and he's definitely going to stay here until school starts. He doesn't have the easiest of lives, ok? And while he may appear shallow to you, I wish you could at least try and be civil."
"For your information, I am civil. This is me being civil. Crap, of course he has an easy life. He's popular, don't ask me why. And his parents probably spoil him silly. And why is he even staying here? This is completely out of the blue and ruining my summer!"
Her mother's eyes clouded and she seemed sad. "Rachel-" she started, then broke off. She stared at the floor for a moment. "Please, just accept him." she said finally.
"Mum – is there something you're not telling me?" Rachel asked suspiciously.
Her mother smiled a forced smile. "No, heavens, no … where did you get the idea?"
She turned back to her pan. "Do you want pancakes too, Rach?"
"Mum…"
"And it's ok. I see why you might wanna go out with your friends. You can go swimming", her mother interrupted.
"Um.. oh, ok."
-
Ana was a muggle sixteen-year-old, a lively, very girly sort of girl, who didn't have any idea about her friend's true identity as a witch. Rachel had often wanted to tell her, but had been strictly forbidden to do so. Ana had moved into Rachel's neighbourhood in the summer after she had turned fourteen, and they had become friends, ever since then spending most of their summers together.
At eleven thirty, Ana arrived in front of the door, wearing her usual mini-skirt and tight top, a towel and bathing suit under one arm, huge sun-glasses over her eyes and a happy grin on her face.
"Hello!" she called, much louder than was necessary, when Rachel opened the door. "Are you ready for some swimming?"
"Hi! Yeah, just a sec, I need to get my stuff…" she turned around and ran back into the house, up to her room and grabbed her bag, then turning around and sprinting down the staircase again. It was a lovely day, very warm, and extremely promising for swimming.
She jumped down the staircase and hurried towards the door happily, when she suddenly came to an abrupt halt, and stared.
Sirius Black was standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, a flirtatious smile on his face, while he was talking animatedly to Ana. Her friend seemed mesmerized, her eyes fixed on Black, and when he said something that was apparently funny, she let out a loud, extremely girlish giggle, batting her eyelashes somewhat suggestively. Black's smirk widened, and he was about to say something, when he was interrupted.
Furious, Rachel came up behind him and pushed him back into the house, away from Ana.
"Unbelievable", she muttered. "This is just unbelievable. I leave her alone for two seconds, and you-"
Sirius eyed her with dislike, pushing her arm off. "Well, excuse me for being a polite person and talking to people I see standing in the doorway."
Rachel marched up to him and gave him another push. He raised his eyebrows. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked coldly.
"Stay the hell away from my friends", she said in a low voice. "I have had enough of that."
For a moment, he seemed confused, then he shrugged. Before he turned around, he winked at Ana, who let out another giggle, winking back.
"What are you doing?" Rachel hissed at her.
As soon as Sirius had disappeared in the house, Ana's expression changed entirely. She stared up at Rachel with a frown.
"What was that about? I was just talking to him, why did you act like he was a criminal?"
"Trust me, you don't want to be talking to him", Rachel said simply, dragging her friend outside and closing the door. "Come on, lets go swimming now."
"But why not?" Ana hurried to ask. "He seemed nice."
"Oh come on. He could have behaved like a murderer who just escaped from twelve years in prison, and you still would have thought him nice."
"But did you see what he looks like?"
"Far too often for my taste."
"Oh come on, Rach, he is bloody hot! You have to admit he's the most stunning guy ever! I mean, those eyes are just … wow!"
"Oh my God, I can't believe he's doing to you what he's doing to every girl. Did you see yourself back there? You were behaving like a brainless Barbie doll!"
Ana laughed, not bothered. "I did not!"
"Oh please! You were doing the giggle-batting-your-eyelashes thing! Not that you don't do it always, but … don't you have any dignity left? He's arrogant enough as it is, he doesn't need you to throw yourself at him to make his head even bigger! Don't forget that I'm the one that has to live with him!"
Ana choked. "You what?"
"That's right, I have to live with him! He's my brother's best friend, come to spend the rest of the summer with us! And whenever I ask why, everybody just stops talking!"
"Oh my God! I have to struggle with two younger brothers at home, and you get to spend three weeks in the same house with the most gorgeous guy ever to walk the earth?"
Rachel clapped her hands over her ears and started running. "I don't want to hear that Black looks good! I don't want to hear that Black looks good!" she screamed.
"But he does!" Ana yelled back.
"He does not."
"Of course he does, admit it."
"Ok, so he might not be ugly, but you still better stay away from him."
"Why?"
"Because Ana." suddenly she was serious. "I know him, ok? I've been going to the same school as him for six years. He is incredibly arrogant and doesn't care for other people's feelings. I know this. I was there when-" she broke off abruptly, clearing her throat. "The bottom line is, he doesn't care the least bit about others. He only cares about getting his fun, that's what he cares about. He's the worst kind of guy. He thinks he's the greatest and every girl must swoon at the prospect of being with him. The worst part is, that girls do do that."
"Oh well, I can see why .."
"Not everything is about looks, Ana! Looks can be completely misleading!"
"Ok, ok, don't get so worked up. I still might come over to your house from time to time …"
"You're beyond help."
"You know what? When he is concerned, I think every girl is."
"That's not true. I know many girls who don't give a damn about him."
"Really? who?"
"Me of course."
"Well, you are an exception. You don't count. By the way, does he have a girlfriend?"
"Bah! He is not the dating type, so forget it. Believe it or not, for some reason he has gone out with one girl in all the time I've known him, so don't count on getting asked out or anything. Although he is constantly flirting."
"No steady girlfriend? That's good news …"
"Will you just shut up about Sirius Black?" Rachel yelled in frustration. "He's not a bloody God!"
"No …" Ana sighed dreamily. "But wow, he's close."
At this, Rachel gave up.
