A/N yeah, I realize it's been a while. I'd throw out an excuse, only I don't have one.
This chapter's in honor of the new Harry Potter DVD that just came out yesterday. Even if it is rubbish compared to the book.
PLUS it was my birthday Monday. So how about you give me a nice present in the form of a review.
Disclaimer- It's JKR's. Ever so obviously
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"Is my hair too frizzy?"
"Nope."
"Are my teeth too crooked?"
"Nope."
"Do I smell?"
"Nope."
"Then why does he hate me?"
I looked up from my Charms homework and raised an eyebrow at Lydia. "Why does who hate you?"
Lydia caught my eye through the mirror she was looking in and gave me a long look, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. After she finally realized there was no way I was going to supply myself with the reply, she rolled her eyes and said "Sirius, of course!"
"Sirius hates you?" She turned completely in her seat to face me and give me yet another look. Seriously, when did I become so thick? And more so, when did Sirius start hating Lydia?
She nodded and turned back to the mirror to continue her self-evaluation. "Maybe it's because I'm dull."
"Wait a second," I cut in, standing from my bed and positioning myself next to the blond, turning her away from the mirror before she caused some serious self-damage. "Did you and Sirius get in a fight?"
"Might as well have," Lydia admit, "At least then I'd have a clue what I did to cheese him off. He just keeps avoiding me like the plague."
I held back the urge to roll my eyes. Because unlike Lydia, I knew exactly why Sirius was avoiding her, and I also knew how ridiculous the whole thing was. I suppose I showed my emotions too obviously on my face though, as Lydia quickly asked me what I knew on the subject.
"Nothing," I backtracked, picking a barrette off of the vanity and absentmindedly twirling it between my fingers. "It's probably something ridiculous though. Have you tried talking to him?"
"Yeah, but the only words I've gotten out of him in the past few days were 'pass the salt'. Real deep, I know."
"Give him time. It's probably all just one huge misunderstanding." Boy do I stink at consoling people. But I mean, what am I supposed to say? "Sorry Lyd, but he's a little spooked on account of the fact that he can probably picture nothing but your tongue down his throat." That'd go over well, I'm sure.
However, Lydia seemed content with my words, as she shrugged and stood up from her spot. "He needs to spill tonight. I'll get him to. In the mean time, up for a trip to the owlry?"
I shook my head, dropping back onto my bed and lugging my charms book onto my lap. "I'll pass. I'm nearly finished with all of my work for Monday."
"Freak," Lydia insisted jokingly, as we both know she hadn't begun hers yet. "I figure since Winter break starts Friday, I'm already in the clear until the new term begins."
"You just keep thinking that," I replied with a grin, turning back to my notes as she disappeared through the dorm doorway.
It took me a while to get back into 'homework mode', but ten or so minutes later I found myself totally emerged once more in it. However, I was shaken from it quickly once more upon hearing a familiar voice's bellow from the common room.
It was a muffled yell, but I immediately recognized the deep booming voice to be Sirius's. Moments later, I realized who he was yelling at and stood quickly to figure out what all the fuss was about.
I tried my best to silently make it into the common room so that it wouldn't be totally obvious that I was eavesdropping, but upon entering I realized that I could have come barreling down the stairs without anyone noticing.
In the center of the common room stood Sirius and Lydia, about two feet apart. Lydia's eyes were flashing wildly, and she was hissing out some retort that I hadn't heard the insult to.
Spotting Remus a little ways away, I slid up next to him. "What happened?"
It took a moment for Remus to realize I was there, as he had been watching the argument so closely. "Huh? Oh. Lydia asked Sirius if something had been wrong lately and he completely exploded."
I raised an eyebrow. "Cat fight." Only I regret the words the moment they slipped out of my mouth, because I had accidentally said them in unison with James, who was on Remus's other side.
"Great minds think a like," he insisted, grinning at me.
"Yeah whatever," I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him. As soon as I had made my comment, however, my attention was diverted to Lydia, who had just let out a groan.
"You're bloody impossible, Black!"
"Oh really," he replied bitterly. "And you're just a walk in the park! Why bother talk to me at all then, if I'm as awful as you say?"
"Good question!" was Lydia's quick response. "Maybe I shouldn't!"
"Fine then!"
"Yeah, Fine!" And with a quick flip of her hair and turn of her heels she was out of sight, leaving Sirius to stare regretfully into the place where she once stood.
I frowned at the look on his face, and was happy for his sake when he too turned and made his way to his dorm.
"Pathetic, isn't it?" James insisted when his friend had gone.
"What are you on about?" I asked wearily.
"I mean; me and you can fight. Like fight in the way that no one will ever forget. Those two are just rubbish at it."
I gave him a dirty look before turning toward Remus. "D'you reckon I should go after her or let her cool off first?"
"I'd let her cool," Remus suggested, just in the same time as James insisted I should go after her.
"Yeah, I better wait." I agreed, ignoring James altogether now. He frowned, though pride still intact.
"I'll go after her then," he insisted, giving off his best attempt at gallantry, which only made me snort.
"She'll just punch you."
"I bet she won't."
"Go for it then."
I watched as James followed in Lydia's wake, then turned as Remus spoke my affirmative.
"She's gonna punch him."
…
The rest of the evening went by relatively strangely. I finished up my homework in the next half hour or so, and found myself wandering into the common room with several minutes to waste until dinner.
I found Peter and Remus by the fireplace, engrossed in a game of Wizard's Chess. Sirius sat on the couch by them, and although Remus appeared to be talking to him, it was obvious Sirius's mind was elsewhere as he stared vaguely into the fire.
I approached the three, and slid onto the couch next to Sirius. I watched him stare pathetically for a moment before clearing my throat to let him know that I was next to him.
He turned to me and gave me a sad smile. I, in turn, raised an eyebrow, silently asking him if he was going to tell Lydia about the whole boxer incident.
"No," he firmly stated, recognizing my thoughts.
"It could help-"
"No." He repeated, causing me to roll my eyes.
"Stubborn."
"Naturally," he replied, finally letting out a small grin.
I returned his gesture and stood. "To dinner then?"
He nodded and stood. "Moony, Wormtail? You guys coming?"
"Just..one…second…Hah! Check mate!" Remus exclaimed happily, standing and stretching his arms above his head with a grin plastered proudly across his light features. "I'm ready now."
"Gee, everyone bow! He's ready to leave now!" I sarcastically joked.
"Yeah, shall I alert the Evening Prophet?" Sirius added with a smirk.
We continued to joke on our way out the common room and down several corridors, and I'm certain we would have continued had it not have been for the spotting of Lydia and James who were emerging from a classroom.
Lydia smiled when she spotted me and I thought for a moment that everything was already back to normal, but the moment she realized who I was walking with she glared in the direction of Sirius before speaking what I'm assuming was a farewell to James and turning on her heel into the opposite direction.
I watched James stare after her for a moment with my eyebrow raised, but stop as he turned to me, Sirius, and Peter.
"Fancy meeting you here," he said, shaking his head so that his hair shook, becoming even messier then usual.
"Is she completely furious?" Sirius asked immediately, skipping the small talk.
"At me?" James asked with false thickness, mostly to avoid answering. "No, we're on good terms."
Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend and aimed to shove him, but James simply stepped to the side to avoid the push.
"What did she say?"
"Well," James began, and I quickly noticed the tense look that had replaced the nonchalance in his eyes. "First off, you and Lydie are just friends and you have absolutely no other feelings for her, right?"
Sirius looked skeptically at James but nodded. "Right Prongs…"
"Well then, I've got some news."
"Good news or bad news?" I couldn't help but ask. There was just something about the way he was standing; maybe it was because he was shifting his weight, or perhaps it was because he couldn't keep eye contact for any of us for more then a moment, but something told me something was wrong.
"Eh, not sure. Good, I reckon." Was his unconvincing reply.
And I knew the words before he even opened his mouth. I knew the words and knew that it was just a disaster waiting to happen. That the bomb had been planted with an unsteady timer; ready to explode at any given moment.
"Lydia and I have decided to go out."
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A/N So, what are we thinking? Let me know my lovely readers :)
