I Still Remember How You Looked That Afternoon. There Was Only You. You Said "It's Just Like A Full Moon." Blood Beats Faster In Our Veins, We Left Our Trousers By The Canal. And Our Fingers, They Almost Touched. You Should Have Asked Me For It. I Would Have Been Brave. How Could I Say No? And Our Love Could Have Soared Over Playgrounds And Rooftops. Every Park Bench Screams Your Name, I Kept Your Tie. I've Gone Wherever You Wanted...I Could Feel Your Heartbeat Across The Grass, We Should Have Run. I Would Go With You Anywhere, I Should Have Kissed You By The Water. I Would Let You If You Asked Me, I Still Remember.-"I Still Remember", Bloc Party

Christmas for Sirius was, once again, spent in the company of the Potters. It was a bright, cold December morning when James and Sirius were making some progress on a DADA project. They hadn't planned on doing it, but it was the only excuse they had to get out of helping Mrs. Potter set up the final decorations for the New Year's Eve Party the following day, and James has pointed out that it would impress Lily if he managed to actually do some work. But Sirius' mind was wandering as James gabbled on about something Lily had told him...something about Vampires..

"They prefer young innocent blood," Sirius said, gazing out of the window. James frowned and looked up at him. "How did you know that?". Sirius looked back at him and shrugged. James laughed. "Sounds like you, you sure you aren't one?". Sirius pulled a sarcastic smile before returning his gaze to the window. Surely Sephie would visit him today...

"Padfoot, am I going to do all the work while you wait on an owl?" James asked impatiently, his parchment covered in words (many scribbled out, but words none the less), compared to Sirius's almost blank one. Sirius sighed and turned back to his friend. "Sorry," he mumbled, before taking up his quill and making a start on his essay. James scowled, Sirius still clearly pre-occupied as his eyes flickered.

"What is going on with you two, anyway?" James asked as Sirius scribbled. Sirius shrugged again. "Nothing," he said. "Just mates.". James laughed. "Sirius, you two are clearly not just mates."

Sirius looked up at James warningly before finishing off his sentance. James shook his head. "The only reason everyone goes on about it is because it's obvious," he said. "Just fucking do something about it-"

"I don't like her like that," Sirius said, not moving his eyes from his paper, not even to the window. James sighed. "You keep telling yourself that, mate."

I do...

"She doesn't like me like that," Sirius replied, almost hurt. James shook his head again. "Sure she doesn't..."he said sarcastically. Sirius put down his quill and looked up at James. "Look, surely if she did she would've done something by now?" He tried to prove his point, but James nodded and grinned. "What, like breaking up with her boyfriend for you?"

Sirius sighed and shook his head. James took his quill back up again. "You'll never know unless you try, why do you think I keep asking Lily?"

Sirius pretended to ignore him.

"So, is Lily coming to the party?" Mrs. Potter asked as she placed the tray of assorted sandwiches on the kitchen table. James smiled as he took some. "I hope so.".

Mrs. Potter turned to her adopted son and smiled. "And, what about Persephone?". James widened his eyes at his friend. Sirius shook his head, before turning to Mrs. Potter. "Yeah, I should think so. She'll come with Lily..."

"Not for you then," James asked, raising his eyebrows. Sirius scowled.

"How is Persephone?" the woman asked, testing the water to get the gossip. Sirius ruffled his hair. "Um, she's great..."

"They're just friends, Mum," James said, nodding. Mrs. P did the classic "oh, i see.." face before winking at Sirius.

II

James had decided to stay in that night under the pretence of finishing off the essay so he could show Lily the next day. Sirius frowned at James as Sephie left the window, but didn't argue. They made their way almost silently across the City to the canal, before changing back into humans. Sephie was wearing a new coat-a white one, probably not good for lying on the grass. She wasn't wearing a hat, but a burgundy headband, and black tights and burgundy shoes. She was wearing black gloves on her tiny hands. Sirius pulled his coat over himself, the night freezing cold, but Sephie smiled at him and cast a heating charm. Sirius smiled back silently, envious of her age. "Jealous?" Sephie asked, waving her wand about. Sirius shook his head. "Only two months for me," he said, grinning. He lie back beside Sephie, looking at the stars. The moon was enormous, slightly orange, but not full. It cast an eerie glow upon the canal, across the water and off the metal of the bridges.

"It's still cold," Sephie shivered, and Sirius moved closer. His fingers were only inches from her own, and he felt them pull at frosted grass. Her head moved, lifted and rested on his chest. It was silent, apart from the crunching of frost. Sirius was thinking about what James had said. His heart was beating faster, despite him telling himself that he didn't fancy Persephone. Of course he didn't, she was his mate. He'd gone past that stage. A long, long time ago. He remembered Peter saying boys and girls could never just be good friends, but of course they could, couldn't they? And what did Peter know, anyway? Sirius felt his fingers running through her hair, an arm snaking around her and pulling her closer.

But what about when he kissed her in the store room? Why did he kiss her? The heat of the moment? Of course... he told himself. It was just because they were sitting in a quiet room, she was lying on his chest and he'd missed her. And she'd told him nice stuff. And she was looking at him.

She was lying on his chest now, in silence. And he had missed her the past couple of days.

He looked down to her nervously. She was looking at him again, her eyes looking up at him. He wanted to look away but couldn't. Her pupils were big in the dark. He could see her breath in the cold air, her mouth slightly open. He wanted to lean in to her again...Oh dear...She smiled. "Sorry," she said, looking away. Sirius let out a heavy breath, kept watching her. Closed his eyes. Felt her breathing through his coat. Wanted to fall asleep.

"Sirius?" she asked quietly. He opened his eyes and saw her looking at him again. She smiled. "I think we'd better go.". Sirius looked at her face, really looked. Took in everything. Surely he didn't fancy her, did he?

He nodded, and she transformed immediatly into her dog. Sirius watched her shake herself, before transforming himself, gathering up his clothes in his mouth before walking with her.

Sirius hated this part of falling asleep. Once again, I'm thinking...he thought as he watched the darkness above him. All he had to do was stop thinking and drift off, but he never could stop thinking. Infact, he was never more thinking than he was before he went to sleep. He was thinking of the same things lately. Not Regulus and the Death Eaters. Not Snape and how annoying he was. Not something that had made him angry, or what to remember for class. Something alot more worrying than all of those combined. Did he fancy Persephone Scamander?

"No," he said to himself. He closed his eyes and smiled. "No..."

But that didn't stop her face creeping into his head, staring up at him, inches from his.

IIII

James' anticipation of the New Year's Eve party was made very public on December 31st- something which Sirius found to be slightly disturbing.

"Do you think I should wear the black or the blue?" James held his shirts up infront of him as Sirius leaved through a copy of some obscure Quidditch magazine James had started collecting. "Or maybe the brown? The brown could look good..."

"Dear lord, Prongs," Sirius sighed impatiently, reaching the end of the mag and throwing onto the floor along with several other issues he'd flicked through in the past hour. "I honestly do not think Evans is going to be that bothered..." he looked up at James and narrowed his eyes. "But the brown."

"Sure?" James asked, hanging it on the back of his wardrobe. Sirius nodded and leant over the side of the bed to shuffle through the shiny covers. "Mmhmm...I'm wearing charcoal-"

"Charcoal?" James raised an eyebrow. Sirius frowned and looked up. "Yeah, it's like, a faded black colour-"

James stifled a laugh and shook his head. "Spending so much time with a girl has gone to your head, mate," he said. A magazine collided with his head. "Ouch! Oi, that better not be the issue with the new season preview..."

Sirius sighed from the bed and lie back, closing his eyes. James picked up the magazines and frowned at him. "Tired?" he asked, answered by Sirius's yawn. He tutted as Sirius nodded. "'tis your own fault for wandering off all night."

Sirius opened his eyes and scowled at him. "Can you hear yourself? You sound like Lily. And you say Sephie's gone to my head..."

James grinned proudly. Sirius shook his head. "You're a nutter."

Lily arrived with Persephone and the other girls just after Remus and Peter, and Mrs. Potter was (to James's satisfaction) being distracted by a short woman asking for advice on what to do with leftover turkey.

"Evening," James smiled to the girls as Sirius nodded behind him, swearing he actually saw Lily's eyes light up for half a second.

"Hi," Sephie said cheerfully, giving the two boys kisses on the cheek as Remus greeted Miranda, telling her how wonderful she looked and causing her to blush her way to Rome and back.

"Moony, such a romantic," James sighed dramatically, leaning against the dining room table and sipping his butterbeer, Sirius beside him with his arms folded.

"Who would've guessed it, eh?" Sirius shook his head. "Of all of us, I least expected Moony to get Miranda Farrow."

Sephie and Lily both scowled at the boys. "That's a bit harsh," Lily said. James and Sirius turned to her, and Persephone continued. "Yeah, Remus is a well nice lad. He's the type your mum would love."

Sirius tilted his head sideways, watching as Miranda grinned broadly as Remus whispered something in her ear, before the couple engaged in conversation with two Hufflepuffs. Lily nodded. "Yeah, look at him. He's so happy to be with Miranda. It's like he can't believe his luck."

"I can't believe his luck," James said. Lily scowled at him. "Well, I mean...Moony's...well, he's a good boy, I didn't think he ever thought about girls. And Miranda's blatantly the second most beautiful girl in the school-"

"Yeah, but she's classy, isn't she?" Sephie said. "She's so picky about boys. She's only really kissed two lads, and Remus treats her right. I mean, look, he's got his hand in the right place on her back-"

"Who's the most beautiful?" Lily asked, looking directly at James and cutting Sephie short. Sirius rolled his eyes, not believing for one second that Lily didn't know who James worshipped. James choked. "Um, what?"

"Who's the most beautiful?" she asked again. "You said Miranda was the second most beautiful, and almost everyone in Hogwarts thinks she's a goddess."

James looked at Sirius, who raised his eyebrows. He looked to Sephie, who did the same. He looked down, fiddling with the label on his butterbeer and stuttering. "Well, you are..." he mumbled.

"Who?" Lily asked again, frowning. Sephie and Sirius caught eyes and sighed. James had no problem yelling "Alright, Evans?" across corridors, but when asked by her directly who he liked, he drew a blank. Like he hadn't made it obvious already.

"You," James said, still suddenly fascinated by his label. "You are." He glanced up, almost frightened, to see her reaction. Her eyes were slightly wide. He looked back down and mumbled something. Sirius saw the look in Lily's eyes. The I could kiss you look, the one he kept thinking he'd seen in Persephone's, and one he knew she'd seen in his. Lily didn't say anything, just swallowed, like she was actually amazed to find out James honestly did believe her to be beautiful, and wasn't winding her up.

"Beer?" Sephie asked, widening her eyes at Sirius, who caught on straight away and nodded. "Oh, yes, beer, we should go look at it...um..yes..."

They left the two, James still fiddling and mumbling into his bottle, and Lily slowly edging closer to him. Sephie turned to Sirius when they'd reached the grand piano, which had been charmed to play itself, like the other instruments that surrounded it. "Well, that's certainly a New Year's Revelation," she said, scrunching her hair slightly in her hands. Sirius watched James look up to Lily and smile awkwardly, blushing, and to Remus behind him, who was still charming Miranda. He turned to Sephie. "So, your mum would like Moony?" he asked. Sephie didn't look at him, still watching the other's love lives unfold, and replied. "Of course. Who's mum wouldn't?"

Sirius debated whether to ask the question or not, but the smirk that played upon his lips as he asked it showed his curiosity was stronger. "So, she wouldn't like me?"

Sephie looked at him and laughed. "Well, that depends on you," she said cryptically. Sirius frowned and she continued. "If you were the...old...Sirius, then no. But then, I suppose you'd never really need to meet anyone's mum anyway. But now..." She took a careful look at him, the cheekbones that gave away his lineage and the eyes that told a different story to the smirk plastered on his mouth 24/7 and grinned. "Now, I think any mum would be proud to have you."

Sirius's smirk turned into a smile, one that showed his heart had risen. Sephie beamed at him proudly.