A/N: Hello hello! I know these chapters are short, but I kind of like them better this way I hope you all enjoy this, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Keep in mind this is supposed to be cliché ;) Thanks to everyone who has supported this story in any way: favoriting, reviewing, putting me or the story on alert…it means a lot!

I held my head high and sat in the chair next to him. I had a feeling that it would be a very long class period.

"So how'd you get severed from your previously-conjoined twin?" I posed and waited for an answer with raised eyebrows.

"I could ask you the same. Don't you and Evan eat, sleep, and breathe together?" He was smirking that all-too-familiar smirk. It irked me.

"Something like that, yes. Are you ever going to answer me?"

"I got here just before you. I guess Moony—er…Remus…I guess he wanted to sit next to Peter because James would be too much of a distraction from his studies. James forgot about me the instant he saw Ginger over there." He jerked his thumb in Lily's direction. She was looking quite sour; sure, she had allowed James to interact with her more often, but being his Charms partner for the entire year was not something she had been banking on.

"Why were you late?"

"Oh…Veronica stopped me." His lips twitched upwards. I could tell he was hoping I didn't see the infinitesimal expression, but he would not get that wish. I saw.

"Veronica? The fifth year girl?"

"Why the surprise?"

I looked to the front of the classroom, helplessly willing Professor Flitwick to begin the lesson.

"Well she always seemed so sweet. I helped her out her first year." I shrugged.

"She is sweet. She asked me to hang out with her this weekend by the Black Lake."

"I just never expected her to fall for a guy like you."

"Like me?" His face contorted into a false expression of hurt. "You say that with such malice. What exactly are guys like me like?"

"Oh, you know….scoundrels."

"Scoundrels?" He chuckled, a deep and throaty sound.

"Yes." I nodded firmly. "You toy with girls. You have your fun. Then you toss them aside. I don't want Veronica getting thrown away like Candace last year. And if they aren't victims of your game, then they're the school slags you like to shag."

"Well, she won't."

"Oh? Why do I feel immense doubt?"

"Look, I know you despise me, but I'm not all bad. Maybe this time spent sitting next to each other will ease your prejudices."

"And Veronica? What of her?"

"I let her down easy. I told her I wasn't looking for anything at the moment."

That was it. I burst out laughing. It was an involuntary action, and I could not stop. The entire class turned to look at us—most people glanced at Sirius, hoping to know what he said that was so comical.

"If you would please quiet down Miss Whitaker, we could begin today's lesson." Professor Flitwick took his position on his stool. The boisterous laughing was dying down to giggles. I looked at him sidelong, a grin plastered on my face.

"Yeah, that'll last long!"

The first lesson was nothing to enthuse over. Occasionally Lily and I would be so interested by the lesson topic that we would go back to the Common Room to discuss it. That was not the case after Flitwick's introductory class. He just filled us in on NEWT topics we'd need to cover, and gave us a basic overview of this year's course syllabus.

Lily and I were taking almost all of the same classes, so our schedules were nearly identical. We both had Potions with the Slytherins in an hour. For roughly twenty minutes the two of us vegged on one of the plush red couches in the Common Room. We were debating our chances of getting into the Slug Club—something we both secretly desired. It was extremely nerdy, but then again, that's what we were.

"Hello Jackie!" A bright voice chirped. I looked away from Lilyand over to the source.

"Veronica….nice to see you. How was your vacation?"

"Wonderful. We went out of the country."

"Listen, Veronica. I heard you asked Sirius Black out…"

"I did. Well, sort of. I asked him to hang out with me and a few friends this weekend. He said no. I guess I couldn't have expected much else…"

"You're too innocent for guys like him."

"But he's so attractive!"

Veronica's friend (I think her name was Loraine) added: "And funny!"

I shook my head with a smile. "Ah…naivety. He is attractive. Probably the most attractive guy in this entire school," I noticed that Lily was not engrossed in her book anymore. Now she was watching me with wide, surprised eyes-as if this was the last thing she expected me to vocalize, "but that doesn't mean he's not a dog."

"I'm only one year younger than you, Jackie. I'm not a baby." She smiled gently at me. "I'll be careful. Anyways, he rejected me."

"Jackie, we better get going," Lily announced, and stood.

"Right, right." I looked Veronica square in the eyes. "Just use some sense when you pick guys to lust after."

She nodded in a noncommittal manner, and walked off to the dormitories with Loraine.

"Most gorgeous guy in school?" Lily asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I said most attractive."

"And you're the lucky girl that gets to sit next to him in Charms. Do you have any idea how many girls would kill for that opportunity?"

"You, Lil?"

"Well…no." Her fair cheeks reddened slightly. "I was just speaking for the other 99.9999 repeating percent of the school."

"C'mon." I gestured towards the portrait hole. "We better get going if we want prime seats in Potions. I don't want to be stuck next to Black again."

"You sure? It'd be amusing. You two could brew up some Amortentia…"

"Lily!" I hit her playfully on the arm. "You're blowing this out of proportion!"

"I know, Jacks, but your reactions are doing nothing but encouraging me!"

I quickly changed the subject. As we journeyed to the dungeons, we debated our chances of getting invited into Professor Slughorn's famed club for the elite. We both wanted in desperately, and we knew that from the start of the very first lesson, we would need to work hard to perform expertly in order to prove ourselves worthy.