"Come on! We only have 5 hours!" Lily screeched, ushering me up to our dorm.

"Lily, we have plenty of time to get ready!"

"Easy for you to say, you're going as 'friends'! You don't have to look good!"

"James would still love you if you went in ripped jeans." She smiled.

"I know. He's so great." She was staring into space.

"Come on! We only have 4 hours and 55 minutes!" I mimicked. She swatted at me and then began to bustle about. I grabbed a book and read until there were 2 hours left, and then I took my time getting ready.

I pulled on my dress and did your hair in a pretty but simple up do, complete with curls. My makeup was simple as well, but it matched perfectly with the dress. I finished by slipping on my shoes, just as the clock chimed 8, signaling the time we were supposed to meet the boys in the common room to go to the Hall. Tired of waiting for Nat and Lily, I exited our dorm and began to walk down the stairs. Sirius heard me and looked up, and his jaw dropped. I laughed.

~*Sirius' POV*~

She walked down the stairs. I looked at her and my jaw dropped. She noticed and laughed. She looked gorgeous. Her dress was a light blue, with a pale lavender layer underneath. The skirt poofed out, but the top hugged all her curves, those curves I loved so much. Her hair was piled up on top of her head in ringlets. I was so bust staring that I didn't notice she was standing right in front of me until she waved a hand in my face.

"Sirius?" I shook myself out of my trance.

"You look…amazing, Kara." she blushed.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

"Ready to go?" I offered her an arm jokingly. She took it.

"Yes." We walked down to the Great Hall, joking and talking, and me trying to keep myself from telling her exactly how I felt.

~*Kara's POV*~

Wow. Sirius looked good. Breathe, Kara. Breathe. I had to remind myself to inhale for the first few moments of our walk to the Great Hall. But then I realized it was still the same Sirius I knew and loved (a lot!), and I relaxed. He's just a friend.

We reached the Hall and smiled. Lily and James had gone all out this year. Every table in the Hall had a jack-o-lantern on it. The candles were dimmed and the ceiling portrayed a clear, starry night, much like the sky outside. A few bats could be seen flying above the candles. Silver glitter fell on us as you walked in the door; just the right amount to make me sparkle and look great. Sirius was trying to brush the glitter off, but it wasn't working. I laughed and helped him brush off the shoulders of his suit jacket. Noticing a bunch in his hair, I reached up and ruffled it out. Sirius smiled shyly at me. I blushed. Neither of us moved, and he was just about to take a step closer when James, Lily, Nat, Remus, Peter, and Allison entered.

"Hey guys!" Allison called.

"Hi." we both responded. And of course we went on as if nothing had been about to happen.

For the first hour of the dance I ate and talked with my group, barely dancing. Sirius and I danced a few songs together, but sat the slow ones out, watchingyour friends dance with their dates. Sirius got a few offers but turned them all down. I was asked to dance twice by other guys but I also declined.

Sirius looked a little nervous for some reason.

"Sirius, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Great," I answered a little sarcastically. He nodded in agreement. The slow song ended and a faster one took its place.

"You wanna dance?" Sirius asked, offering a hand.

"Sure!" I took it and let him lead me out to the dance floor. For about an hour we danced, only stopping to get punch during a slow song.

"It's so hot in here!" I said quietly to Sirius during only the second slow song since we'd begun dancing.

"I know. Can't they open a window or do a cooling spell?"

"Guess not." He shrugged.

"Wow. It's been 2 ½ hours already!" he exclaimed, looking at his watch.

"Really?" The night was going by so fast.

"Yeah." we both sat down at a table, punches in hand. We stayed there in silence for about 15 minutes, enjoying our surroundings and watching our friends have fun.

"Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to take a walk outside?"

"Sure." I was still really hot. The cool night air felt great on my face as we emerged from the castle. We walked in silence along the edge of the forest; neither of us seemed to have much to say tonight. Maybe he was just as nervous as I was? But why? We were just friends, right? I looked over at Sirius, who seemed deep in thought. Why did I constantly yearn for more?

"Kara."

"Hmm?"

"You really do look great."

"Thanks." Why did he do that? It just made me want him more! He was smiling sadly at me.

"Is something wrong, Sirius?" He shook his head. I didn't believe him.

"You can tell me, Sirius." He looked unsure. Then he stepped close to me. My heart raced. He put his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, reducing the space between us even further. He looked surprised, like he'd expected me to pull away. I smiled somewhat shyly.

He smiled back and brushed his lips against mine. He made to pull away but I surprised both of us by pulling him back in and deepening the kiss. He pushed me lightly up against a tree, pressing his body up against mine a little harder. His kisses became hungrier, and felt even better. I kissed him back with all the passion that I'd been hiding for over a year. His tongue licked my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to let him in. He caressed my tongue and I his. I ran my fingers through his silky hair and he moaned softly. He moved one hand up to cup my cheek and get our mouths even closer. It was my turn to moan and clasp my fingers in his hair tighter. Our kisses became a little rougher after awhile and I leaned back on the tree harder. My knees went weak and buckled underneath me. I came up for air and nearly collapsed, leaning on Sirius for support. We stayed that way, tangled up in each other, until Sirius kissed me once more, swift but passionate. I leaned into his chest and he whispered something into my ear.

"Nothing wrong anymore." I laughed quietly.

"I'm not complaining either."

"We should get back," Sirius suggested reluctantly.

"Yeah," I agreed just as regretfully. I began to move and brush myself off but he stopped me by laying a hand on my arm.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I better be after that!" He laughed and took my hand in his as we walked back up to the castle.