BACK!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.


April brought about the prospect of upcoming Easter holidays and saw the effective end of Ravenclaw's Quidditch Cup hopes. They had been crushed by Slytherin in the last week of March, Sia failing to catch the Snitch for the first time that season. Needless to say, Nigel Trent was a very dissatisfied school-leaving Captain.

There were changes happening everywhere. Some expected and some surprising. Remus and Eve had finally started dating, the latter having excitedly told Sia exactly how things had progressed between the two of them. Sia thought that Remus was rather adorable, but refrained from saying that because she felt like Eve was entering a completely new relationship and she didn't need the stress of competition (imagined or otherwise). She could talk much more freely with Remus even though they had just been friends for a few months. Was it because he was a boy? Did that entitle less 'drama'? No. It was probably Remus' personality. He was much calmer than her other friends. Especially Eve, who riled up when she was not in control of things around her. Which was problematic because one couldn't hope to always have control over everything around them.

Still, Remus and Eve balanced each other out pretty well, and Sia could see that they were both quite smitten with each other. Disgusting, but cute. Hopefully they wouldn't be into PDA.

"Oh man!"

"Sia."

"They're so into PDA!"

Bedelia rolled her eyes and continued working on her Herbology homework. Rowena made a gagging noise, and Anna just looked extremely uncomfortable.

"But they've only started dating, it'll probably wear off…" she tried, halfheartedly.

"Not a chance. This is the first time Moony's getting any action. You're out of luck, Carlisle," said James, suddenly appearing from behind them and settling next to Sia.

"Ugh! You're disgusting, James. Don't they use your dormitory all the time?"

"Smart work, Detective Adams," he grinned.

"It's a right pain in the arse. Just admit it, Prongs," said Black, pulling up a chair and sitting down at their table.

"I thought you of all people wouldn't be put off by PDA, Black," said Sia, raising an eyebrow.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Adams," he said, surveying her coolly.

"Let's keep it that way," she said, narrowing her eyes.

The entire table fidgeted slightly during this exchange, except Bedelia, who was meticulously doing her homework. James cleared his throat abruptly and punched Black lightly.

"Oi Padfoot! Look, it's Meadows," he said, motioning towards the blonde Hufflepuff at the other end of the library. Black promptly left the table and made his way towards her.

Sia frowned. Why was Black targeting all her friends? But if there was anyone who could handle being around Black, it was Dorcas. So Sia relaxed in her chair and turned her attention back to her homework.

"Sia?"

She looked up from her book and saw Rowena looking at her curiously.

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"You've been acting off for the past few days."

"Quidditch season was tough. I need some time to get over it," said Sia, shrugging.

Rowena knew that this wasn't the case. Something was bothering her best friend. She would space out of conversations a lot, frowning to herself. She participated in everything, but halfheartedly. She was quiet, not that she had been a particularly loud person before, and fell asleep early. The most telling thing was, of course, the lack of dessert on her plate.

Rowena wanted to prod her some more but that wouldn't have helped her case. Sia didn't share things unless she felt comfortable enough with herself. She'd give her some time. Rowena was sure she'd eventually tell her what was bothering her.

It happened a couple of days before the final Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The four girls were sitting out by the lake and enjoying some free time before Potions.

"Finally! Some spare time for us to talk! I feel like I haven't spoken to you guys in ages!" said Rowena, stretching on the grass.

"We share a dorm, Ro," said Bedelia, shaking her head in amusement.

"You're no fun, Beedz. And don't think I haven't forgotten about your mystery letters," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Bedelia, a hint of pink tingeing her cheeks.

"Are we going for the last Quidditch match then?" asked Anna, trying to change the subject.

"Of course, especially since it's our dear Sia's boyfriend's last Hogwarts match," teased Rowena, nudging Sia lightly.

"No."

"No? Is he not graduating this year then?" asked Rowena, confused.

"He's not my boyfriend. We broke up," said Sia, surveying her friends' faces.

"What?!" screamed Rowena.

"I'm so sorry, Sia," said Anna, giving her friend a tight hug.

"When did this happen?" asked Bedelia.

"A while back."

"Why didn't you te-" Rowena was cut off by Anna giving her a violent nudge in the ribs.

"I thought you hadn't been spending time with him because of his busy Quidditch schedule. I didn't know it was because you guys had broken up. I'm really sorry, Sia," said Bedelia, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"It's not a big deal. We were barely dating anyway," she said, smiling slightly. But Rowena saw her eyes flicker for a moment, before becoming blank again.

"Sia, why didn't you tell anyone?"

Everyone else was asleep in the dorm. Rowena knew that Sia was still awake because she kept tossing and turning.

"What's the big deal, Ro?"

"The big deal is that this was your first relationship."

"And now it's over. Don't worry about it."

"I feel like I shouldn't go back for Easter break. I don't want to leave you alone here."

Sia snorted. "Alone? There are plenty of people staying back, Ro."

"Yeah. But none of your friends. The three of us won't be here. Neither will Andrew, Lily, Remus or Eve."

"I have other friends as well, Ro."

"Name two and I'll drop this."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Dorcas and Bertram."

"Bertram? As in Bertram Aubrey? Fourth year Gryffindor?"

"Shh! Yes. He's a really sweet boy who worships the ground James walks on. I hung out with him a few times over Christmas break when I had no company but the Marauders. He's staying back as well and he said he wanted some Quidditch tips from me since James wouldn't be staying either."

"I always thought Aubrey was pretty annoying. But then again, I've never really spoken to him."

"Whatever. I gave you two names. Plus, some of the Ravenclaw team is staying back as well. So don't worry."

Rowena frowned but didn't say anything. Sia pulled the curtains around her four poster, signaling the end of the conversation.

"Sia!"

Sia turned around to see a tall boy with thick, bouncy hair running towards her.

"Hey Bertie!" she said, waving at him.

"Just wanted to check whether we're still on for Exploding Snap tonight."

"Absolutely."

"And you're sure you don't want to make it Fired Explosive Snap?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes, Bertie. I'm sure. Leave the Firewhiskey out of this. You're definitely underage."

"Okay," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly.

Sia hadn't told Rowena the entire truth. She wasn't good friends with Bertram Aubrey. He was just a kid who spoke to her occasionally. They had no Quidditch plans and he definitely hadn't hung out with her a lot during Christmas break.

She wondered where Dorcas was. She hadn't been lying about that. Her friend was staying back and she was glad about that. Dorcas was so mature and balanced. Sometimes, it was difficult to remember that she was the same age as the rest of them. Dorcas always knew the answers to everything and you could always go to her for sound advice.

Perhaps she was in the Hufflepuff common room. Sia had never actually gone in but she knew where it was.

As she neared it, a strange sight caught her eyes. She could see Dorcas' blonde hair peaking out of the corner of the corridor. She wondered what she was doing there alone.

Only, she wasn't alone. She was with Sirius Black. Snogging him.

"Sia!" said Dorcas, surprised to see her friend standing a few feet away from her.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt," she said, before walking away. She saw Dorcas try to say something but quickened her pace, not wanting anyone to see her reaction. Especially not Black, with his coolly raised eyebrow.

She came to a stop only when she heard a few voices in front of her. She didn't want to bump into anyone and decided to take a detour but stopped short when she heard something strange.

"But she was hot, wasn't she?"

"Oh yeah. Quite hot."

"Why'd you dump her then?"

"Mate, a bloke can only wait so long for a bird to give him some. I could see that things weren't going to be moving anytime soon. And it's not like I'm going to be here for a long time. What's the point in taking things slow?"

"So it had nothing to do with Angela McCormick then?"

There were a few laughs at this. Sia's heart was pounding in her chest. It couldn't be…

"Well, she may have tipped the scales slightly."

"You dog, Jules!"

Sia walked out from behind the suit of armor and her worst fears were confirmed. Standing in front of her were a group of 7th year Hufflepuffs, including Julian Morris. They laughing and joking, still unaware of her presence.

"So now that you're done with her, Jules, can I have a shot with Adams?" asked a particularly burly 7th year.

"Bastard!" shouted Sia.

The boys suddenly saw her and looked very uncomfortable.

"Hey Sia, it's not what it looks like-" began Julian.

"You! I can't believe I actually believed you! You said that you- UGH! You lying fucktard!" she screamed.

"Sia! What's wrong?"

Something snapped within her as she saw Dorcas and Black running towards them.

"None of your business!" she snapped.

"Now Sia, just calm down."

"Shut UP! You fucking ARSE!" she yelled at Julian before walking towards him and punching him in the face.

There was stunned silence for a moment before the other Hufflepuffs started moving towards her.

"You get anywhere near me and you'll wish you hadn't been born," she snarled.

Before they could do anything, a few hexes hit the nearest one and someone grabbed her hand and pulled her away. By the time they stopped, they had reached the front of the Great Hall.

"Sia, are you okay?" asked Dorcas, still holding onto her hand. Sia snatched it away and looked around her. She saw Black running towards them. He had probably been the one to cast the hexes.

"Sia, your hand is bleeding. You need to go to the Hospital Wing," said Dorcas, concern lacing her voice.

"The last person I'm going to be listening to is you," she said, coldly.

"So, what changed your mind?" asked Bertram, pouring out the last of the Firewhiskey.

"Injured hand. Needed something to numb the pain," she said, placing a card gingerly on the table.

"Exploding Snap probably wasn't the best solution to that," he chuckled before placing his card on the pile and watching it burst into flames.

"Well, there's only so much winning I can take," said Sia, finishing her glass. "I'm off. And don't you dare drink anymore," she warned.

The Firewhiskey had given her a pleasant buzz but she still felt a lot of anger within her. It had been such a rough day. She felt betrayed and humiliated by Julian's words. It was like her worst fears had become reality. To top it off, Dorcas was off with Black. It annoyed her so much. It was so easy for people to get into relationships and enjoy themselves, and here she was hesitant and paying the price for that. She felt resentment towards Dorcas for having found a boyfriend while she had basically been played like a guitar. And why was it Sirius Black? There were plenty of other people in school. Decent people. Why was Dorcas, her intelligent level-headed friend, going out with the obnoxiously arrogant Sirius Black?

She realized that she had walked out onto the grounds unknowingly. It was past curfew and she definitely wasn't supposed to be out here. But alcohol steered her legs away from the castle and she finally settled down near a few trees.

A cool breeze was blowing and she leaned against the trunk of the tree. She could hear a strange rustling noise nearby and slowly grabbed her wand.

"You're fucking kidding me," she said, looking at the large shaggy black dog coming out of the bushes.

"What the fuck…"

The dog seemed to be surveying her for a bit before moving towards her. She didn't hate animals, but they weren't her favorites either so she crossed her arms and frowned at it.

"If you think I'm going to pet you then you're barking up the wrong tree," she said. The dog ignored her and settled down near the trunk of the tree.

"What are you doing here, anyway? Where'd you come from? Why am I talking to a dog?" she muttered. The dog wrinkled its nose and looked up at her.

"Whatever. Stay here for all I care. I'm not going to move."

The dog slowly nudged her elbow with its wet nose. She frowned at it and could swear she saw its eyes twinkling.

"You're weird. But then who am I to talk?" She saw the dog listening to her alertly.

"Just found out that my boyfriend dumped me because I wasn't shagging him. Wanker."

The dog barked in what seemed like agreement.

"Ridiculous, really. Can't believe I'm so worked up about a stupid boy," she said, absentmindedly stroking the dog with one finger. This was well received as he started wagging his tail.

"I wasn't even dating him properly. We barely spoke after he kissed me the first time. I feel like such an idiot. Shit. Look at that, I'm actually crying. Hey! Stop licking me! Oi!" she said, laughing in exasperation as the dog got on its hind legs and started licking the tears off her face.

"Alright. They're gone. I'm not crying anymore," she said, finally pushing him off.

"You're rather large and heavy. Don't ever tackle me, okay? I need to have all of my bones for Quidditch next season. If I get a chance to play, that is," she said, suddenly moody again. The dog perked up his ears and looked at her. "Don't worry. I'm not going to burst into tears anytime soon," she laughed, and uncertainly stroked one of his ears. The dog started wagging his tail again, extremely pleased with her words.


Okay. So a lot happened in this chapter. And don't worry if it seems rushed or forced. I'll explain a lot of things in the coming chapters. Hope you liked it!

Read and review!

Cheers!