Glad you guys liked the last Chapter . . . No one told me Sirius dies in the books! That's terrible! Yeah I'm in the middle of the sixth one right now and I've noticed a lot of things I messed up on. I'll correct them as I see them; you guys should have told me ha, ha. Don't own Harry Potter.
Before I Fall In Love
Chapter Seven: The Blacks
Remus didn't seem to be able to find the concentration to study; he sat in the Library staring at a page randomly chosen from a random book. There was hardly any one there. Why couldn't he concentrate? He found his mind wondering to the paper in his pocket. "Why would she be writing to him, she said she hates him? If I just read it I could concentrate." He shook his head as he thought to himself, and sighed. "I have too much respect for Lily and James to get in their business, just too much." He put his face into his hands as his elbows rested on the table in front of him. His was just able to remove his head from thinking about the paper as he realized a question he could only ask himself, "What was I doing in Sirius's bed, and why was he looking at me like that?! And why after all year has he still not answered that stupid question…a pure waste of time that was. At least it was fun, and I got to spend more time with him. As if that really matters, Remus."
He sighed yet again as he stood and collected his book and headed out. He walked out onto the grounds as he picked up conversations out of boredom. ". . . This time?! It's happened before?"
"Yeah, but that's not the point-it's really the fact the he smiled at me!" The two girls Remus was listening to as he sat under a large tree pretending to read were obviously excited about something, "Something stupid." Remus thought annoyed. "And he was just so cute about it!"
Another girl joined the two looking absolutely appalled. "You guys make me sick, flipping out about scum smiling to you." Remus noticed that the first girl he had heard talking wasn't in Slytherin like the other two girls were, she was in Ravenclaw. "What a weird mix. That might not turn out well."
The Ravenclaw girl glared at the taller, older Slytherin girl. "Well just because you're mad that he's not following all the other scum like you and that horrid family doesn't mean he's scum!" With that the older Slytherin girl walked away after the Ravenclaw finished. "Why does she have to hate people that don't agree with her?"
The other Slytherin with the Ravenclaw huffed loudly out of anger. "Who knows? She's just mad that Sirius is willing to be different unlike her, she just follows whatever her parents tell her, they're just like the blacks!" Remus jumped at hearing Sirius's name first and last, there was no mistaking it now he knew who they were talking about. "After school she'll see-they'll all see. I bet he'll turn out to be a great wizard, better than the other Blacks . . ."
"Certainly today is going to be weird. What made them want to talk about Sirius? Why do they keep saying he different from the other Blacks?" Remus thought as he decided to leave not wanting to hear more about Sirius because it made it stomach turn like he was doing something wrong or something was terribly wrong. He mumbled the password and the portrait swung open. "Maybe there's another Sirius Black in this school. Or maybe they were talking about someone outside of school named Sirius Black, I mean at third year you do get to go to Hogsmeade."
Remus sat down and opened his book just to look busy hoping that no one would bother him. He wanted to think things out. After maybe twenty minutes of sitting by the fire, Remus noticed that it was unusually quiet and a few people were there. He decided to ignore it. After these strange happenings and lack of interest how could Remus ever study again before exams? Sirius stepped through the portrait hole. He quickly glanced around and stopped on Remus, and he walked over with a smile. Lupin hadn't even noticed lost in thought and focused on the phrase "wolf's blood" in his book. The book was snatched from his hands.
"Interesting." The black-haired boy gasped as if he hadn't expected Remus to be studying. Remus watched him as he walked behind the loveseat Remus was sitting in. He seemed to be reading the book, yes reading it. "You know," Sirius started again closing the book with a grin. "I thought you'd be done with this by now. I mean you were reading it all last night into this morning." Sirius sighed and tossed the book to Remus, who hardly caught it. "Oh, you missed lunch bookworm." With that Sirius walked to the dorms. Remus sat there while "bookworm" rang in his head.
"Ouch." James suddenly spoke behind Remus, which made him jump. "You know, there's been something wrong with him all day, he bit my head off too." James started laughing, this made Remus think. "I mean all I heard him talk about all day was how stupid people are or . . ." James let himself trail off, as he let a forced laugh out.
Lupin stood up uneasily as Lily walked in with a smile, heading his way. "Oh good you're here already. I thought I was going to have to go to the Library!" She let out an over excited laugh. She seemed to running, her hair was all messed up and she was breathing hard. "Sorry I hadn't noticed the time. If I had known that it was already three I would have been back sooner." She looked at Remus's confused face a little taken back. "Aw no!" she whined. "You haven't forgotten again have you Remus?" she put her hands to rest on her hips as a messenger bag hung from her shoulder, it looked quite packed.
Remus jolted from his dazed look and smiled. "Of course not!" He laughed a little, "I just didn't know it was already-er- well I lost track of time too." She laughed with him as James looked at the too shocked. His head swayed back and forth between the two as the spoke.
Lily looked at him a little upset. "Oh, no. Potter isn't going to, too is he?" She looked at Remus as if it was a complete ruin for the whole study session. Remus looked to James a little confused, what if he wanted to? He just wouldn't be able to tell a friend no. "Remus?" She asked almost begging for the answer to be no so they could get on with the studying.
James grinned deviously as he looked at Remus, they were both thinking the same thing, Remus could not tell him no. "Um, I don't really think he likes st-" Remus was cut off immediately by James who dragged him away from Lily.
"Oh please tell me Remus, you're not going to deny your friend to join you to learn are you?" He looked carefully as he grinned to a much stressed Remus who wanted to tell him no but it was like the word was impossible to pronounce. "Okay, so what I'm not really going to learn anything but just to see if I can score some points with Evans over there." They looked at each other for a few seconds. "Come on, please, she might actually like me after tonight."
Remus snorted with laughter after the last word. "Yeah or she might, just might hate your guts and want you to die even more." He walked back over to Lily with a sigh. "Sorry Lily." Lily looked as if she could cry. James took the sorry offensively, so he crossed his arms and glared at his friend. "I'll just get my book and I'll be right back."
James once again wore his mischievous grin. "Oh please, don't let us rush you." He pushed his friend towards the stairs Remus knew better than to laugh even though he did want to.
"Please hurry Remus!" Lily called to him as he made his way up the stairs. He let a little humored smile grace his features as he reached the door to the dorm. He opened it not in a very rushed manner but more in a careful way. He did not was to disturb Sirius in case he was sleeping or wanted peace. He found a surprise he wasn't quite expecting. The black haired boy sat in a chair looking out the window completely still. As anyone could guess this seemed a little odd for the usually energetic Sirius Remus knew.
Remus crept past Sirius. To the far end of the room to his bag that sat by his trunk carefully on the floor. He squatted down and opened it quickly and started pulling out book gently. Then he stacked them quietly on the floor. Once all of the books were in the stack he opened his trunk and pulled out some ink and spare parchment he obviously ran out of after all the notes he had taken through the year. Sirius's voice came quickly, "There's plenty extra in my trunk you can use." He was watching Remus with a smile.
Remus looked at him. A little flushed and with a bit of embarrassment he smiled back. "Thanks, Sirius." The black haired boy just nodded as Remus opened his trunk it wasn't as neat as Remus's but nothing was broken or even a little dirty. He dug a little and he finally decided, after building the courage since he walked in the room, to ask Sirius the question he had wanted to ask all day. "Do you-uh . . ." He couldn't do it instead he slipped a cover-up question in as if he had been thinking about rephrasing his question. "Do-do you like-er-m- your family?" Sirius turned to Remus again with shock of the question.
"Some of it." Sirius bluntly blurted out as if it wasn't important. Remus's face twitched uncomfortably. "Don't ask if you're uncomfortable." He snapped as he stood up with a glare that sent a sharp pain through Remus's chest. He winced and looked away from Sirius. It hadn't stopped there; it seemed to be a touchy subject for both of them. "What you think because they were all different from me, I should hate them?" He kept his glare at his friend. "Maybe you and everyone are wrong." Remus could hear his temper in his voice now; it was no longer calm or neutral. It was totally biased. If Remus had known the cover-up question would turn out so bad he wouldn't have even changed it in the first place. "Or maybe," He added a bit calmer but the words were filled with hatred, something had really ticked him off today. "I'm just like them and you're all wrong." Sirius turned around now and looked out the window.
Remus looked up at Sirius who stood pretty far out of reach and since Remus was still on the floor it made it look even farther. "Sirius," He started almost in a whisper. He looked down and tried to strengthen his voice in hopes he wouldn't let any emotions he was feeling out. "I just-I heard things today, it was weird." There was a pause. Sirius turned to Remus he looked as if he had just heard something he didn't even expect to hear. "I only hoped it wasn't true. They talked about you as if you were great but then you're family-wasn't so great."
Then he looked up to see Sirius was kneeling in front of him with a smile. "They're not great, not at all. But I mean every kid dislikes their family as they grow up. It's nothing a little time can't fix." He stood up and held out a hand that Remus took. Sirius pulled his friend to his feet. After Sirius got the parchment from his trunk and Remus found the rest of his notes from the whole year they headed down stairs. They entered the common room to see Lily talking with girl that everyone always saw with her, Michelle Michaels.
She was very small for her age, but she was interested in everything. She was very smart but didn't like to show it. She had waist length chestnut brown hair, and many people thought her over-sized glasses made her "baby cute". She always carried books and the way she dressed in oversized robes seemed to make her look like she was poor and they were second hand or hand-me-downs. "Hey, this is my friend Michelle. Michelle this is Remus and Sirius." Lily pointed to each person every time she spoke their name. "And that's Potter." She added in a nasty tone.
James glanced from his seat to Remus and Sirius who tried to cover their laughing by pretending to cough as they settled around the table. He mumbled something that would not have pleased anyone to be called. He pouted with his arms crossed his chest. He really regretted ever saying he'd like to join the study group. His rotten mood only seemed to worsen as he sent glares around the table. Sirius saw this as a sign, he stood while saying, "Well, I'm bored. Come on James, let's go somewhere else. It's an hour from dinner." He said while looking about at his watch, sighing. James didn't move he didn't even blink. He just store at Sirius as if he thought his friend was joking. "James, come on. I know you don't want to just sit here all afternoon and all evening like they are going to do."
James jumped up and sent another glare around the table and stopped on Remus. "See ya later." He spoke and headed towards the portrait hole. Sirius turned to go but stopped and looked at Remus who looked at the pair worryingly.
A grin appeared on Sirius's face. "Don't worry; I'll keep us both out of trouble." He roughly patted Remus on the back. He looked down at him and Remus's expression did not change. All he could do was smile.
"Oh, that makes it all better." He said with obvious sarcasm. "Yea, I feel a whole lot better. I know you guys will be okay, know." Sirius grinned wider. Sirius turned and Remus gripped his shirt, Sirius turned back again. James was waiting impatiently at the exit. "Just please stay out of trouble tonight." He let go of Sirius with that said and Sirius just walked off and left with James. Lily and Michelle store at Remus with the biggest smiles Remus had seen them with all night. He tried to ignore it and looked back down at his. He nervously rested his hand on his forehead trying to cover his view of them. He finally looked up at them. "Uh, What?"
They both started giggling in their thrilled girly fashion. They stopped a few minutes later after whispering and glances at Remus again. He worked so hard to focus on his book. They both tried to focus too but something was bothering all three of them.
Meanwhile, James was cursing up a storm as he walked down the corridors with Sirius. ". . . And she constantly seems to flirt with Remus! It kills me to see how oblivious he is to it! I just wish I were him sometime, he's such a ladies' man . . ." James didn't seem to be jealous like he was implying, he seemed to be very angry with Lily and Remus. He made it seem like Lily was only meant for him, and Remus was suddenly a traitor. "Maybe there's something going on between them. Maybe, just maybe Remus is just messing with me, what if he's laughing behind my back? With that brain of his you'd think he could do stuff like that!" James kept raving and ranting.
Sirius flashed a smile at James. "Remus would never do that, he knows you're practically in love with Lily. He knows nothing can change it, I think he likes someone else." James stopped and looked at Sirius bewildered. Sirius stopped and turned around to face him since he had already passed him up. Sirius was panicking on the inside, but he kept his face calm and happy. "Well-well where do you think he goes when he disappears all night long?" They looked at each other and started laughing.
Remus, Lily and Michelle studied through dinner and James and Sirius never showed up anywhere. Peter had been serving a detention he didn't deserve. (Sirius and James decided to play a joke on him.) They finally came back around ten to the common room where they played chess, and the muggle card game, Go Fish. Sirius headed up before James because Peter and he were finishing up a game of chess themselves. Sirius entered the room to find Remus reading on his bed, (yes his own bed), at least Sirius though he was as he got closer he noticed Remus was sleeping while holding up the book and even sitting up. He took the book away and pulled the sheets down so he could cover his friend up. He knew that tomorrow would mean more studying for Lupin so he did deserve a break. James and Peter came up after Sirius had fallen asleep, so he never figured out what time it was but he was the second one awake. He didn't bother to make his bed unlike Remus who's looked like it was done perfectly every morning.
The common room wasn't teeming with people like Sirius thought it would be, but it only have a few people in it. Four of which Sirius would bet his life he had never seen before and then there was Remus and Lily again at it with their studying. Sirius walked over to them he had already gotten dress so he was ready for breakfast. "Aren't you guys going to eat, I mean breakfast is going to end in a half an hour?"
They both shook their heads. "There's a lot to memorize before the tests then week. They're pretty important you know." Lily said urgently as if she was warning Black. "But I'm sure you already memorized it with Remus though. Good thing too, he seems to know everything." She seemed to have laughed the last part. It wasn't a joke though you could tell from her voice behind the laughing.
Sirius laughed too, Remus turned bright pink. "Here I'll bring you guys up some, I'll have to do it for James and Peter anyways, but they might be up before Lunch so they'll live if I don't." Sirius seemed to be debating with himself. "Well I'll just stop in the kitchens later today." He waved with a big smile to Lily and Remus. He felt dumb, like he had just embarrassed himself somehow. He stepped out of the portrait hole, smacking himself on the forehead. He mumbled to himself angrily the whole way to the Great Hall. Once he got there the hall was almost completely still filled. Once he walked in maybe a foot someone walked purposely into his shoulder jerking the left side of him back. "Hey, watch it!" He called to the person; he looked them in the face as they stopped grinning at him.
Lucius Malfoy stood there behind Sirius with a superior grin. "You watch it, Black." He went to turn away but Sirius jerked him around to face him again by his shoulder. "Now we don't want anyone to get hurt now, do we?" His grin grew as he spoke calmly.
"Is that a threat?" Sirius asked, just seeing Lucius's face seemed to tick him off. His smile always made him seem to state he was better than anyone and anything.
"Why," He began and placed his hand upon his chin making his face look like he was thinking very hard. "Why yes, I believe it is." Lucius once again turned to leave but this time stopped on his own. He seemed to want to start trouble now. "Filthy Traitor." He mumbled and he flashed that grin to Sirius and began to walk.
"Asshole." Sirius said loud enough for him to be heard by many who passed in the hallways. "Got to catch out for him now. Calm down Sirius he only wants to start trouble." Sirius thought to himself as he walked over to the Gryffindor table and began to pile food like muffins, and toast, onto a plate. He brought it back up to the common room, by the time he got there breakfast was surely over, for James, Lily, Remus and Peter. He claimed that Malfoy's face made him too sick to eat. He told James what had happen they both agreed to keep it from Remus. James found it very amusing, of course.
Exams weren't hard for anyone, as much as Remus had them study, nobody really seemed to have trouble with it took much. James and Sirius both fell asleep during lunch the Friday. Lily seemed to want to blame Remus because he had kept them up all night studying when really they were up all night playing more muggle card games with Peter, who surprisingly was still up. "Don't deny it!" Lily huffed at Remus who was completely confused.
"I did nothing of the sort!" He snapped back at Lily. "I'll have you know I went to bed at ten, they were still up when I went to bed and I only made them study in the evenings after class in the library. We had just gotten back when I went to bed, plus they weren't even studying." Remus stood and he face instantly went back to his normal happy state. "I'll see you all in class; I want a few minutes to review." He walked out of the Great Hall and turned in the direction of the Library.
Lily just laughed; this woke up Sirius and James. Then she turned to the three boys left at the table out of the four that were. "Maybe he's on to something. Yes, I'll be with him, see you at class!" she called after them as she rushed after Remus.
James sighed in an almost longing kind of way. "They certainly are something," Peter said laughing. "They both went to study before the last exam." He stated as the two black haired boys look at him.
"Yea they are." Sirius agreed, a few minutes later the bell had rung. "Maybe they were right, I feel like I don't know anything!" Sirius looked blankly at James. Peter and James dragged him along, laughing.
TBC! I hope that's enough for you guys. Took me long enough. But I have a question wasn't Slughorn Potion's Master and head of Slytherin in this time period? It's totally lost me, I didn't bother changing it this chapter but yea, if you could help me out I can fix it. Review and I hope you enjoyed it!
