-1Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Witchy Boyfriend

There were many long silences and short, struggling conversations between Nellie and Sirius the days following their kiss. Nellie thought of it as awkward, mostly because whenever she and Sirius were in the same room it was as if he watched her with amused eyes. James was oblivious to it all, and focused solely on trying his best to make his friend feel better.

Whenever James brought up the topic of his family, Sirius would just lie, telling James everything was fine. He even gave him a cocky little grin on some occasions, exclaiming that is was wonderful to be blasted off the family tree. That he had been attempting to do it since Andromeda, his favorite cousin, had done it six years ago. He was becoming so tired of lying; he hated lying to James. He was so tired of pretending that he wasn't bothered by the fact that he hadn't said goodbye to Regulus, that he had just left him there with his parents. And he was so tired of acting like that kiss between Nellie and he was just slightly amusing, that it didn't make him want to take her in his arms every time he saw her.

He had not been lying, though; when he told Mr. and Mrs. Potter how grateful, he was for all they had done for him. It was because of them he did not want to speak his troubling thoughts aloud; he thought he should just be grateful he had a place to stay with people who cared for him.

People I care for, he thought as he noticed James and Nellie search the garden for him. He got on his feet and idly brushed his hands over his pants to remove any bits of grass that might have been clinging to him before waving at them and trying his best to smile happily.

"Hey, man, I've been looking all over for you," James said eagerly as he threw his arm around Sirius neck for a second.

"Aw, Prongs, not in front of Nell." Sirius playfully placed his hand over Nellie's eyes, blocking her view, and immediately felt his fingertips tingle pleasantly.

She gave him a small smile before stepping away from his touch, worriedly glancing at James through the corner of her eye. Luckily, he was too busy showing Sirius the Quidditch Supplies Catalogue that had just arrived, to notice anything odd.

He had just found the page with Beaters bats that he wanted to show Sirius, when they heard Mr. Potter yell that he was leaving for work. James hurriedly shoved the magazine into Sirius' hands before running to the house and yelling, "No, wait, Dad!"

Nellie bounced back and forth on her feet, not sure what to say or do. Sirius caught her eye so she smiled, but still stayed silent. She started to fiddle with one of the buttons on her red shirt when Sirius finally said something. "You look very nice today. Are you seeing Roxy or Abbey later or something?"

She fought down the pleased smile that threatened to break out across her lips as he complimented her and shook her head. "No, Daniel's picking me up later. It's the last time we can see each other since, you know; we're going back to Hogwarts in two days."

"Ah, right, the boyfriend." Sirius nodded, and they fell into silence again.

"What about you? You don't have a bird or five to visit?" Nellie playfully nudged his shoulder with hers. Sirius shook his head, and she frowned. "Really? The big ladies man of Hogwarts without a girl. I'm shocked!" Her ruby red lips morphed into a smile, but he did not smile back.

"Nah, I think I'm growing out of that phase." Sirius shrugged his shoulders, while staring at his black shoes, making sure not to look her in the eyes.

"Oh my, Sirius. Are you actually growing up?" Nellie tried to keep the conversation light, but Sirius' grey eyes were dark with sincerity and she was surprised when he nodded.

"I think so. With everything's that's going on, I think I just realized it's time to grow up. At least just a little. You know, make sure I can handle whatever consequences my actions might bring," he explained.

Nellie bit her lip and wondered what to say in response. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her blue jeans, turned so she could feel the sun on her back and study Sirius' saddened expression. "I'm sorry about all this stuff with your family, Sirius. It must be tough."

He was going to lie to her and say that it was 'all right', but somehow he couldn't so instead he settled for saying, "Thanks." He was afraid to say anything more, in case it led to them talking about the night he had come to the Potter's home.

"Nell! Daniel's waiting at the door!" James yelled from inside the house, and both Nellie and Sirius headed towards him, relieved to have an excuse to stop their awkward conversation.

Once they were inside Sirius only caught a brief glance of a tall man with brown hair that almost reached his shoulders, neatly dressed in a pair of long shorts and a green t-shirt. He looked away and followed James upstairs when Nellie stood on her toes and placed her arms around Daniel's neck. He really did not want to see her kiss someone who wasn't him.

0o0

Nellie stood on her toes, placing her arms around Daniels neck and felt a pair of strong arms lift her up and twirl her around once.

"Hey beautiful, have you missed me?" he asked, his green eyes shining brightly at her.

"Of course not." She quickly pecked his lips. "Now, please tell me we're Apparating to Hogsmeade. I have such a hankering for that vanilla ice cream they sale in the summer at Honeyduke's, with the gummy bears in it."

Daniel chuckled at her as he held the door open for her allowing her to step outside first. It also gave him a great view of her bum in her tight jeans. "Sorry to disappoint, but we're not going to Hogsmeade. However," he quickly added as he saw she was about to protest. "I did pick up some gummy bear ice cream for you." He wrapped his arms around her and before she knew what was happening they were standing in a small, cluttered room.

The tiny room was painted bright cyan blue, with two unmade beds shoved into opposite corners, and a desk stuck between them, though it was barely visible under the mountain of papers piled on top of it. Nellie smiled happily, as she found two bowls of her favorite ice cream sitting on the only available surface of the battered oak desk. A tiny wardrobe stood up against the far wall, the doors swung open and the clothing inside spilling out into the floor.

"Where are we?" Nellie asked curiously as Daniel handed her one of the yellow bowls of ice cream and a spoon.

"My dorm room. Well, Kingsley Shacklebolt's and mine. Great guy, but I wish I had my own room though," he informed her, smiling as she shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

She considered the size of the room and nodded. "I can understand that, I'd go crazy in a room this small."

Daniel pulled out the only chair in the room from the desk while answering, "Yeah well, beats living at home and I'm not here that much, training takes up quite a lot of time." He sat down and gestured for her to sit on the bed, but she slowly licked the ice cream off her lips before walking over and sitting on his lap, her eyes shining with mischief.

"And I take up the rest; it's so selfish and cruel of me," she said teasingly before leaning her head forward and brushing her lips across his. "Whatever can I do to make up for it?" she breathed and Daniel placed his hands on her cheeks as he softly kissed her. Cautiously he stroked his tongue along hers. She loved that about him that he did not just have his way with her.

"This is definitely making me forgive you," he responded they parted. They rested their foreheads against each other, and he found himself lost in the light-blue color of her eyes. She knew she was going to miss him once she was back at Hogwarts. She wanted him to miss her too.

"Is it just me?" Nellie asked cheekily, sliding out of his lap. "Or is this chair awfully uncomfortable?" She placed her bowl of ice cream on the desk before lying across his bed. "It's much better over here; you should really come and join me." With a coquettish little smile, she patted the bed, chewing on her bottom lip, purposely.

Gulping, he stood, slowly striding over to her. Daniel carefully, positioned himself beside her, staring up at the ceiling. Nellie chuckled to herself; he was nervous. She rose up onto her elbow, leaning over him and kissing him gently. Soon, they were kissing passionately again, and his hand was traveling beneath her shirt, tracing circular patterns on her tanned skin. Before long the red shirt Sirius had thought she looked so lovely in, was tossed carelessly unto the floor, quickly followed by Daniel's green t-shirt and eventually the rest of their clothes.

He pulled back a little and stared at her naked body for the first time. "I think I'm falling for you," he whispered.

"Shush" and a finger laid across her delicious mouth was her only response before she pulled him close to her again.

0o0

A few hours later Nellie woke up, suddenly feeling a chill down her spine. She clutched the white sheet tighter around her, and lifted her head slightly, opening her eyes, but quickly shutting them again as she tried to adjust to the bright light in the room. She buried her face in the pillow and noticed the faint intimate smell of sweat and Daniels unique, spicy scent. She could not prevent a pleased smile from forming on her lips.

"I see you're finally awake," Daniel said as he stepped into the dorm room, showered and dressed.

"Mhm." Nellie turned around so she was lying on her back and staring up at him. Still smiling, she asked, "You look handsome. Are we going somewhere?"

"I was thinking I might take you out for dinner." He gave her a lopsided grin and sat down on the edge of the bed near her feet, awkwardly searching for words. "Listen..." while Nellie waited for him to continue she placed her feet in his lap and smiled coyly at him as she wriggled her toes happily. "If this was too soon for you, I'm sorry," Daniel finished, avoiding her eyes, his own green ones fixated on his large hands.

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for," Nellie said, climbing across the bed and wrapping her long legs around his waist. As she felt the fabric of his shirt against her chest, she whispered, "nothing at all," kissing his neck.

"I'm glad, because, Nellie, I really like you," his honest voice told her and he shyly watched his fingers play with her dark hair. "I want us to be right, you know." He was mumbling now, feeling his cheeks flush red.

"Yeah… I know," Nellie murmured, trying not to sound uncertain. She slowly unwrapped her legs from around him, sliding out of his lap and to her feet. Pressing a small kiss to his temple, she hurriedly dressed and grabbed her wand out of her bag to straighten her hair.

"Ready to go?" Daniel smiled at her as she finished. She nodded to answer him, soon after Apparating for the second time that day.

0o0

Nellie raised her second glass of champagne and idly brushed it against Daniels before taking a sip and loudly demanding, "Tell me you'll miss me when I'm at Hogwarts."

He chuckled and grazed his thumb over the palm of her hand, his soft skin warm against hers. "Of course, I'll miss you. I do have a little surprise for you, however." Her eyes shined with joy as she waited for him to tell her what the surprise was. "I talked to Dumbledore." He slowly continued and she raised her eyebrows questioningly, "About you. And me. And Hogsmeade." She felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth, but she swatted his leg with her foot beneath the elegantly set table to get him to hurry up. "He said that you, since you're of legal age, will have the privilege of staying out all night from Saturday to Sunday, as long as it doesn't affect your duties at school or your studies." Daniel broke into a wide grin and Nellie squealed before leaning over the table and kissing him.

"He actually said that? Dumbledore is way cooler than I thought," Nellie mused aloud.

"Yeah he is… Plus, he got five of my rare Wizards Cards. I went through many, many boxes of chocolate frogs for those cards, but I suppose you are worth it." He grinned and swallowed the rest of the champagne in his glass before grabbing the bottle and filling it up again.

"Aw, you're too sweet. I really don't deserve you." Nellie grinned back at him before raising her glass so they could toast again.

"I had to make sure you'd be with me." Daniel moved his hand to give hers a squeeze, but had to pull it back as a waiter came to the table to clear their appetizer plates and serve the main meal.

The rest of the dinner was spent chatting pleasantly about all things ranging from Quidditch, to Nellie being Head Girl, books and everything else they could think of. Nellie laughed and smiled her way through dinner, but as they arrived in front of the Potter Mansion and were about to say goodbye, sadness washed over her.

"I'll see you soon, and I'll write you a lot," Daniel promised, taking both her hands in his.

"I'll send you a Christmas-card," Nellie joked, swinging their hands back and forth, smiling slightly as Daniel leaned over and kissed her softly. Her hand was traveling to his neck when a familiar voice caused them to jump apart in shock. "Well, well, well, look who we have here." James' eyes shined with mischief and amusement as he took in their startled appearances. "I think you need to get inside Nell. We don't want you a catching a cold now, do we?"

"James, you prat, go inside and I'll deal with you in a second." Nellie glared at him until she saw the door to the house close. She turned to Daniel. "I'm sorry about that, he gets weird when he hasn't had enough attention."

Daniel chuckled, "That's all right. Besides, I know someone else who's not too happy when she doesn't get enough attention." He kissed her again, just a soft brush of his lips against hers and then he let go of her hand. "Goodbye Nellie," he whispered, and then he was gone.

Nellie found James waiting for her as soon as she stepped into the house. "What the hell was that about James?"

He shrugged. "I don't like that guy, he's way too old for you, and besides I'm bored."

"He's not too old for me, mind your own business, and go annoy Sirius if you're so bored." She pushed past him and had one foot on the stairs leading up to her room in the attic as his voice cut her off. "Roxy is with Sirius, they're talking. I thought it would be rude of me to interrupt them. Don't you agree, dear Sis?" James had walked up to her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Roxy is here?" she asked surprised, and James nodded. "And she's with Sirius?" He nodded again. Nellie did not know what to think. She knew they were close, and yet she still felt like Roxy was betraying her by coming to her house and talking to Sirius.

"Is something wrong?" James inquired with a confused frown as he saw his sister's almost angry expression. She shook her head. "No, everything's cool, I'm going upstairs." She distantly patted his arm before leaving.

Nellie only made it to the first floor before she bumped into Roxy who smiled upon seeing her "Nell, hey. How was your date with the fossil?" Roxy linked her arm through Nell's and they both walked up to her room.

"Don't call him that." Nellie huffed, she felt childish for doing so, but she could not help it. "And it was great," she added, smiling, hoping Roxy had not noticed the cranky answer.

"Good," Roxy stated before speed talking her way through an explanation of what she was doing there. "I am just here because no one told me about everything that has happened with Sirius until today and I wanted to see him and see if he is okay, you know. He seemed okay at first when I came, but then after a while it was obvious to me that he wasn't, so I simply had to kick James out of the room, he's not angry about that right? If he is, I'll apologize. Anyway, can I borrow a record from you?" Roxy smiled at her. She numbly nodded and watched Roxy search through her stacks of records.

Roxy pulled one out, careful not to make the rest tilt, and got on her feet. "Thanks darling, are you going to bed now or should I come up and say goodbye before I leave?"

"No, I think I'm going to go to bed now. I'll see you Monday on the train, okay?" Nellie hugged her friend goodbye. A few moments later, she went to bed, her mind wavering from one emotion to the next, preventing her from fading into sleep.

0o0

When Roxy came back into his room, Sirius was laying spread out on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He sat up as he heard her enter, exclaiming, "Finally!"

"Aw, did you miss me?" Roxy faked a high-pitched voice before trying to locate the record player.

"Not really." Sirius ducked to avoid the quill Roxy threw at him and then continued, "So what kept you? I thought I heard voices."

"Oh no, are you hearing voices, again?" Roxy said before actually answering his question. "I talked to Nell; she is back from her date with the fossil."

Sirius chuckled. "Why do you call him that? Do you not like him?" He secretly hoped her answer to that was yes, but to his dismay, Roxy just shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know that much about him actually, it's just the whole steady relationship thing they got going, I guess. Do you remember him from Hogwarts?"

"Let's see, he didn't play Quidditch and he isn't a hot blonde, so no I don't." Sirius made sure to let his charming smile follow his statement so Roxy would spare him of one of her feminism speeches.

She could not hold back a chuckle. "You are one charming guy, Sirius." He grinned widely.

"Aha! Finally, I found it!" Roxy loudly exclaimed as she lifted a shirt and found the record player beneath it. "I borrowed 'London Calling' by The Clash; I think it suits our moods today. Though, I was close to going with something more classic like Elton John," Roxy told him as she put the record on and softly bobbed her head to the sound of 'Guns of Brixton.'

Sirius laughed at her. "You're obsessed Roxy. What do you have against steady relationships, anyway?" he asked, trying to lead their conversation back to the original topic.

"Well, I always tell the girls: Never take it seriously. If you never take it seriously you always have fun and if you always have fun you never get hurt, and if you ever get lonely you just go to the record store and visit your friends." She held up the record cover and smiled brightly, her brown eyes shining.

"You're such a romantic." Sirius winked and moved over on the bed as she dropped down next to him.

"Maybe not, but I'm happy," she said. Sirius sighed and stayed silent. She was indeed happy. He wanted to be happy too. For a while, they just lied close enjoying the music, trying to think about nothing else.

"I have to go now," Roxy said sleepily as she sat up after the record stopped. She pulled Sirius into a hug and kissed his forehead. "Promise me, you'll tell James if you're upset. And try to be a good boy until I see you Monday, okay?" He nodded simply.

As she was almost out the door, she heard him whisper, "Thanks, Roxy."

0o0

Sirius was just about to turn off his light when he heard his door open again and found James walking in. "Hey, Prongs," he greeted him, chirpily.

"Hi, Padfoot." James ran a hand through his black hair. "So … I guess you're not as fine as you've pretended to be, huh?" He did not look angry, just disappointed.

Sirius felt guilty for shutting him out. He had not meant to. "Not really. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you man, I just didn't want to sound ungrateful. You and your parents have done enough for me already."

"You wouldn't have sounded ungrateful. And it's no problem, you're like family." James patted his back.

They both sat awkwardly silent for a while until James said, "Want to plan our first prank on Snivellus for this year?" Sirius grinned and felt happier than he had in a long time.

0o0

A/N: And that was the fourth chapter. Sorry I am so slow, but I broke a finger. Well my step dad said it was a small fraction or something like that, but it still hurt. I borrowed a quote from Almost Famous for this chapter, brownie points to anybody who recognizes it. And of course, brownie points to all who reviews! And a huge thanks to my awesome beta totallymindless!

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