NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.

I was going to wait to post this until I wrote out the scenes that follow, but I'm trying my best to keep a weekly update schedule going and as this is the last week of my Maymester course, I've been too busy to write much. This scene is a lot longer that normal anyway. I wrote it as one continuous flow, but to minimize confusion, I seperated it out a little as it jumps back and forth between characters. I also want to thank my anonymous reviewer and to tell you that I appreciate any feedback I am given.

Fate

Chapter Eleven

It did not take Sirius long at all to realize that having Samantha Dawson pretend that he did not exist was nearly as terrible to have to go through as when his friends were shunning him. He had not realized how much he had grown used to her company until it was suddenly gone. Her gaze avoided his in the classrooms and corridors, and she took special care to seat herself as far away from him as she could in the Great Hall or common room. In Transfiguration, she sat with Lily and Amber, and James moved to occupy her usual seat so Sirius would not have to sit alone. Sirius tried his hardest to pretend that all of this did not bother him.

Just as they had when the Marauders had not been speaking to Sirius, rumors began to spread as to why Samantha Dawson suddenly would have nothing to do with Sirius Black. In the center of the rumors seemed to be Morgan Devereux, who was rather smug about their sudden falling out. She'd decided to take the opportunity to try and get Sirius to spend some time with her just as they once had, but he brushed her aside every time, and every time, Morgan soured towards Samantha even more.

Samantha ignored it all. She didn't particularly care what people had to say. They had no idea what had really happened, and it was not their business. Sirius didn't seem to be bothered by it at all, from what she could gather from the brief glimpses she would get of him when he was not paying attention. He had not tried to speak to her at all, and though it surprised her, she did not mind in the least. Knowing him, he would not remain quiet forever, but she was not ready for whatever conversation would follow him approaching her. It was best that he was giving her space. She did not think she would be able to do anything but brush him aside and walk away at this point.

James did not touch the subject whenever the two of them spoke, and instead, carried on as if nothing were wrong. She let him. She knew him well enough to know that he had to have had some part in Sirius asking her to Hogsmeade. But she also knew that James would not have told him to push her as far as he had. Lily and Amber had taken to not speaking of it either, having taken the hint when Samantha had stormed away from them and into the bathroom. She knew Amber was dying to speak about it more, but for the time being, Samantha would not indulge her.

Over a week passed this way, and no change was in sight. Samantha was able to stop worrying about what had happened at every moment. She'd come to realize that she missed Sirius's company, and far for the first time, wished that he had not asked her to Hogsmeade. She'd been happy having him as a friend, and they had much more in common than she'd ever imagined possible. They'd stayed up late at night in the common room several times now, talking about whatever came to mind, usually family, and now it was gone. She felt suddenly lonely without his company, no matter she told herself she didn't. Lily was right. He had gotten to her.

"Thank goodness it's Friday," Amber said, glancing around at the food piled on the table, trying to decide what she wanted to eat for dinner.

"Can I expect to find you stowed away somewhere with a boy after hours tonight?" Lily asked her dryly.

Samantha paid no attention to Amber's reply as she spooned a small helping of mashed potatoes onto her plate. Not long after, she heard Lily make a sound of disgust in her throat and glanced at her questioningly.

"What?"

Lily was looking further down the table towards where the Marauders were sitting. Samantha and Amber followed her gaze to see Morgan joining the four boys, seating herself practically on top of Sirius. From where they were sitting, they could not see the annoyance that flashed across Sirius's face.

"It's disgusting how she throws herself at him," Lily said. "Doesn't she have anything better to do?"

Samantha snorted. "That's all she cares to do. She'd take him home with her on breaks if she could."

Amber laughed as she slipped a green bean in her mouth. "She's not the only girl in this school who would."

Samantha watched as Morgan leaned closer to him, whispering something in his ear, and her jaw clenched. She had never paid any attention to the two of them together before, but now it bothered her more than she cared to admit. It did not take long for her to know that she could not keep sitting there watching them.

"I'm getting a bit of a headache," she said, setting her fork down. "I think I'm just going to go back to the common room and lie down for a bit."

Lily furrowed her brow. "Are you sure? It would probably help to eat a little."

Samantha fought the urge to glance back down the table. "I'm sure," she said, giving them a small smile. She grabbed her backpack and stood from the table. "I'll see you in a bit, yeah?"

Lily nodded, but Amber only gave her a knowing look, which Samantha pointedly ignored as she turned and strode from the Great Hall. She was so focused on getting away that she did not notice the boy that rose from the Ravenclaw table as she passed.

"I thought perhaps we could spend some time together later."

Sirius fought the urge to roll his eyes as he gritted his teeth. "I told you that I'm not in the mood."

"But that was days ago."

"Well, I'll let you know when that changes."

"Come on, Sirius," Morgan said to him softly. "It could be good for you. You've just gone too long."

Sirius looked about ready to lose his temper, but James stepped in before he was able.

"He can't," he said, drawing everyone's gaze. "He's got quidditch." When Morgan raised an eyebrow and looked as if she was going to say something, he continued. "And after that we were going to get ahead on the weekend's homework."

Morgan pursed her lips. "Alright then. You know where to find me if you change your mind."

She rose and returned to where she had been sitting with Courtney a little ways down the table.

"I didn't know you had quidditch tonight," Peter said.

"We don't," James replied simply.

"And I'm not doing any bloody homework tonight either," Sirius added.

Remus shook his head. "The two of you are absolutely terrible."

James gave him a cheeky grin. "Aren't we though?"

Samantha was taking her time as she headed to Gryffindor Tower. She preferred wandering the corridors to lying on her bed so she walked slowly, glancing out of the windows she passed to the darkening grounds. The sky had been overcast for days, the air bitter, and the first snowfall of the year was bound to come in the next few weeks.

She paused at one window, lightly resting her hand on the sill as she gazed out. From her vantage point, she could see the pathway that wound its way towards the village of Hogsmeade. She briefly wondered what it would have been like if she had not been too afraid to say yes to Sirius. Quickly, she pushed those thoughts aside. She did not want to think about it.

"Samantha."

Her heart jumped in her chest as it always did whenever she heard his voice. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down, before she turned to face him. His blonde hair. His green eyes. The way one side of his mouth tilted up into a half smile.

"Oliver," she breathed. Catching herself, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?"

His head cocked to the side, his lips twitching slightly. "Since when do I need an excuse to talk to you?"

"Since I broke up with you," she snapped in response. "You do realize James will kill you as soon as he hears you talked to me."

Oliver smirked at her. "That's what you told me last summer when we spoke on the train home. But it seems as if you failed to mention the conversation to him." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Sorry, but that threat won't work with me."

"What do you want?" she asked again. "It must be important if you felt the need to follow me."

He shrugged, looking none too concerned about the anger in her voice. "I'm just curious," he replied casually, "As to what's going on with you and Black."

"Sirius? Why do you care?"

Oliver snorted. "So it's 'Sirius' now? You know, it was only a year ago when you hated him."

"I didn't know him. Things change," she replied, voice clipped.

"I suppose they do," he agree, eying her closely. "But that doesn't answer my question."

"It's not your business," she snapped, eyes flashing. "You have no right to even ask."

"Nothing then?" Her eyes narrowed at the mocking tone of his voice. "It's just as well. He's a Black. Far too much for you to handle."

"So I'm only allowed to date slimy gits like you?"

"I was doing you a favor."

"A favor," she repeated flatly. "If you recall, I'm a Pureblood. I most certainly do not need any favors, especially from the likes of you."

His eyebrows rose. "I've never heard you pull the Pureblood card before. Things do change."

"Don't you twist my words," she growled.

"Where'd Sam go?" James asked back in the Great Hall. "Surely she hasn't finished eating already."

He was looking down the table where Lily and Amber now sat alone. Following his gaze, Peter shrugged.

"She probably just wanted to go back to the common room. Lily and Amber don't seem too concerned."

"You should go find her," James said to Sirius, who gave him an odd look in return.

"And why should I do that?"

James rolled his eyes. "Because this avoiding each other thing has gone on long enough. Go apologize already; stop putting it off."

"You say that as if apologizing will fix everything."

"Well, of course it won't," James argued. "But it certainly will make things better than they are now. At least she'll know you're sorry about it."

"He has a point," Remus spoke up. "It wasn't exactly a smooth move on your part."

Though James had agreed to not tell Peter and Remus what exactly had transpired between Sirius and Samantha, they had questioned them about what had happened enough that they had told them just to shut them up. Neither one of them had looked too surprised at what Sirius had done.

"Fine," Sirius sighed, pushing himself up from the table. "Fine. I'll go talk to her. Just leave me alone."

James grinned as he watched Sirius go. "He tries so hard to pretend he doesn't care, doesn't he?"

Peter and Remus both replied with a laugh.

"Is that all you wanted?" Samantha asked Oliver when he did not speak. "Because I have a lot of things I could be doing that's much better than having to speak to you."

He smirked at her words. "You've gotten braver," he observed.

He stepped closer to her, and she backed up to keep the distance between them. It was only a few steps before her back hit the wall, but he did not stop closing in the space, stopping only when he was just shy of pressing against her.

"I've come to realize that I miss you," he told her, looking down at her. She tried her best to hide how nervous she was becoming with him so close to her. "I thought maybe…you would find me worthy enough to take me back."

She snorted. "Are you jealous? Because I was always under the impression that you were with me because of who I was."

Oliver shook his head. "It wasn't like that," he snapped at her before his expression softened. He brought a hand up to her face, and she managed to stop herself from flinching away. His thumb brushed over her lips before his hand moved to cup her jaw. "It was always just about you, Iaso," he breathed. She tensed when his eyes closed, when he tilted his head towards her, moving to bring his lips towards hers.

"No," she shouted, shoving roughly at him, forcing him away from her.

A familiar anger flashed across his face, and dread shot through her right before he grabbed her arms roughly, shoving her against the wall.

"We've discussed how you're to talk to me before," he told her lowly. "Don't you make me tell you again."

"Oliver…" Her voice was strained, pleading. All of her snappy comments had dissolved on her tongue as a too familiar feeling settled over her.

"There you are."

The sudden new voice startled them both, and they looked to see Sirius striding towards them. His voice had been calm, but the sharp lines on his face spoke of danger, and relief washed over her. She felt Oliver hesitate before he released her arms and took a step away from her. She slumped against the wall in relief, rubbing her right wrist.

"Did you forget we were supposed to meet up so I could help you in Transfiguration?"

It took her a moment to realize he was addressing her.

"Sorry," she managed to say. "I guess it slipped my mind."

Sirius smiled easily at her, his hands shoved in his pockets. "That's fine. We can go to the library right now if you'd like. No one will be there; we'll get first pick at seats."

Samantha nodded weakly and Sirius turned a hard gaze onto Oliver. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, his voice now edged with a threatening tone. "But surely you know how hopeless she is in Transfiguration."

Oliver smiled, not bothering to even try to make it look like he meant it. "Of course," he replied. His gaze turned to Samantha. "I'll see you around then."

"No," Sirius snapped, his eyes flashing angrily. "I don't believe you will."

The two boys held each other's gaze for a long moment, and it was impossible to ignore the tension building between them. Finally, Oliver broke the gaze by spinning on his heel, striding down the corridor without a glance back.

Sirius did not move until he was out of sight. As soon as he'd turned a corner, he was at Samantha's side, his hand resting on her arm lightly.

"Sam, are you alright?" he asked her concernedly.

She shut her eyes tightly, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, and she managed to shake her head before she leaned forward to rest her forehead on his chest. He hesitated before moving his hand to her back. He'd never seen her so close to losing control of her emotions, and he was not sure what to do. He briefly thought of getting James, but he quickly decided against it. James would be too angry, and he did not think Samantha needed to hear him shout at the moment.

He turned his head to look down the corridor as the sound of talking met his ears. A lot of people would be finished with dinner by now, he realized, and would be coming upon them at any moment. He glanced around, and he found that just across the corridor was an empty classroom.

"Come on," he said softly, turning towards the room, keeping his hand on her back as he guided her towards the door. He opened the door, and gently pushed her ahead of him into the room. He followed right behind her, shutting the door behind them and turned to find Samantha moving towards the back wall.

The room was dark, save for the gentle glow of some sort of light source towards the very front of the room. In the shadows at the back, Samantha leaned against the wall, slowly sinking down to the floor. He only hesitated a moment before he moved to join her, seating himself beside her. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms hugging her legs tightly as she stared firmly at the front of the room. He had seated himself close enough to her that his arm lightly brushed against hers, and he pulled his knees up slightly, resting his other arm across them, as he watched her silently.

"Iaso," she whispered suddenly after a long silence, surprising him.

"What?" he asked her, not sure what she was saying.

"Iaso," she repeated just a little louder. "It's what he used to call me. The day I was introduced to him, he found out that I wanted to be a healer, and he called me Iaso. She was the Greek Goddess of cures and remedies. There's not much more people know about her, but he still was able reference it. Since I've always had an interest in reading about Greek mythology, I liked him right away."

Sirius frowned. He'd never heard her speak of an interest in Greek mythology.

She smiled bitterly, and though she was not looking at him, she seemed to guess what he was thinking. "Ever since I broke up with him, I can't seem to have much interest in it. It reminds me of him too much. We used to talk about it all the time."

She sighed, and seemed to be having some inner battle, before she spoke again. "We met on a Hogsmeade trip fourth year. Amber went with this bloke from Ravenclaw and Oliver happened to be his best mate. We all got together for a drink in the Three Broomsticks and we were sitting beside each other. We ended up talking the whole time, and then we wandered around the village together. He…he was really sweet. Of course now I wonder if he just knew all of the right things to say."

Her eyes closed, and she drew in a shaky breath. He reached over to grasp her hand in hers, squeezing it gently. Her eyes flew open, and she turned to look at him in surprise. After a moment, her gaze turned apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said to him. "I shouldn't be telling you all of this."

"No," he shook his head, giving her a small smile that made her feel more at ease. "It's alright. You can tell me anything."

One corner of her lips tilted up ever so slightly in response, the closest he knew she would get to smiling at the moment. One of her hands- the one that was not grasped in his own- came up to push her hair out of her face. Her sleeve slide down her arm, and he caught a glimpse of red.

"Let me see your arm," he said, releasing her hand to reach towards her other arm.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment before she reluctantly offered him her arm. He took it gently, pushing her sleeve up her arm. He ran his fingers over her red forearm gently.

"That's going to bruise," he said softly, releasing that arm to look at the other, which looked similar. "Remus has got some cream we can put on them if you'd like."

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she muttered. "It won't be the first time."

His eyes hardened. "Not the first time? He's done this before?'

She nodded and dropped her gaze. "I was reluctant to go with him at first. He was known for moving between girls." Beside her, Sirius shifted a bit, fully aware that he was known for the same thing. "But he was so sweet and convincing, reassuring me that I was the one for him. I eventually allowed myself to believe him and well…things progressed from there.

"The first few months were great. He was always thoughtful and worrying himself over me. He waited until I was completely hooked on him before things started to change. He began to lose his temper more, shout at me. At first I was patient, but then it became too much. When he was rude I began to talk back, to walk away if I didn't want to hear anymore. That's when he began grabbing me, telling me I wasn't to talk to him that way. He never hit me, I'll give him that. But my arms were nearly always bruised. I couldn't bring myself to break up with him though, and I kept it hidden from everyone."

Sirius clenched his jaw tightly, wondering just how many curses he could pull on Oliver McCalman before he got caught by a teacher. He swallowed, forcing his anger aside.

"What made you finally break up with him then?"

Her gaze came back up to his. "He was cheating on me," she told him. "I found out about it nearly a year after we'd gotten together. He was meeting with a Hufflepuff, Jessica Compton, when he told me he had quidditch practice. I finally found him out when he told me a time when I knew Gryffindor was practicing, thanks to James. One day I decided to confront him, and found him while he was snogging her. They realized I was there and before he could try to come up with an excuse, I told him we were done and walked off. I thought that would be all, but really I should have known better.

"He followed me. I didn't realize it until he grabbed me and pinned me against the wall, told me to never speak to him like that, that we weren't done until he said we were. But James, he has such wonderful timing. He told him to let me go, but Oliver told him it was none of his business. Well, you know James. He pulled out his wand, threatened him. This seemed to change his mind, and he shoved me at him and told him I wasn't worth it before walking off."

She sighed heavily. "He was pretty calm about it until he found the bruises. Something in him snapped, and he started to go after Oliver. I begged him not to, but he wouldn't listen. That's when we ran into Adrien, and of course James told him what happened. Luckily, his girlfriend Nichole was there to stop him when he wouldn't listen to me, and I managed to calm James down. Don't get me wrong; I didn't care what they did to Oliver. I just didn't want them to get in trouble for it."

She fell silent, and Sirius realized that she was done with her story. It seemed to have helped a little; she did not look as shaken as she had been at first. But she still looked miserable.

"I won't tell James," he told her quietly. "Not if you don't want me to."

She managed to give him a small smile at that. "As tempting as it sounds, I don't think it should be kept from him. And unfortunately that means my brother will find out."

"Well," Sirius said with a sigh, pushing himself to his feet. "If you can't keep it from them, you could at least keep it to yourself a little longer."

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "You didn't eat dinner, right?" At her nod, he smiled. "How about we go down to the kitchens and get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I sure could go for something."

"But you did eat."

"So?" he asked before grinning down at her, sticking his hand out to her. "Come on. At the very least, it'll keep you away from James for a little while longer."

She hesitated before giving him a smile, one that actually reached her eyes, and she reached up to take his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Have you ever been to the kitchens before?" he asked as he began to lead the way to the classroom door.

"Of course," she said. "You're forgetting who my best mate is."

"Ah, true," he replied. "But you've never been with me before. The house elves like me better than James."

She laughed softly and he smiled to himself at having made her laugh. His hand was on the door knob, and he was about to open the door, when her hand caught his.

"Sirius."

He turned, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Thank you," she said softly. "For…for everything."

He smiled at her, but a moment later it disappeared, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen," he said quietly. "About the other week. I didn't know. I'm sorr-"

"Don't," she interrupted him with a shake of her head. "Please. Just…let's just forget it happened, alright?"

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Giving him a smile, she moved past him to open the door and step into the corridor, missing the dejected look that crossed Sirius's face for only a brief moment before he wiped it away and fell in step with her towards the kitchens.

End Chapter

I had a hard time with the part where Samantha was telling her story, I think mostly because it was just so much dialogue. Hopefully I pulled it off decently enough.