"You know, I had a dream about you," Sirius' voice was casual as he absently swirled the liquid within his crystal glass.

Sierra looked up and caught his eyes. He smiled. She raised an eyebrow. "Considering it's you, Black, I'm afraid to ask what it was."

"Aren't we past the last name basis now?"

"You've never really given us a chance to move past."

"I wasn't the one who was thinking of agreeing to be a couple."

"You never asked so I'm thinking of disagreeing now."

"You're impossible."

"You like me," she winked.

He smiled despite himself. "Can't deny that," he tilted his head back and emptied his glass in one gulp. Sierra noticed it fill up magically as soon as he put it down. He caught her looking. "It's Firewhiskey, Grayson. Try some."

Sierra frowned. "I don't hold alcohol very well."

"I'll carry you to bed if anything happens," he winked and offered her his glass. Sierra sighed and took it from him. Glaring in his direction, she threw her head back and downed the contents of it in exactly the same way he had done. She put the glass back on the table without flinching.

"I said I don't hold alcohol very well, Black. I didn't say I've never had it before," she laughed at his baffled expression.

Sirius smiled and shook his head. "You're something else, aren't you?"

"Love, you need some variety in your life when it comes to girls."

"Cruel of you to say that when I want you and you keep rejecting me."

"I have my reasons," she avoided his eyes and finished the glass of Firewhiskey again.

Sirius sighed and took the glass from her. His hand lingered on hers'. She looked away, but didn't remove them. "I really do like you, Sierra."

"Sirius, I-"

"What are we talking about?" asked James eagerly as he slipped into the seat next to Sierra. Lily followed and sat down next to Sirius.

Automatically, they snatched their hands back. Sirius didn't acknowledge his friend's presence and finished his glass in one gulp. James eyed him warily as Sirius slammed the glass down onto the table. "Mate, are you alright?"

"Yes, Prongs," he threw him a forceful smile. The smile he gave Lily was a bit more genuine. "Where have you two crazy kids been all night?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Dancing. Its what you do at these things, Sirius. Not that you'd know."

"I dance very well, Lily-flower."

"You've danced twice."

"We're not in a Jane Austen novel. I don't have to dance with every good-looking girl in the room," Sirius pointed out. He winked at Sierra and added, "Although, I have danced with the best-looking girl in this room."

Sierra snorted, but he saw that the smile she threw him behind Lily's back was genuine.

James chuckled. "Cheesy, Padfoot. Too much Muggle Studies literature, I'd say."

Sirius gave him a dirty look. "You're never going to let me go out with her, are you?"

James blinked. "I thought we all agreed she was out of your league, Padfoot."

Sierra and Lily burst into laughter. Sirius glared. "Prongs, you are not the best person to be saying something like that to me right now."

"Actually, I am," James smiled a self-satisfied grin that immediately had Sierra narrowing her eyes at Lily. The redhead shook her head smilingly. "Lily-flower agreed to call me by my real name."

Sierra's laughter was loudest and Sirius couldn't help but smile at that. Fortunately for him, Sierra didn't notice. Sirius Black never smiled at girls that way.

!

"Whoa!" Sirius laughed as Sierra almost made him tumble into a wall with her weight. "You're not as light as you look."

"Then you're obviously not as strong as you look," mumbled Sierra grumpily. She readjusted her face, which was pressed against his neck, and felt his arm grow tighter around her waist. "Shut up and help me walk. And go slower."

He laughed again, but didn't let go and obediently slowed down his pace. "So," he kept the conversation going so she wouldn't fall asleep. "You think I look strong?"

"You're six feet tall and extremely uncomfortable to lean against," her speech was slightly slurred, whether from drinking or exhaustion, Sirius couldn't tell. "You'd better be strong or else I picked the wrong person to walk with."

Sirius snorted. "You didn't exactly have a lot more options, did you?"

"Oh please," he almost heard her smirk. "With this dress? You know I had options."

He rolled his eyes but didn't argue. It was sheer dumb luck that he had been the only boy whose name Sierra remembered in her more-than-tipsy state (she refused to call herself drunk). He had volunteered to walk her back to the common room, reminding her that he had said he'd even carry her to bed. Of course, his ulterior motive had been to talk to her and maybe finish what could have been started on the dance-floor earlier in the evening. But judging from her inability to even finish her sentences, Sirius was sure that wasn't happening. And yet, he still wanted to be around, to make sure she was alright. Frowning, he resumed talking and didn't dwell on his changed state of mind too much.

"Is that supposed to make me feel special?" he asked teasingly.

"It's supposed to make you walk faster."

Sirius groaned. A quick glance around showed that they were only about five minutes away from Gryffindor Tower, but at the rate they were going they would probably not get there for a while and since he couldn't afford a detention, he needed an alternative. In which case, he'd have to get a little bold.

"Hey," he gently tilted Sierra's face upwards and met her sleepy eyes. "How tired are you?"

In response, she yawned in his face. Sirius chuckled. Surprisingly, he saw her look away in embarrassment. "Sorry," she muttered. "I'm not a late-night person."

"Then you'll like my idea."

"I highly doubt that."

"Let me carry you."

"What?"

"Come on, Grayson. You're exhausted and if we walk any slower I might as well give us a detention right now and save Filch the trouble."

"So walk fast."

"That's just going to be uncomfortable for you. Carrying you is a better option, and we'll get you into bed faster."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No way in hell are you carrying me, Sirius."

He ignored the fact that she had used his first name and rolled his eyes. "So if I get you a detention you're fine with it?"

"I won't get detention," she smiled slightly. "I'm with a Marauder. It'd damage your reputation if you got caught coming back from a date."

"I imagined our first date to be a bit more enjoyable."

"So you didn't have fun with me tonight?"

"I wasn't even your date."

"You danced with me way more than James did."

"Does that make me your date?"

"It makes tonight a date."

"Will you go out with me yet?"

"Will you get me back to the bloody tower already?"

!

"So let me get this straight," Lily took a bite of bacon and chewed thoughtfully. Swallowing, she continued, "He was practically undressing you with his eyes the whole evening, he walked you back to Gryffindor Tower alone, he asked to carry you to bed and he still didn't kiss you?"

Sierra rolled her eyes. "Don't forget about the part where he almost was about to kiss me while we were dancing and the part where he didn't even notice when I used his first name."

Lily shook her head. "He's impossible."

Sierra groaned and banged her head onto the table. The third years in front of them squealed as the pressure caused a jug of pumpkin juice to tip over. Lily hurriedly repaired the damage and nudged Sierra. The other girl swapped her hand away.

"I am pissed off and highly volatile," she muttered darkly. "Don't. Say. Anything."

The redhead shut her mouth obediently and continued with her breakfast. Sierra closed her eyes and sighed deeply, trying to get her muddled brain to slow down. Last night was a blur, but the part with Sirius was as sharp as the pain she felt in her chest every time she remembered that his actions could be taken in the way of a friend, and not someone who was interested in her the way she had obviously shown that she was.

Her only consolation was that she had maintained her self-respect by not agreeing to let him carry her. In a way, she knew he hadn't offered to do it to take advantage of her more-than-tipsy state, because he had certainly been close enough to her during their whole walk. Maybe he had only done it because he was actually concerned. Then again, this was Sirius Black she was thinking about…

"Why does she look depressed?" the stupid, annoying, perfectly-voiced git was sitting next to her and she was trying to resist an urge to touch him. Whether that would lead to kissing him or slapping him, she wasn't so sure yet.

"She's probably has a hangover," responded Lily warily. "You did get her drunk. Leave her alone, Sirius."

"I think we all know that's not possible," he was in too much of a good mood for her to be amused. But to her surprise, he sat down next to her and didn't even touch her. "Hey, Lily?"

"Hmm?" the red-head was obviously immersed in a book. There was a pause and Sierra heard her speak again. "What is it, Sirius?"

"This," Sierra felt someone's hand graze her cheek. It was so light that at first she thought she was dreaming, but the heat left from the contact of their skin told her Sirius had done it. "Give that to her when she doesn't feel like killing me anymore. I'll be in the library."

There was a smile in Lily's voice when she said, "I will. You're adorable, Sirius."

"Don't call me adorable," he muttered. Sierra's lip twitched at the uncomfortable note in his voice. "See you later."

She heard him leave. Mentally, Sierra counted backwards from fifty. When she was done, she raised her head and caught Lily looking at her knowingly. She glared and held out her hand. Wordlessly, Lily dropped a blood-red rose onto her palm and slid an envelope over to her as well. Winking, she left the breakfast table.

Sierra frowned at the rose and slit open the envelope. Inside was a scrap of parchment with his usual, perfectly untidy handwriting. She bit her lip to hide the smile on her face and got up from the table wordlessly, heading towards the library.