Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise. Any recognizable characters/locations/magic-thingies from the series belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Author's Note: A big round of applause for my wonderful betas, and for you lovely people who continue to read/review/follow this story. I really appreciate the support. I'm currently on reading break so I was finally able to find time to post. The next chapter might not turn up until closer to December. I will try not to leave it so long, but I just wanted to give you the heads up that it might happen.

Five weeks later...

"How about fudge?" Sirius suggested.

The Marauders stood in Honeydukes Sweetshop, waiting for Peter to buy his Bertie Bott's beans. Christmas was approaching fast and students were taking the opportunity to get some gift shopping done in Hogsmeade. Sirius didn't know what to get Evelyn. He had considered getting her the obvious gift—a book—but figured she probably had plenty of those. He wanted to give her something different, something special. He had asked Remus for ideas but he couldn't come up with anything either. She was an enigma and he wasn't very good at gift giving to begin with, especially not when the gift was meant to hold heartfelt sentiment.

"You can't give your girlfriend fudge for Christmas," Remus said.

"Why not? It's really good fudge and girls like fudge, right?"

"Fudge isn't a good enough gift for Evie and I think you know that. Try harder."

"But she's impossible to buy for!" Sirius whined. "I should just give her a bloody book and be done with it."

"You'll find something, Padfoot," James said, reassuringly. "Why don't we go to a more reliable source for advice?"

"A more reliable source?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"Ah, Lily." Remus smiled at his own foolishness for not suggesting it himself.

"Any idea where she is?" Sirius said, already making his way towards the door.

"No," James denied quickly. Sirius and Remus both looked at him surprised. He sighed. "Alright, fine. I saw her heading into Gladrags with Alice."

He'd been taking Evelyn's advice and maintaining a respectful distance from her. He'd apologized for his behaviour on Halloween night and had taken care to compliment her mind lately rather than just her beauty as he always had before. He'd also refrained from hexing Slytherin nitwits who insulted her. It seemed to be working, despite how much he hated staying away from her. They were polite when they met in their shared common room and she was even starting to ask for his help with Head duties now.

Sirius eagerly pulled open the door and exited the shop with Remus and James on his heels.

"Wait!" Peter called from the register. "Wait for me!"

The four boys made their way to the clothing store, the cold nipping at their faces. They entered Gladrags Wizardwear and saw Lily and Alice standing next to a table of knitted jumpers. Lily was holding one up while Alice considered it.

"Well?" Lily asked with an air of impatience.

"I can't decide. The colour's nice but the other one is made of nicer material."

"Alice, will you make up your bloody mind already?"

Alice shot Lily a nasty look and yanked the sweater away from her. "Don't rush me! I need to be sure I get one that he'll like," she said, folding the sweater again.

Lily sighed. "You know your Frank will appreciate anything you get him."

"But I want to get him something he'll like and use. Hold up the other one again."

Sirius eagerly approached the chattering girls. He gave them a winning smile and slung his arm over Alice's shoulder. "I'd get the blue," he said to Alice. "It would suit him better."

"You think?"

He nodded. "I actually need to ask you lovely ladies a question."

"What is it, Sirius?" Lily asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She had recently taken to calling him by his first name, out of consideration to Evie.

Lily still thought Evie could do better than Sirius, but she kept her mouth shut. For once Evie was thinking of her own happiness, and if Sirius was the one to make her happy, then Lily would not say a word against him. It was surprising how close he and Evie had grown in such a short amount of time. They were almost cute. Of course they still argued quite a bit. It was unavoidable, bearing in mind how different they were. However, Lily had never seen Evie smile more than she did when Sirius was in the room.

"I need socks," James announced, edging away from the group. "I'll be over there."

Alice picked up the blue sweater again and moved away from Sirius and Lily to look at it in better lighting. Remus and Peter averted their gaze, suddenly interested in the neckties with little snitches on them.

"I need help getting a gift for Evelyn," he explained, quietly. "I have no idea what to get her."

"A book?"

"No, she's got enough of those. "

"A sweater, maybe? They have a wide selection here. Too fucking wide, if you ask me."

"No. I want to get her something... special," he mumbled, embarrassed by his confession.

The corners of Lily's mouth curled up into a smile. "I wish I could help but she's really difficult to buy for. She's so closed off, you know?"

"Yes, she is!" he agreed, earnestly. "What did you get her?"

"I got her a new hat. She never did get another one after it went missing last year."

"A hat?"

"A beret." She nodded. "She's French."

Sirius heaved another frustrated sigh. "I'm doomed."

Lily shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll think of something she'll like. So long as it didn't fall off the back of a broomstick."

He chuckled, appreciating how comforting Lily was being even though he knew she didn't particularly like him.

"Anyway, you shouldn't be worrying over this now. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Shit!" Sirius shouted, earning a dirty look from an elderly witch who stood over by the rack of cloaks. "What time is it?"

"The back of three. Why?" Remus asked. Alice was holding the blue sweater against him, still mulling over the decision.

Sirius ran for the door. "I have a date!"

He ran through the streets nearly knocking people over as he went, including Regulus—not that he really cared, mind you. He couldn't believe he had lost track of the time. It had been his idea in the first place for them to get together. He ran as fast his feet would carry him in the deep snow. By the time he'd reached the woods outside of the village—where they'd agreed to meet away from prying eyes—she was already there. He leaned heavily against a tree and caught his breath.

For a moment, he watched her pace back and forth, as she had been doing for a while by the looks of her footprints in the snow. She was bundled up in her coat, her Slytherin scarf wrapped around her neck, and her leather gloves adorning her hands. Her dark hair was left down and the wind played with the loose strands. The cold reddened her usually pale cheeks. She stopped pacing and reached into her sleeve for her handkerchief. Her beak-like nose was red and running.

She was simply lovely.

He didn't care if nobody understood why he was attracted to her. She was beautiful to him and in many respects.

"First you arrive late and then you neglect to announce yourself?" She smirked and shoved her handkerchief back into her sleeve. "Honestly, Sirius, I should take my leave of you and find myself a proper gentleman."

He knew she was only joking but his face still twisted up at her words. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, luv."

She took a few steps closer to him so that they were standing toe to toe. "Did Peter get his beloved sweets?"

He nodded. "I've told him he should give up those bloody beans. He has the worst luck with them."

"Indeed?"

"Yeah. There was this one time, he was stupid enough to eat a handful at once. He was sick for hours."

She chuckled at the thought. She had often wondered why Peter was a Marauder—he was just so different from the others—but it seemed that he was a great deal like Sirius in one respect; they both straddled the line between daring and idiotic.

"How was your detention last evening?" she asked.

"Same old. Filch's a foul git."

"What did he have you do?"

"It wasn't what he had me doing. It was that I had to do it alone," he complained.

She frowned up at him in confusion. "But I thought that James had a hand in your practical joke as well?"

"He has us serving separate detentions. I'll be with the bastard again tonight, so we better make the most of this afternoon." He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed down her arms to stave off the cold. "Are you warm enough? Do you want to go inside?"

She shook her head. "I don't think that's wise." They had been steadily moving closer and now his breath warmed her face.

"Oh, come on. I'm bloody freezing." He paused, seeing her reluctance. "Why not?"

"You know why not."

Miraculously, Maureen was still unaware of her relationship with Sirius and Evelyn intended to keep it that way.

"Because you're worried about all the girls that'll swarm us when they see me?"

She rolled her eyes. "I would like for us to be discreet. I'm a very private person, Sirius. I would have thought you had realized that by now."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Oh, it's not about being private. You're ashamed to seen with me," he accused.

"We've had this conversation before," she said, her eyes narrowing. "I am not ashamed of you. I would just rather you respect my wishes to keep what happens between us, between us. The whole school doesn't need to know about our relationship for it to be validated. I assumed I had made myself perfectly clear on this matter."

His hands dropped away from her arms then. "I'm asking you to go the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer, not to let me shag you in the middle of the street."

She laughed humourlessly and took a step back from him. "Of course! It comes back to that again! Sirius Black isn't having sex. Heaven forbid!" she cried.

He groaned and looked up at the sky, gathering his patience. "I didn't mean anything by it and you know it. What did I do that's got your knickers in such a twist? I said I was sorry for being late."

"It's not because you were late. You didn't do anything!" she said, forcefully. "This isn't about you."

"Oh, really? Then why is it me you're yelling at?"

That was fair question. She wasn't really upset with Sirius, she was only arguing with him because she was frustrated with herself for not being able to make him understand. She had told him they needed to be more discreet about their romance because Maureen would undoubtedly disapprove. Evelyn hated keeping secrets but she dreaded to think how Mr. Gray would react if Maureen was to tell him. Or how Sirius would feel if he knew what would happen should her family ever know. In the end, it was all for the best. Keeping Sirius a secret meant keeping Sirius.

"Because I can't make you understand," she said weakly. She begged him with her eyes not to be angry. "It has to be this way."

His defences soon dropped and he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. "You need to relax, luv. You're making me nervous."

"Good." Her voice was muffled by his scarf.

"Maureen doesn't know about us and she's not going to know. So, can we please go back into the village now?"

"We could run into her." She pulled away from his chest and looked up at him, glasses sitting askew on her nose.

"Please?"

"No."

He kissed her. "Please?"

She shook her head.

He kissed all over her face until she pulled away, smirking. "My answer's still no."

He sighed, disappointed. He knew she had her reasons but he was left feeling—for possibly the first time—insecure. She claimed to share his feelings but if she did then why would she let her sister bully her into hiding their relationship?

But he kept his quandaries to himself, deciding to just enjoy their afternoon together. There would be time to talk about these things later. Right now, he just wanted to hold her close and kiss her. However, the kiss was soon cut short when the sound of approaching footsteps in the snow made them spring apart. Evelyn spun around, looking anxiously for who had stumbled upon them during such an intimate moment.

Maureen and her friends were standing a few yards away, gawking at them.

Sirius rolled his eyes. Of fucking course. How had he not seen this coming? It was the obvious punch line of a joke that the universe had come up with.

Evelyn took a few ginger steps towards her sister, to gauge her response and as expected she looked displeased.

"Maureen... I..."

"You hypocrite!" she snarled and then marched away with her sniggering companions.

Evelyn's chest constricted. Her breathing became shallow and her legs nearly gave out. A loud cracking sound rang throughout the woods. She barely heard the nearby tree splitting in half—as if struck by lightning—or Sirius' string of curses that followed. Hot tears welled and she felt her chin wobbling. Sirius' hands wrapped around her from behind, comfortingly.

"Well, I guess this means we can go for that butterbeer after all," he whispered in her ear. "So much for being discreet."

She leaned back against him heavily, taking comfort in his presence. She would have to make the most of what little time she had left to do so.

"She knows now," he soothed. "She'll just have to adjust to the idea. The worst is over, luv."

She had no words in reply, except one. "Fuck."

"Language, luv." He smirked, proud in the knowledge that he was a bad influence on her.

A week.

A week after Maureen had caught them and nothing. Her wrath had yet to rain down upon Evelyn. She desperately wished that Maureen would keep quiet about the entire affair, but if the look on Maureen's face when she had caught them was any indication, it was just a matter of time before the trouble started. Every morning Evelyn waited to receive a cease and desist letter from Mr. Gray, scolding her for her antics. It still hadn't come, but she knew it undoubtedly would.

"Don't look so sad," Lily said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Maybe if you talk to her about it, she'll understand."

Evelyn shook her head. "Wasn't it you who months ago told me not to be so naive as to expect such kindness from her? No, my sister will do the right thing."

"Telling your dad is the right thing?"

She nodded. "I told him about her and Regulus. It's only right that she tell him about Sirius and me."

"I'm a little confused. You're saying your sister is spiteful enough to tattle on you as revenge but you're defending her right to do so?" Alice asked, lying down on the couch.

"Yes."

"Oh well, that makes loads of sense," Lily muttered.

"Blackmail is such an unpleasant word," Alice said, fluffing the cushion under her head.

"No one said 'blackmail'," Evelyn said.

"Yeah, but I'm about to suggest you blackmail her so I thought I'd bring it up."

Evelyn shook her head. "I could never do that to Maureen. Besides, blackmail is beneath me."

"Then why haven't you told your dad about the way she's been behaving?" Lily asked.

"I wanted to give her the opportunity to correct herself."

Lily shrugged. "He'd just blame you, anyways."

And that was the real reason why Evelyn was keeping quiet. Her relationship, both of a platonic and romantic nature, would only incur Mr. Gray's wrath. She didn't want to rock the boat further by mentioning that she had allowed Maureen to become a miscreant.

The three girls had seated themselves around the fire in the Head's common room where Lily had invited them to study. No studying was getting done of course, despite Evelyn's best attempts to focus. She tickled her chin with the end of her quill and stared at the rug instead.

Suddenly, James appeared from his dormitory. His hands were purposefully messing up his hair for an appearance of studied carelessness. He smiled at the three girls and greeted them politely before exiting the common room.

Lily's face scrunched up in thoughtfulness. "Where do you think he's going?"

"No idea. Why?" Alice asked, inspecting her nails.

Lily shrugged and looked back down at her parchment. "I'm just wondering. Normally he'd stop and say something to try and get into my knickers."

"Does it bother you that he didn't?" Evelyn asked.

"It's just strange is all."

"Lily, you've never sought his attentions before. If he has decided to withhold them, why should you care?"

"I don't!" she insisted.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright then."

"I don't! I'm just surprised." Actually, upon reflection, Lily realized that he hadn't been harassing her as much as he used to. In fact, he hadn't made any sort of advances on her lately. He'd been a perfect gentleman. He was even being responsible, taking his duty as Head Boy a little more seriously. These were good things, she reminded herself. Still... it was awfully strange.

"Me, too," Alice said. "But it doesn't matter. I mean, you should be thankful."

"Oh yeah!" Lily's laugh sounded a little forced. "I'm definitely thankful!"

Alice and Evelyn's eyes met across the room. They shared an amused, knowing look. It was only a matter of time.

They were sneaking out to be with Remus on the night of the full moon. They had reached the west courtyard, when Sirius realized they were being followed. He told Peter and James to go on without him, he'd catch up. When they were gone, he turned around and looked down at Luther who was creeping a few paces behind him. He shooed the cat, not at all liking the look it gave him.

This cat had tormented Peter for months, when James had him spying on Evelyn in the dungeons. It wouldn't surprise Sirius to learn that Luther was part kneazle or something. He just seemed too smart, too expressive. Evelyn adored this cat, treating him as more than a pet. She talked to him like she would a person. At first Sirius had thought her crazy, but he'd come to accept it as one of her little eccentricities.

The cat refused to leave, merely looking up at him with those disdainful yellow eyes.

"I don't have time for this," he whispered. "Go on, now."

Luther started yowling loudly.

"Stop it!" Sirius hissed, wanting desperately to kick the noisy thing.

However, Luther did soon stop. He walked away from Sirius, his tail turned up at him haughtily. Sirius was sure the animal was flipping him off. He watched the animal leave, but soon caught sight of someone else in the courtyard. From the corner of his eye he could clearly make out the shape of someone hiding nearby. The clouds shifted and the person was bathed in the moonlight for a quick moment before disappearing once more into the shadows.

Fearing that he would expose his friends should he join them, Sirius went back inside the castle. When he entered the castle, he rushed down the corridor and watched from around the corner as the spy entered through same door quietly a few minutes later. He held his breath and flattened himself up against the wall so that they would pass by him.

When he realized who it was, he wanted to jump forward and clobber them there in the dark. It was the unmistakable stench of sandalwood and bitter herbs that tipped him off.

Snivellus.

Thoughts? Questions? Startling revelations? Feel free to share. Constructive criticism is always welcome.