Disclaimer: Most of this stuff's JKR's...some of it's mine.

CHAPTER SEVEN

When Nikki walked into the Great Hall the next morning for breakfast, she noticed that a table full of Slytherin students were glaring at her. Regulus kept his head down, but Rosier had his eyes fixated on her. She looked back at them with defiance and continued her way to find a table. She saw Terri and Marcia seated and was about to join then when Lily waved to join her table.

"What did you do to piss those guys off?" Lily asked with wonder, looking back at the Slytherin table as Nikki took a seat next to her.

"Oh last night I caught Evan Rosier and Regulus Black smoking in the dungeons," Nikki replied.

"So what happened?"

"Well I told them to go back to their dorms, but they didn't. Then they started calling me names..." Nikki trailed off a little.

"Where was Chang?" Lily asked her, looking a little concerned.

"He was in the washroom," Nikki replied rather dryly.

"Good one," Lily said, shaking her head. "So what did you do?"

"Well I was going to hex them, but then Sirius showed up from nowhere and saved the day," Nikki shrugged.

"He did?" Lily asked, looking mildly surprised. "He didn't mention anything about it last night."

"It wasn't a big deal," said Nikki. "Anyway, I don't know why he was down there in the first place."

"Maybe he was following you," Lily said.

"I highly doubt that," said Nikki.

"Well he could've been," Lily suggested. "You know, he has a thing for you."

"No, he doesn't," Nikki said, waving the idea off. "He just likes to bother me."

"I dunno," Lily said, and then recalled something. "You know those guys have this map…"

"A map?"

"Yeah, I've seen it. James showed it to me one day. They made it themselves. It's actually quite brilliant," Lily explained, her eyes brightening up. "It shows where every person in the school is at all times."

"Wow," Nikki said, clearly impressed. "But I really don't think that Sirius was following me on that map. It sounds neat though. I want to see it."

"I don't think they really show it to anyone. I'm sure it'll get confiscated if any of the professors find out about it," said Lily.

"Oh," Nikki said, feeling a little disappointed.

"Well, actually," Lily started to say, a sly look coming on to her face. "Why don't you ask Sirius about it? If he shows it to you, maybe then you'll know if he really likes you or not."

"Psh," said Nikki, slumping into her seat. "In that case, I'll never see it."

Nikki looked up and saw Sirius, Remus, and James make their way to the table she and Lily were sitting at. When Sirius saw Nikki, he gave her a small nod of acknowledgement without his usual cheerful smile. As she ate her breakfast, she noticed that Sirius was talking animatedly to everyone around him—except her. In fact, he wasn't talking to her at all. Nikki wondered at his strange sudden behaviour, but didn't want him to think that she noticed. Why do I care who talks or doesn't talk to me anyways? She thought to herself. She did, however, in turn, talk very animatedly with everyone else at the table. She and Lily were discussing how a Prefect meeting went the other day when a pretty sixth year from Hufflepuff walked up behind Remus and Sirius. Nikki noticed how the girl leaned foward towards Sirius and giggled profusely to something he had just said.

"Who are you glaring at, Nikki?" Lily asked her. Nikki quickly looked away from Sirius.

"Nobody," Nikki replied and took a bite of some toast.

Before Lily could say anything else, Sirius called out her name.

"Can you pass the butter down here, Evans?" he asked her. Nikki couldn't help but notice that the butter dish was next to her, not Lily. Nikki slid the dish over to Remus, who then passed it to Sirius.

By the time Nikki had finished her breakfast, Sirius still hadn't said one word to her. She was glad when Lily was finally finished eating her breakfast so that they could head to their first class together. The longer she stayed in Sirius's presence, the more uncomfortable she was getting--and she didn't like it.


As Sirius sat in the back row of Muggle Studies class a little earlier that day, he smiled to himself. His plan so far was working; he could tell that Nikki was noticing his silence towards her. He knew that he had to talk to her now before she started to hate him. He was glad to see her walk into the classroom at that moment, alone. He kept his eyes on her, waiting to see if she'd look up at him. When she did, he kept his gaze, and pulled out the chair next to him, indicating her to sit next to him. She looked a little puzzled but made her way next to him anyways.

She sat down and took out her book and a quill. She didn't turn to him but could feel his eyes burning a hole into her head. What is he up to? she wondered to herself just as Lily, James and Peter entered into the classroom, and made their way up and sat down in the seats in front of them.

Sirius pushed his chair back against the wall and leaned back in his seat comfortably, but still looking cool. Nikki finally turned towards him and saw that he was looking at her again. She couldn't help but notice—and admit to herself—how very nice he looked at that moment.

"Hey," he said to her in a low voice and she moved a little closer to him to listen. "You don't have a boyfriend, right?"

"No." Nikki thought it was a very strange question, considering he already knew the answer.

He squinted his eyes a little at her and asked, "Have you…ever…had a boyfriend?"

Nikki frowned at him. She didn't know where this conversation was heading, but she answered him anyways with a steady, "No."

"Haven't guys asked you out?"

"Yeah, lots of times," she answered, still frowning at him.

"So you always reject them?" he asked her. Now Nikki knew where this conversation was headed—he still wanted to know why she wouldn't go out with him.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod of her head.

Sirius looked at her very curiously and asked why.

"'Cause I don't like them," she replied very matter-of-factly.

"So all the guys that have ever asked you out...you haven't been interested in them?"

"Nope."

"Not even one?" Sirius looked at Nikki with disbelief.

"No," Nikki replied again, trying very hard not to smile now.

A thought seemed to cross his mind and he suddenly looked a little worried when he said, "Wait a minute...you're not..."

"No, you idiot. I'm not gay," Nikki said rolling her eyes and then muttered, "I knew I shouldn't have started that rumor."

"So then what's your problem?" he asked, now sounding a little frustrated.

"My problem?" Nikki asked, sounding offended. "I don't have a problem. I'm just not interested in any of the stupid guys that go to this school."

Sirius looked at her skeptically and said, "How can you not even like one?"

"Well, don't worry," Nikki said, started to feel annoyed with his probing. "Even if I did, it wouldn't be you."

"Oh, I'm not worried," he said coolly. "You're not really my type anyways."

"I know," Nikki said, feeling angry for a reason she couldn't understand. "I'm not some cheap slut who's gone out with every other guy in the school."

"Whoa," Sirius said with a smirk. "Looks like I struck a nerve there, eh?"

"Don't be stupid," Nikki said sternly, feeling a little embarrassed about her outburst. "I'm not that interested in what you think of me anyways."

"Are you sure?" He leaned in close to her and she could smell the fresh dewy scent of his cologne. He looked at her very intensely with his grey eyes and for a moment Nikki didn't know what to say. But just as quickly as she got lost into his eyes, she found her way back and tore away from his gaze.

After an uncomfortable moment, she cleared her throat and asked him, changing the subject, "How did you know I was in the dungeons last night?"

"I didn't," he answered, moving back into his seat. "I was just passing by."

"Passing by," Nikki repeated disbelievingly, "the dungeons?"

"Yeah," Sirius said assuredly. "I know a shortcut to the Quidditch field."

"I see," said Nikki. "So you didn't know I was patrolling down there."

"Nope," he said shaking his head. "How would I know where you were?"

"I dunno," Nikki shrugged casually. "Maybe you have some kind of magical map that tells you where everyone is."

"What?" Sirius asked, looking mildly surprised. Nikki thought she could see something flicker in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment and then said coolly, "Sounds fascinating but unfortunately I don't possess anything like that."


Nikki was sitting in the Ravenclaw common room that night, feeling very agitated. For the past hour, she had been trying to read a book. She got as far as two sentences before her mind started to wander off.

"Ugh, stop it," she moaned to herself clutching some of her hair frustratingly. She couldn't stand the fact that Sirius kept popping up in her mind. "Who cares if he didn't show me the map. It's not like I was expecting him to tell me anyways."

Nikki shook her head of these thoughts and tried to go back to her book, when VJ strolled though the common room.

"Oh, good," she said putting her book away, "someone to talk to." And keep my mind off of Sirius, she added to herself. He sat down on a couch and looked at his cousin. Nikki could tell he wanted to say something to her.

He cleared his throat and said slowly, "You know, I didn't say anything before, but I've noticed that you spend an awful lot of time with that Black."

"Sirius?" Nikki asked with a raised eyebrow. Great, there's no escaping him, is there?

"Yeah, who else," he said with a bit of attitude.

Nikki could feel her anger start to rise. "We have classes together and we're in the same group for one of them. I don't really have a choice."

"Well, I don't like the way he looks at you," VJ said.

"Oh God, here we go again," Nikki said, rolling her eyes.

"He asked you out before too, didn't he?" he said, accusingly.

"So?" Nikki said incredulously. "It's not like I said yes."

"Yeah you better not have," VJ muttered quietly, although Nikki heard every word.

She glared at him fiercely and said, "Okay, VJ, if you don't stop talking about this right now, I swear I'm gonna—"

"Look, I'm just telling you to watch out," he said, interrupting her. "I'm a guy. I know how we are."

"Yeah, you're all jackasses," Nikki spat.

"Exactly."

"Anyways, it's not like I like Sirius or any other guy in this school so there's nothing to worry about," she said.

"Yeah, I'm not worried about you doing anything," he said as if it was obvious.

"Oh yeah?" Nikki said provokingly. "What if I did do something?"

VJ, knowing what she was up to, just looked at her sternly and said, "You wouldn't."


A/N: Sorry it's been taking me forever to post chapters...I've just been really really busy. I'll try to update more often! Anyway, tell me what you all think...