3.

Flitting around and Taking Head oN

"Hey! Vi! Wait up!" Sirius yelled, pushing through a crowd of third years to catch up to her. She turned, looking back in surprise. Lily, who was walking with her, shot him a disgusted look and whispered something to Vienna before shooting off towards the Charms classroom. He appeared a moment later and beamed at her.

"What's up with Evans? Doesn't want to see me?" he said airily.

"Doesn't want to hex you more like. She's still pissed about Tuesday, " she said, smiling.

"Aw, that was nothing! Just a bit of fun!"

"You jinxed two first years!"

"They had it coming!"

"This will be interesting-"

"They were arrogant little berks!"

"Remind you of anyone?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "Anyway, what do you want Sirius? I have to go meet Remus in the library." His eyebrows knotted together a bit at this.

"I was just going to tell you that James set practice for tomorrow at five."

"Oh thanks, he told me," she said. His face fell a bit.

"Do you want to practice tonight? We could work on that new move-"

"I can't, I have to study. I don't get this new Arithmancy method at all. Sorry," she started to leave.

"I could help you with that!" he volunteered, his eyes lighting up.

"Err, ok then," she said looking at him quizzically. "I mean, I don't want to impose…"

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't this prime time for you to be blowing something up or snogging some girl in a deserted classroom?"

"Err," he stammered, but she smiled.

"I'll see you there."

"James!" Sirius yelled, careening up the stair to the boys dormitories. The top door banged open and James's untidy head popped out.

"Where's the fire?" he asked. He looked like he'd just woken up.

"Do I look alright?"

"Err, sure? I guess? Why?" James asked as Sirius began rooting through his trunk. Sirius didn't answer for a moment, tossing books and random articles of clothing across the room. Finally he pulled out a bottle in triumph.

"What's up with you? James asked, looking confusedly to the bottle.

"Zis is ode de cologne, " he said in a cheesy French accent.

"What are you wearing cologne for?" James laughed, throwing a pair of Sirius's dirty sock back at him.

"I have a study date wiz a beautiful mademoiselle," Sirius said, spritzing the stuff all over his front.

"Ok first of all, cut the French thing, it's weird, and second, that cologne smells like shit," James said, wrinkling his nose.

"Girls apparently like it," Sirius said defensively.

"Why are you bothering anyway? It's not like you ever even bother to change your socks normally."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius said, edging to the door. James blocked it.

"Wait, let me get this straight, you actually like someone? The great Sirius Black has finally fallen? " James asked sarcastically, clearly waiting for a rise out of Sirius. He pushed past.

"Who is it?" James called as Sirius dashed down the stairs. Sirius didn't turn. "Ah, well." James said fondly. "It'd be too easy if he told me anyway." And he disappeared under his Invisibility Cloak.

Sirius strutted into the library a few minutes later. He found Vienna and Remus sitting at table with a few other sixth year Gryffindors including Peter and Lily. He pulled up a chair next to Vienna and flopped down, looking as he did at the ink flecked parchment in front of her. The entire sheet was covered in calculations, all pitilessly crossed out.

"Hey," he said as he sat down. There was a murmured greeting returned by the group. Vienna sneezed next to him.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "Thanks so much for helping me out with this. It's really nice of you." At this Lily looked up and glared at him suspiciously.

"No problem. Ok so what's the problem?"

"I just-" she sneezed again. "Sorry, I just don't understand it. You know me, I'm horrible at any kind of math and this new technique is a lot harder."

"It's easy if you use this equation instead of the one in the book," he said, leaning closer to scribble it down on a piece of parchment. She burst into a fit of violent sneezing.

"Sirius, are you-" Sneeze."-wearing-" Sneeze. "-cologne or-" Sneeze. "-something?" Sneeze, sneeze, sneeze.

"Errr…" Sirius said, looking uneasy.

"BOO!" James yelled, ripping off his Invisibility Cloak. Lily screamed and jumped out of her chair while the others let out squeals of terror. Vienna clapped her hands to her mouth and hiccupped in fright. James collapsed in roars of laughter.

"James, you immature, slimy little GIT!" Lily bellowed, scrambling to her feet. James bowed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed my performance Evans," he said, a smug smile appearing on his face. She looked too mad to speak.

"And how are we doing today?" he said, sitting between Lily and Remus. No one said anything except a small sneeze from Vienna.

"What's up with you?" James asked.

"I think I'm allergic to Sirius's cologne or something," she said, looking apologetic. She sneezed again. Lily pulled her from her seat and began dragging her out of the library. Vienna looked between Lily's determined face and the others before waving goodbye and vanishing with a final sneeze.

"Lily! Let go!" she said as they reached the deserted corridor before pulling her arm free. "What's your issue?"

"I wasn't going to sit by and let you make a fool out of yourself!"

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

"But you would have if I left you there. And you could get a breath in." She smirked.

"Lily," she moaned, "I wanted to stay! It's not like I was going to pull a James!" Lily laughed.

"Is that our new code-word for desperation?"

"I don't know why you don't just go out with him. He's smart, he's funny-"

"-And makes more trouble than he's worth-"

"-He's absolutely in love with you-"

"-He's and arrogant toerag! And he is not in love with me!" she said indignantly. Vienna gave her a look that clearly said Yes, he is.

"Still," she said, running her fingers through her dark red hair. "I wasn't going to let you try! Besides, you know what he's like! Bounces from girl to girl like he's in a bounce house. I just don't want you to get hurt. I mean, it's been like what, three years? And he hasn't noticed you other than Quidditch or the occasional hello during class."

"But he's-"

"If you say because he's hot I will hit you-"

"I wasn't going to say that, though you bring up a valid point-"

"Vi, we've been through this! You can't date Sirius Black! First of all he doesn't date-"

"What about marriage?" she laughed. Lily punched her playfully.

They heard a rustling noise behind them and whipped around, but the corridor was empty.

"James!" Vienna called out. "James, Lily loves you so much! She was just telling me that she loves you-" Lily clapped her hand over her mouth while Vi's muffled laughter filled the hall.

"There's no one here…" she said suspiciously. They walked to the end of the corridor in silence before climbing a flight of stairs. "Bye Jamesie!" Vienna's voice echoed down the stairs punctuated by another chorus of giggles.

Remus whipped off the Cloak and hesitated a moment before returning to the library, a troubled look on his face.

"I can't believe how much homework we have! I mean three rolls of translations on ancient magical courtship rituals? At least make it on a war or defensive strategy!" Vienna complained as they left their Friday morning Ancient Runes lesson.

"I think she wants to make sure to completely cover the 'Nastily Exhausting' portion of our exams," Remus laughed.

"It's not that bad!" Lily said fairly.

"Sure for Perfect Lily! You can do anything!" Vienna said jokingly. "And you don't have Quidditch practice!"

"But I have Prefect duties!"

"Ooh and that's so hard, telling snotty little third years to stop throwing dung bombs down the stairs! You won't even have to put up with James and Sirius because they'll be on the pitch, bugging me," she laughed. Lily gave her a conceding grin while Remus busied himself with his bag.

"Did I hear my name?" James said, popping up behind them. They jumped.

"Now that you mention it, I think I did too," Sirius said on his other side.

"Way to creep you two," Vienna said, suppressing a smile.

"So you think we're a handful Vi?" James asked, eyebrow raised.

"A handful? Of course not!" she laughed. "You're an armful each at least!" Remus sniggered. She gave him a disgusted look. "That's not what I meant!"

"So where are you lovely ladies going?" Sirius said with a mock-gentlemanly tone.

"You know where we're going! You're going there too!" Lily said huffily. She always seemed flustered around James.

"Easy Evans, keep the claws in!" James said, happy to have gotten a rise out of her. Lily opened her mouth to retaliate.

"Oh, give it a rest already! You guy fight like an old married couple!" Vienna sighed. They both turned to answer her when the door opened and their new DADA professor ushered them inside.

He was old, balding and dressed entirely in black. He looked slightly like an old wolverine with his beady eyes and large nose. The class fell silent, waiting to see what kind of teacher he would be.

"Sit down!" he said in a deep commanding voice.

The class filed in, the Gryffindors taking the seats in the back, Slytherins moving up front. Lily sat down at a desk farthest from the front and was quickly joined, to her dismay, by James. Vienna rolled her eyes and sat next to Remus while Sirius, looking disappointed, sat next to Peter.

"All right, so these are my NEWT students? You look like one good hex could finish you all off," he said, raising an eyebrow. He stared threateningly around the room before his eyes landed on Vienna, who was rummaging through her bag. His wand flashed through the air in a blur, red light shooting from its tip. At almost the same moment Vienna's wand streaked upwards, a shield charm expanding out, rebounding the Stunning spell back towards its caster.

She straightened up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. To the general surprise of the class she was smiling.

"Nice one Mr. Henderson but not fast enough," she said, grinning. Remus looked at her in confusion. Professor Henderson smiled.

"Good to see you're paying attention Miss Alden," he said before turning to the class.

"My name is Professor Henderson and I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Some of you may have heard of me from my days at the Ministry. For all of you that haven't, I was Chief Auror for seventeen years. I've helped put some of the Darkest Wizards of our times in Azkaban." Everyone was leaning forward in their chairs, hanging on his every word. "In this class you will learn how to protect yourself from some of the nastiest wizards you can find. This will be a hands-on course, so you will want to have your wand on you at all times. By the end of this year, we will have learned who can think on their feet and who perishes. Wands out, pair up and practice disarming each other non-verbally. Now."

The sudden scrape of chairs echoed as everyone got to their feet and partnered up. Soon everyone was blue in the face trying to disarm their opponent without speaking. Professor Henderson roamed around the pairs, critiquing and offering advice.

"Nice job boys," he said to James and Sirius, who were trying to hex each other silently. They looked up in surprise. Any other teacher would have given them detention.

He made his way over to where Lily and Vienna were working. He smiled but did not comment.

The class passed by in a whirl of spell work. By the end, everyone was buzzing over the "amazing lesson." Lily and Vi were laughing at James's newly acquired antlers when someone grabbed their shoulders.

"Ah!" they squeaked and spun around but it was just Remus.

"How'd you know Professor Henderson?" he asked, panting a little as he caught up.

"He was my parents' boss. I saw him whenever I went into the office with them," she said, picking up the books she had dropped.

"Hey Vi, wait up!" Sirius cried, closely followed by James who was now antler free.

"What's up?" She asked. Lily shot them a dirty look.

"I was wondering if you wanted to-" he started, but Lily cut him off.

"James, I really need to speak to you and Sirius alone," she said, a little louder than necessary.

"Sure, just a minute-"

"Now!" she looked positively dangerous. Vienna hesitated but followed Remus down the hallway.

"I don't know what you think you're doing Sirius," Lily hissed, "But you better cut it out! Vi is not one of your hussies so leave her alone!" She stormed off, red hair whipping around her head.

"You know mate, I think it's true what they say about redheads…" Sirius said in an undertone to James, who looked a little scared by Lily's outburst.