A/N: Alright! Here is Chapter Seven. We realize that it's a little long but hey! When you're inspired why stop? And remember, we still don't anything remotely related to the HP world, even though we like to imagine that we do: Enjoy!
"Alright here's the plan." Finally the time of the month that the marauders, with the exception of Remus Lupin, waited impatiently for…the week of the full moon. "We go exploring through the northern half of Hogsmeade; here, here and here." Sirius began while pointing out different sections on a map.
While Sirius Black never cared about doing anything school-related, their monthly adventures were always meticulously planned by him. In fact, the boys had arrived just before their Defense Against the Dark Arts class in order to discuss some last minute changes.
"Are there going to be any people close by?" Remus quickly asked. Even though they had experienced more than a few close calls during the last two years, Remus always seemed to force himself to forget those occasions and replace them with the desire for an adventure with his friends.
"Padfoot and I checked the other day and it's clear. Just some caves." Peter added, while cautiously looking towards the door. They had to be careful no one made their way inside and heard their conversation. Before they continue though, James sighed interrupting the planning.
"I have to do rounds with Evans that night."
"And?"
"Well Padfoot I have to figure out what to do." James replied. Ditching his rounds with Lily Evans would make it seem as if he wasn't taking his position as head boy seriously. And that's the last thing he needed to do to win her affection. At the same time, his friends needed him. And loyalty to his friends meant everything to James Potter.
"Just say no! It's not like you don't see her everyday!" Sirius couldn't help but lose his temper. Lately all that ever seemed to come out of James mouth was Evans this or Evans that. It was sickening! "So are you coming or not?"
"Of course I am." How could Sirius even doubt that James would ever leave Remus alone when he needed his friends the most? Ever since that day at Hogsmeade, Sirius would react to the mention of Evans or one her friends with a nothing but snide comments.
"Just use me as an excuse Prongs." Remus said.
But before James could answer, the sound of two front chairs hit the floor as Sirius began with his usual tirade.
"I'm sick and tired of those girls! Evans with her head girl badge telling us what to do all the time, Bajer, well she's just a Slytherin and Rosa…the ice queen of Hogwarts." The sound of a fist hitting the table was the only interruption as Sirius continued
"I can't stand her! I've never met anyone as cold as her, walking around the school thinking that she's better than everyone else because her father's famous and she can play quidditch. She's not even that pretty."
"Are you joking? Samiya's gorgeous." Sirius, James and Peter all looked towards Remus. He was always rather private in his comments concerning the female population of Hogwarts. But then again, Remus Lupin was known for being the voice of reason and he had a point. James and Peter immediately nodded, confirming that they agreed with Remus.
"Fine, she's gorgeous. Doesn't mean I'd snog her though."
"Do you like her?" Peter Pettigrew had gotten straight to the point. It was a question that had lingered on everyone's mind, ever since they were in Hogsmeade last week. At this point some students had begun to walk in the classroom, forcing the four of them to huddle closer together.
"Course not." Sirius scoffed at his friends comment. Leave it to Peter to ask the dumb question. It couldn't be more obvious how much he hated Samiya. So, they had a nice conversation during detention one time…big deal! It didn't mean they had set a wedding date or anything of the sort.
"Look, if this is about last week, I was only attempting to prove something to Prongs here." Sirius couldn't believe his ears! How could his friends believe that he'd even consider her? However, Sirius knew he hadn't imagined what he saw in Samiya's eyes. It was a matter of time before she was just another girl vying for his attention if it hadn't happened already. "Now if we're talking about Rosa having a thing for me that's another matter; Samiya can deny it all she wants but I know she's falling for me."
"Who's falling for you?" All four boys turned around slowly, towards the owner of the voice. Samiya Rosa was smiling at them, with no clue of what they had just been discussing. It didn't take long before she put the conversation and their guilty looks together. "For your sake I hope you're not starting anymore more rumors about our non-existent relationship Black!"
"Who says its non-existent?" Sirius replied with a sly smile, leaning back in his chair once more.
"You're pathetic." How thickheaded could he be? It wasn't even worth it she thought as James interrupted their conversation by greeting Cate and Lily. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that Samiya wanted to hex the smile off of Sirius Black's face, she would've found the situation around them quite funny. As James had finally taken their advice and tried to be normal for once when greeting Lily, who didn't know quite what to say.
"By the way Sirius, how many more girls did you try to beg or force to go to that game with you?" She continued. Despite the fact that Samiya would have loved to go to that game, the image of Sirius Black's first rejection by a girl was more than enough compensation for her. Even more sweet was the fact that she was the one who did it!
"Well, it isn't a matter of doing much at all. I have so many girls lined up to go that I just can't seem to choose yet. The fact that you turned me down is your loss."
Now it was Samiya's turn to frown as she turned around and walked towards her table, but not before flipping him off over her shoulder. "Like I care. Seeing as all you can find are girls with only half a brain. And don't call me Sam anymore!"
"I told you boys, it's only a matter of time before Sam admits her feelings for me!" The sound of his laughter only made it worse as Samiya sat in her seat fuming. But despite the fact that Sirius had gained the upper hand this time, James couldn't help but notice that his best friend's look of triumph faded away rather quickly. Sirius continued to stare after Samiya before shrugging and leaning back in his chair, sulking. Proving that once again, he didn't get what he wanted.
"You should try being nice to her for once." James suggested. It was the same advice he had been given previously and for once Lily didn't have an excuse to roll her eyes or insult him, leading him to the conclusion that…her friends might actually know what they're talking about!
"Why should I do that?"
"You know why. She's different from any other girl you've ever dated Padfoot." Sirius Black could deny it as much as he wanted but James knew better. The only one who seemed to be falling for anybody was his best friend. And James Potter was sure that everyone had noticed by now…with the exception of Sirius and Samiya. Looking towards the girls, they were watching them intently, Samiya with a look that could kill a man on the spot, Lily with her always present disapproving stare and Cate with a hint of a smile saying that she knew everything.
"Because you like her." Peter teased as Sirius turned his irritation towards him instead.
"Oh shut it Wormtail; you're in love with Cate!" That should shut him up! Peter's look of embarrassment was enough to change the tone of their conversation into one of laughter for Sirius as the Professor Rynder had walked inside the classroom.
Sirius yawned and stretched; Today it seemed to be another review on dark creatures which he already knew all about. Spending many nights exploring the countryside in the company of a werewolf didn't hurt much in that area. The excitement over their seventh year was beginning to disappear quickly for him as the weeks had passed with mere reviews on all the material they had learned in the past seven years. If there was a chance they would be fighting in the war soon they would need all the help they can get with some hands on experience, not reviews on animals. Honestly! Who cares? Even Moony was making an effort not to fall asleep during class and that was saying something.
But of course, there she was...Samiya Rosa raising her hand once more. Well if anything else, she'd serve enough distraction from professor for him to continue analyzing the situation at hand. He knew that his thoughts wouldn't leave him alone until he discovered the reason for his confusion.
"Like I care. Seeing as all you can find are girls with only half a brain."
"How dare she question my tastes? For her information I happen to choose my girlfriends very carefully. Samiya should feel priveleged of the fact that I even considered asking her out to that game when I could've asked anyone else to go"
"I thought you were only asking her to prove something to James...that was what you said to him earlier. Or was it all a lie? Did you really hope she'd say yes to you...maybe even with an extra kiss to add on to the excitement?"
"Of course not! Although it might have been fun to go with her. At least I know she would've enjoyed the game for what it was, not just as an attempt to impress me." It really was rather hard to find a girl with a genuine interest in quiddtich and in Samiya's case it was more of an obsession than a slight interest in the sport.
"So what's the problem then? She's smart, pretty, likes sports and she isn't afraid to pursue a dangerous career. She sounds like quite a catch...maybe even a challenge." Sirius frowned for a moment, going over what had just popped up in his head. It seemed like ages continued to pass as his mind battled over the recent events that had ocurred between him and Samiya.
"You should also remember what happened the last time you were in detention with her." The little voice inside his head continued. "Not a bad conversation was it? She did consider you worthy enough to become a good auror."
"So? I don't care what she thinks about me."
"Oh really? And why did that comment have you smiling for days? Just accept it Sirius, her opinion matters to you. If it didn't, you wouldn't be having this conversation in your head right now!" Well, Sirius did have to accept this for fact. Ever since that day on the Hogwarts Express every word that came out of her mouth seemed to have an effect on him, whether it was good or bad. It was confusing and downright annoying to know that there was someone he barely knew who could unnerve him like this!
"Wait a moment...what did I just say? This is Rosa we're talking about. She's pretentious and uptight, she takes herself too seriously and talk about being stubborn. It shouldn't affect me what she says but rather the other way around as Samiya was clearly jealous over the my comment (Why else would she have flipped me off?) and yet all she had to do was admit that she does like me." Sirius put his face in his hands...he was beginning to believe that he was losing his mind.
"I thought you didn't care what she thought about you" The voice replied knowing that it was winning the discussion "Or do you?"
"OH WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?" Sirius bellowed. He had only meant to tell his mind to shut it but after opening his eyes briefly, he could tell that the whole class had just heard his outburst. In fact, admist the gasps and the giggles around him, all he could see was Professor Rynder's livid face as it had seemed that he had told her to shut up in the middle of class.
"What was that Mr. Black?"
"Nothing Professor Rynder. Just talking to myself." He replied, with the most charming and apologetic smile he could come up with. It didn't convince anyone however, especially Rynder.
"Be sure to stay after class Mr. Black." She replied before continuing to hand out class assignments. Shaking his head, Sirius quickly looked toward James.
"What's wrong with you mate? You just told to Rynder to shut up after she announced a special assignment." But how could Sirius Black tell his best friend that the reason for his outburst was the fact that he had been hearing strange voices in his head?
"Nothing." He replied quickly before attempting to pay attention to class. But before Sirius could bring his attention back to Defense Against the Dark Arts he caught of a pair of eyes looking straight at him. They belonged to Samiya Rosa. And the strange thing was, her eyes showed genuine concern for his outburst and nothing more.
It was the first time Sirius noticed the fact that her eyes tended to change, sometimes showing hints of green instead of brown, he remembered how they seemed to hold a twinkle when she was having a laugh at his expense. Sometimes they even seemed to relect her feelings and passions like that time in detention or whenever she insulted him. They were the most expressive pair of eyes he had ever seen.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" He asked himself. It was as if in some way he had begun to see her in whole new light even though she looked the same five minutes before. Remus was right about Samiya...she was gorgeous. But it wasn't just because of what she had always looked liked on the outside. It was a beauty that radiated from within and it only took one look from her to make him realize that.
" You're falling in love with her."
"No. I don't fall in love with anyone, especially Rosa. Besides I don't even know her that well." And Sirius wasn't interested in getting to know her as far as he was concerned.
"And why not? What's stopping you from taking a chance? Is it because she rejected you?" Sirius shook his head, as if he could get his mind to keep quiet like this. "You've never once backed down from a challenge or taken no for an answer. So, you say she's pretentious and uptight...do you really know that? Or would you rather take the time to find out if she really is an ice queen?"
"Face it Sirius Black. The faster you admit that you like Samiya you can stop driving everyone else nuts and show her that she's been wrong about you all along. She might even admit how she really feels about you." Sirius took a deep breath and looking over at Samiya he finally admitted to what already knew in some deep part of his mind but could never quite admit to...He fancied Samiya Rosa. Great! Now what was he supposed to do?
"She's different from any other girl you've ever dated Padfoot."
Prongs was right. It was as good a time as ever to admit that his usual tactics hadn't and wouldn't work with her. He'd have to try something different. Just then, he was brought back to earth by the sound of Professor Rynder's voice once more.
"Potter and Evans you'll be writing an informative paper on the Dementor." Sirius couldn't help but chuckle at his best friends look of pure joy contrary to Evans disappointed face. The Professor continued:
"Miss Bajer and Mr. Snape will inform on the Kappa." He didn't think that anyone would look more unhappy than Evans until he saw Cate. It seemed that Samiya didn't have a partner yet...a great opportunity for him if they do get paired up together.
"And Miss Rosa, you and Mr. Lupin will inform on the Chimaera. Well that's about it for assignments. You have until the first week of November to turn in your finished work."
"Wait a moment Professor I think there's been a mistake in the selection of partners." Sirius interrupted. Professor Rynder looked at him in astonishment before allowing him to continue with a slight nod. "So I fully suggest that we start all over again. Maybe we can choose our own partners for once...What do you think?" He added, looking expectantly towards James for support who quickly answered:
"Sorry. You're on your own this time." He wasn't about to lose his chance to spend more time with Evans for anything. But Sirius did understand, because at this moment he was willing to stop Samiya from having any other partner that wasn't him. And that included Remus Lupin. Maybe it was jealousy or craziness on his part but Sirius didn't really care at this point.
"Mr. Black let me remind you that only I have the authority to make decisions in this classroom. That's why i'm called a teacher. Expect more than a week of detention for your off handed remarks. Now class is over, you're all dismissed. Except you Mr. Black."
"Alright team this is it! Our first game of the season." James Potter began his usual pep talk before the first quidditch practice of the year. It was always the same with a pep talk, a discussion on new strategies and then Captain James Potter would make them practice until they were barely alive. But all in all, everyone knew that the Gryffindor Quiddtich team was the best in the school and this was mainly why no one complained over the extra work. They weren't about to lose the quidditch cup to Slytherin anytime soon, especially during James and Samiya's final year. "First of all I'd like to congratulate everyone on winning the cup last year and thank my Co-Captain and Seeker for leading the team to our fifth straight victory while I was in detention."He added, while patting Samiya on the back.
James Potter had landed himself in so many detentions in the last two years that Samiya would take over the team repeatedly, eventually establishing herself as his co-captain. It had proven to be a success despite the fact that they didn't always get along outside of the quidditch pitch. Samiya laughed slightly at the memory of their last match before continuing:
"And lets hope that our Captain and new Head Boy doesn't get into any more trouble this year. I love playing at being captain but for now i'd really like to focus on catching the snitch." The rest of the team nodded, agreeing with Samiya. Even though she had been a good captain, James was a natural leader. "Besides we all need to work extra hard seeing as the Slytherin team has put together a good front this year."
The rest of the team began to voice their disgust over the mention of the Slytherin team while some even made obsene gestures. James laughed loudly at their reaction before continuing. "Rosa's right. I managed to spy on them yesterday. Just because we're the better team doesn't mean we can let our guard down.
"We have a reputation to maintain." Samiya chimed in " Ollerton left the team in our care before he left Hogwarts. It's in our hands to keep the quidditch cup forever if it's possible." As the veteran players of the team, Samiya and James were under alot of pressure to continue the legacy that had been left behind by Mark Ollerton, their previous captain. In Samiya's (and everyone in Gryffindor House's) opinion, Ollerton was a living legend, even playing for the Montrose Magpies before leaving Hogwarts.
"Which brings us to some new strategies." James added, getting to business. Samiya could talk about Mark Ollerton about as much as she could about Dai Llellewyn...too much! And James Potter did have alot to do today!
While Potter diligently went over the team's new strategy for the year, Samiya allowed her thoughts to drift towards her own thoughts on this upcoming year. Seven years had passed by in what to be a blink of a eye and now here they were...the last quidditch season of not only the year but of her life. At the end of this year life would stop revolving around school, friends and quidditch to the realities of the world around them. They would stop being children and become adults, with responsibilties and dreams to accomplish. Many times she felt as if she couldn't wait to get out there and fight but now, Samiya could only wonder if this would be the last time her team would all stand here together, laughing like this. Would any of them die before this war ended? What if she died?
"It's time to go outside and put this plan into action!" James called out as he ran outside into the field, broomstick in hand. "You coming Rosa?"
"Yeah hold on." Samiya ran outside while waving to Lily and Cate in the stands. Well if life were to end that way for her than so be it. The best she could do for now is live life to the fullest and take advantage of whatever happened this year. There would be plenty of time to worry about what hadn't happened yet. It was time to have fun and wait...what was he doing here?
Sure enough, the bane of her existnce, Sirius Black, was sitting in the stands, alone for once. That was odd since it was rare to see any of the marauders alone, especially at a quidditch practice, where they usually spent their time being obnoxious and distracting the players from their practice. It was the last person on earth that Samiya wanted to see as she was still angry over his comments throughout the year.
But why did it bother her so much? Sirius was just being his usual annoying self. Thinking that he was the most beautiful thing on Earth. As if that gave him the right to believe that he deserved everything based on looks and charm alone...it was sickening!
"Samiya, I'm releasing the snitch! Let's see what you've got."
She quickly took towards the air, letting the wind, blow in her face. Flying was always a good opportunity to relax and unwind. But right now it seemed difficult to concentrate on anything else than the last Hogsmeade weekend.
"What he did was despicable and low. Using me as entertainment for his friends, blackmailing me with quidditch tickets in exchange for a snog, almost forcing me to kiss him in front of our friends. The list didn't end! Then he was the audacity to say that it's my loss? I wouldn't date him even if "you know who" forced me to!"
"Really? You could've fooled me." A voice inside her head, quite similar to her, own laughed.
"What?" Great! Now she was hearing voices in the middle of practice. Samiya stopped flying for a moment, knowing that until she got her mind under control it would be impossible to catch the snitch. "I don't know what you're taking about!"
"I'm talking about how Sirius may know you a little better than you think. You wanted him to kiss you...even if just for a moment." Samiya knew that at this moment she had just gone insane.
"That's insane!" Samiya replied quickly. "I'd just as soon kiss Severus Snape than him." This is the same boy that spread that stupid rumor about them dating, who suggested more than once for them to get "better acquianted" and landed her in her first detention in ages.
"Don't complain. That detention didn't go as bad as you had thought Samiya. You were rather impressed with him!"
"He was probably just making all that stuff up. Trying to make himself look better." Samiya continued to reason with the voice, as she noticed the snitch fly right by her. She didn't care what the voice continued to say, Samiya hated Sirius. She had no interest in liking him today, tomorrow or in the next century even.
"That was probably the only sincere thing that has come out of his mouth since you first met him and you know it!"
"ENOUGH! I DON'T LIKE HIM ALRIGHT! He's not my type at all." Samiya replied. "He's lazy, conceited and an absolute prat, plus he doesn't play quidditch. He spends his time making others look bad at his expense and can never keep a girlfriend for long." These were all in all the worst qualities for a boyfriend in her opinion. And Samiya Rosa was determined never to become one of his swooning admirers, she knew there was more to look forward to.
"He's also also attractive, charming and smart. A wonderful combination."
"SAMIYA! A WORD PLEASE!" James Potter voice interrupted her thoughts. She groaned while reaching land once more, knowing that Potter was going to have her head for missing the snitch.
"Care to tell me what's the problem?" He asked, looking quite a bit like a detective in one of Lily's muggle books. He was studying her quietly, as if he was trying to read her mind.
"Nothing." Samiya shrugged. Well, She couldn't tell him the truth now could she? Would anyone ever believe that the reason for her distraction were the voices in her head? Looking behind James she could see Sirius watching them closely, most likely wondering what was going on. Samiya quickly lowered her head before Potter would notice.
"Oh really? Then why is it that you've missed the snitch three times already? Once it was right by your ear. Whatever it is that's got you distratcted needs to be fixed before the game is that clear?"
"Yes James." She replied, her eyes unconciously glancing towards the stands once more. Unfortunately for her at this point, James turned around, quickly spotting his best friend. His frown immediately changed into a huge grin at as he clearly knew what the problem was.
"Oh...so that's the problem." He laughed. "You fancy Sirius."
"I do not!" Samiya was seething at the mere thought of this. So much that she punched James on the shoulder as hard as she could.
"OUCH. You girls are so violent. It wasn't like I planned on teling him anyway." James rubbed his arm before walking away. He didn't consider it a bad idea if Sirius and Samiya dated each other. It would be better than the last couple of Sirius'girlfriends he had to put up with. Plus, it would mean extra time with Lily. "I'm giving you one last chance to catch the snitch or I'm telling Padfoot that his presence is distracting you!" James added.
Samiya angrily grabbed her broom and took to the sky once more. Just her luck! Now James thought that she liked that git Sirius. Oh she'd never hear the end of this! Samiya needed to catch the snitch soon since she was positive that James would tell Sirius the truth.
"The truth? So you are admitting your feelings?" The voice laughed once more.
"Never. And I'm telling you like I told him last week.
"Then why are you so angry at him then? The mere thought of Sirius taking another girl to that game is driving you crazy. That and the fact that you almost kissed."
"No. I'll admit that I wanted to go the game but I never said I wanted to be his date!" Samiya quickly caught sight of the snitch some distance away. "Besides, I didn't try to kiss him, he tried to kiss me! Besides, this is the worst possible time to snog anyone. I have schoolwork, then auror training. Dating would be a terrible distraction for me."
Reaching out her hand, Samiya was moments away from catching the snitch when she realized she was losing the battle with her mind. "Stop trying to control your own life! You can't choose who you love or when it happens...it just does. Now, hurry up and accept the fact that you're crazy about him and that way I can stop talking to you like you're mental."
A few seconds later, Samiya was on the ground. All she could remember was grabbing the snitch, and then losing her grip on the broomstick. She had gone flying towards the ground and was now nursing a bloody nose and her wounded pride.
"Samiya are you alright?" Lily pulled out her wand, clearly worried about her friends condition. "Here you go...Episkey"
Cate quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe the blood of her face. "That was a briliant catch Samiya. Crazy but briliant."
"Thanks Cate."
"Excellent catch Rosa. I think we have a clear shot of winning the cup if you keep playing like this." James added, leaning closer that that she could only hear him. "I think i'll ask Padfoot to come watch you play more often."
Samiya knew she was in for trouble now. James would never be able to keep his mouth shout around his best friend. She knew that Sirius Black would know how she really felt about him in about five minutes, maybe even less than that.
Just then, a hand reached out, helping her up of the ground. Looking up she tried to hide a smile as the hand belonged to the one person she had been dreading to speak to. It was amazing how there was someone in the world who could make her so angry and yet bring a smile to her face and joy to her heart in just a moment. Samiya had never met a person who had made her feel like that. It was scary to know that someone you barely knew could have that power over your feelings.
"Feeling ok?" He asked, with a look of concern. Samiya nodded, as she couldn't quite finds the right words to say to him. "That was a truly amazing Samiya. You would've made "Dangerous Dai" proud today." He smiled, before walking away with James.
She continued to watch them walk towards the school, knowing that she had finally lost the battle against her heart. Samiya didn't quite know what to do next except enjoy the moment. That or worry about what would happen next. If Sirius ever found she'd never hear the end of him knowing that he was right all along.
"Umm... I think we need to talk." Samiya looked towards her best friends for support. She knew that they could further help her figure out her feelings. After they laughed hysterically at her of course.
"Sure. Maybe you can tell us why you're blushing like mad."
"Oh stop it Cate." Lily said, playfully pushing a laughing Cate. "Is this an occasion for ice cream?"
"Yes. Lots of it." Samiya replied, as they followed the boys back into the school for some well deserved ice cream and some girl talk.
Hope you enjoyed! Please remember to R&R.