Poppy's POV

The rest of the week passed in a tired blur. It was nice to be back in lessons and be around everybody again and I found that I was really relaxing now around them all and was coming around to the fact that maybe they were my friends. Friday, however, I had noticed the clouds rolling in and as we ate dinner there was a faint rumbling of thunder that could be heard. I glanced up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, eyeing the weather apprehensively; since the accident I wasn't so good with storms. It felt exceptionally childish to admit and so there weren't many people who knew about it, I just hoped I was going to be able to get some sleep.

"Pop?" I heard a voice call and looked up, surprised to see Luke standing there. Everybody fell silent and I could tell he was trying not to grin. "Mind if I join you?" he asked and I quickly shook my head as he looked around the others who all instantly shook their heads and I watched as Lily whacked Fiona, forcing her to move up so he could sit down. I tried my best not to grin as Lily looked very pleased with the outcome and I glanced at James whose eyes were firmly on his plate. "So, how was your day?" Luke asked, as though it were entirely normal for him to be sat here.

As we chatted, the boys wandered off leaving Luke with just us girls who were all shamelessly looking at him and doing their best to flirt with him. Honestly, he was going to have such an inflated ego as a result of this. We stayed at dinner for longer than usual, the girls laughing at all of Luke's jokes and stories, until we realised it was nearly empty in here.

"Guys I'm getting tired so I'm going to head up to the common room" I told the girls, seeing how unhappy they looked at this, but loyally started getting up. I looked at Luke who looked up at the ceiling purposely.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked quietly, and I nodded, trying to be optimistic but I knew the worry was shining through. He frowned but I smiled at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow" I told him, noticing the girls watching us. Thankfully he didn't say anything just nodding as he too got up.

"I'll walk with you" he said, grinning as his eyes found Lily. I got the picture and dragged Alice and Fiona to walk with me, giving him a chance. Seriously, I was a really good honorary sister. I felt like I deserved some recognition for this.

"Does he like her?" Fiona whispered to me as we made our way up. I grinned at her and that was thankfully answer enough as I did my best not to look behind me and instead the three of us walked in silence, trying to eaves drop. When it came to the fork in the stairs, I turned to give Luke a wave before the three of us headed up, leaving him with Lily. We had gotten to the top of the staircase and were heading along the seventh-floor corridor when Lily eventually caught up with us. We all stopped and turned to see her cheeks flushed and a huge smile on her face.

"Tell us everything!" Fiona demanded and Lily's cheeks turned an even brighter red.

"We just chatted" she said simply, brushing past us and stalking off. We quickly caught her up and I looked at her carefully, seeing a smile on her face.

"And?" Fiona prompted, evidently knowing there was more to this story then she was letting on.

"And he maybe asked me if I wanted to hang out with him tomorrow" she said casually. I stared at her, completely surprised; Luke never usually moved this quickly, or so I'd heard from Max. "Poppy is it okay? I don't wanna make things awkward if it's not okay with you" she said quickly. It took me a moment for me to process what she was saying.

"Oh my gosh of course it is! You don't have to ask me!" I replied, still feeling surprised she should ask me. Lily looked somewhat relieved and we spent the rest of the journey up to the common room discussing what they might do and where this all might go. When we got into the common room, we found a spare space by the fireplace and continued to talk about it until late where we went up to the dormitory. The thunder was rolling in now and as I huddled down in bed, I just prayed I could sleep.

A huge clap of thunder sounded overhead making me wake with a jump. The storm was fully raging now, and I sat up, grabbing my watch from the side and seeing that it was 1 o'clock in the morning. I jumped as the thunder roared again and I sighed before deciding to get up. I grabbed a jumper, putting it over my shoulder and figuring I'd battle that one once downstairs and grabbed a book, before quietly creeping out of the dormitory, shutting the door quietly behind me. It was cold out in the corridor and I shivered as I made my way downstairs, making a beeline for the fire upon seeing the common room deserted. I thought I was alone until I got right up to the fireplace and was just about to sit, when a movement made me jump out of my skin, and I turned to see James and Sirius sat on the sofa, both looking at me in surprise.

"Merlin you scared the life out of me" I told them, feeling my heart thunder. This made them both grin at me as I sat down shivering, putting my book and jumper down.

"What's up? Can't sleep?" James asked and I shook my head.

"Storm's too loud. What are you doing up?" I asked in return, hoping my comment about the storm wouldn't raise any questions. James shrugged, looking at the fire.

"Just couldn't sleep" he said. I glanced at Sirius who shrugged at me before I turned my attention to my jumper.

"Need a hand?" Sirius asked. I looked up, seeing him get up and come over to me. I hesitated but he just stood there, waiting and so I reluctantly nodded, standing up. He took my jumper from me as I took my arm gingerly out of the sling, hoping this wasn't going to be incredibly awkward. I looked up at him, seeing him give me a smile as he helped me put the jumper on. He was incredibly careful with me for which I was thankful and when I finally got my head through he was smiling widely at me as he helped me pull it down, before he grabbed my sling for me so I could put my arm back in it.

"Thanks" I said quietly, suddenly aware we were stood very close together and I had to tilt my head slightly to look at him properly.

"Any time" he replied equally as quietly, the crooked smile on his face which made me blush. A slight throat clearing from James made us both jump and I took a step back from Sirius, seeing James grinning at us.

"Why don't you sit over here with us Poppy? It's much warmer here" he said. I hesitated as Sirius made his way back over to the sofa, leaving a noticeable gap between him and James.

"Okay" I ended up saying, moving over and sitting between them as I felt the warmth of the fire rush over me, relaxing me somewhat. There was a small silence as I stared into the fire, aware of how close we were all sat right now and so stayed very still.

"So, Lily likes De Piesto huh?" James asked eventually, his tone dejected. I turned to him, seeing he was also staring at the fire and looking sad.

"I think so" I admitted after a moment, seeing him sigh and sag back against the sofa, running a hand through his already messy hair. "You really like her, don't you?" I asked quietly. He considered it for a moment, turning to look at me before he eventually nodded.

"I just figured that she would eventually say yes one day, you know?" he asked.

"Maybe you should aim for being friends with her first" I suggested and for some reason I could hear Sirius laugh slightly from beside me. I turned to see him grinning.

"I believe we've all tried telling him this" he told me, and I turned back to James to see the ghost of a smirk on his face.

"Yes alright, thanks Pad" he said sarcastically, shaking his head. "Do you think she'd even want to be friends with me?" he asked, his voice quiet again. I couldn't lie, it really surprised me seeing him seem so…vulnerable.

"She just needs to see the real you. I mean, I don't know what you've been like in previous years, but I swear she's not moaned about you a lot so far" I admitted, hearing Sirius chuckle beside me. "And maybe it wouldn't hurt if you turned your attention to other girls for a bit" I added, seeing him look surprised.

"You really think so?" he asked, and I nodded.

"She's interested in other guys so why don't you give somebody else a chance? You never know what you might be missing" I told him, wondering if I was going too far.

"Again, I have told you this Prongs" Sirius chipped in. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd ever get used to their weird nicknames.

"Hmm, maybe" James replied, sounding thoughtful before he looked at me with a grin. "So, Poppy" he said, waggling his eyebrows and putting an arm around me, making me laugh and shake my head.

"No offence James, but I don't like you like that" I told him, and he laughed before withdrawing his arm.

"Fair enough, least I tried" he said, giving me a wink, which just made me shake my head again. "Try to be her friend and chat up other girls. I could try that" he muttered, seemingly more to himself than either of us.

"That's the spirit mate" Sirius told him happily and I turned to see him smiling widely at him. "Hey, you can find somebody to ask to Hogsmede" he continued. Evidently this meant more to James than it did me as he pondered this.

"Hmmm, maybe" was all he said, lapsing back into thought. I stifled a yawn, relishing the feel of the fire and the fact that the storm seemed a little more distant from down here. "Who are you thinking of asking to Hogsmede?" James asked, and I guessed this question was directed at Sirius seeing as I still didn't really know what they were talking about. There was a long silence and when I looked across at James he was grinning as he looked at Sirius and I turned my head to see him frowning at James. He saw me looking before he cleared his throat.

"I don't know yet" was his eventual reply and I turned my attention back to the fire, starting to feel tired.

"What's all this about going to Hogsmede?" I asked sleepily, unable to stifle the next yawn.

"Oh, we're allowed to go down to the village, Hogsmede. Well the third years and over are. It's a chance to get out of the castle. They've got a good pub and joke shop down there. Oh, and there's Honeydukes as well" James told me as I attempted to keep my eyes open.

"Why don't you just go down with your friends?" I asked, my blinks coming fewer and further between, as I did my best not to fall asleep right where I was.

"I mean usually guys ask girls to go with them. It's kinda like the best opportunity for a date" James explained. Oh great, just what I needed, another societal pressure. I yawned again, rubbing my eye with my one good hand and felt myself sink further into the sofa. "Don't worry Poppy. I'm sure you'll have quite the que. I wouldn't be surprised if Masters asked you" he said, although his voice sounded like it was coming from really far away now. I felt like he was still talking but I couldn't make anything out, as I drifted off to sleep.

James's POV

"In fact, I reckon Masters will ask you in the next couple of weeks" I continued before realising that she'd fallen asleep and Sirius was scowling at me. However, that expression changed as Poppy shifted and her head dropped onto his arm. He looked startled before he smiled widely, and I rolled my eyes at him. Honestly, I don't know why he didn't just make a move on her already, it was painfully obvious that he liked her.

"Or you know, you could ask her before Masters does" I said, acting as though she hadn't just fallen asleep. Sirius scowled at me again, pointing furiously at Poppy. "Chill out, she's asleep" I told him, yawning and stretching, now feeling tired myself.

"What are we going to do with her?" Sirius asked me, trying not to move or wake her up.

"We could always take her up to our dormitory?" I questioned, not really knowing what else we could do. "Hey, you could put her in your bed" I told him with a grin, and he rolled his eyes at me. "I'm just saying, we can't leave her here" I said with a shrug, getting up and yawning again. I looked over to see him clearly thinking things through before he nodded, gently extracting himself before standing. He hesitated before he carefully picked her up, Poppy not even stirring. However, a moment later he froze as she shifted in his arms, a slight frown on her face before she nuzzled into his neck. He looked horribly happy at the movement and I did my best not to roll my eyes. "You look disgustingly happy" I told him before I led the way up the stairs, quietly opening the door to our dormitory and pulling back Sirius's bed cover so he could put her in. He did so carefully, and we made sure she was on her back, so she didn't end up on her arm.

"Should we put something next to her, so she doesn't roll onto her arm?" Sirius questioned and I nodded, thinking it was probably a good idea. I looked around, finding a cushion on the floor and I gently put it next to her in the hope it would stop her rolling before I made my way over to my bed. "You know we're top and tailing, right?" Pad whispered and I sighed, knowing we were both in for a rough night but nodded nonetheless as we got in.

"Pad?" I asked quietly in the darkness.

"What?" he asked, equally as quietly.

"You like her, right?" I questioned. There was a silence which was surprising for Sirius. He was usually over-confident when it came to girls, but we were in our third week back and he'd not made out with a single girl which was highly unusual. "I'll take that as a yes. I don't know why you don't just make a move on her" I said but felt him lightly punch me.

"Shut up Prongs" was all he said. Interesting, not even willing to admit it to me. I wondered why.

Poppy's POV

I woke up to pale light streaming in through the window and the sound of snores. I was stupidly hot and when I moved, I realised I was in my jumper and my arm was in the sling still. I frowned before I remembered I had gone downstairs last night, and I was definitely not by the fire anymore. I laid there, trying to remember what had happened when I realised, I wasn't in my own bed. It smelt very different, not a bad different mind. It was a smell which made my heart rate go but feel relaxed at the same time. I sat up, frowning until I looked around and realised where I was, my eyes widening; the boys' dormitory. How the hell had I ended up here? The sound of a door shutting made me jump and I turned to see Remus emerge from the bathroom, fully dressed and smiling at me.

"Morning" he greeted me, as though it were perfectly normal for me to be here.

"Uh, morning" I replied, still feeling very confused.

"I'm guessing James and Sirius brought you up" he told me, moving back over to his bed and motioning to James's bed where I could see the pair of them looking most uncomfortable. I instantly felt bad as I had obviously taken one of their beds. I was just about to get up when Remus stumbled and crashed into his trunk which jolted the guys awake.

"You're so bloody clumsy Moony" I heard James grumble as he sat up, putting a hand to his head before he looked over at me. "Oh, morning Poppy" he said with a smile, brightening up a bit.

"What bloody time is it?" Sirius stirred sitting up with his back to me.

"Um, quarter to eight" Remus admitted reluctantly and I watched as they both chucked their pillow at him in unison.

"It's a bloody weekend" James scowled at him.

"Merlin Moony, you've probably woken up the whole bloody…oh, morning Poppy" Sirius ranted before turning around and saw me sat up in bed. "Sleep well?" he asked, a cheeky smile on his face as I nodded. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed my bed" he then said, making me blush as my mind flashed to what I had just been thinking about how nice it smelt.

"I'm really sorry for taking your bed" I said quickly but he shook his head and got up, stretching and ruffling his hair.

"We were hardly going to leave you to sleep on the sofa" he told me with a smile, and I saw James nod.

"What do you take us for?!" James exclaimed, looking mock offended and making me laugh.

"Well, thanks anyway" I told the pair of them before getting up, careful not to wake Peter or Frank who were seemingly sleeping through this whole thing.

"Always a pleasure. We'll see you in a bit for breakfast" James said as I made my way out, having to brush past Sirius on my way out. He gave me that cheeky smile as I went, making me blush before I heard James call me.

"Poppy?" he asked, and I paused with my hand on the door handle, nodding. "Thanks for the…advice last night" he said with a smile. I smiled in return, glad that I could help him.

"Any time" I told him before heading to my own dormitory, hoping I didn't bump into anybody. Thankfully nobody was around, and I managed to slip into our dorm unnoticed. All the beds were empty which I found unusual and I hoped nobody was going to be worried about where I was. I headed to my trunk, glancing at the window to see it still looked stormy and cold as I grabbed a pair of jeans and another sweatshirt, before grabbing some clean underwear and heading to the bathroom. As I was halfway across the room the door opened, taking me by surprise when I saw Fiona there wrapped in a towel. Her eyes widened when she saw me before she frowned, looking confused.

"Err, morning. Where've you been?" she asked, making me blush a little.

"Oh, I kinda fell asleep in front of the fire last night and the boys put me in their dormitory" I admitted, seeing her grin.

"Oh, really now?" she asked, moving past me and I turned to look at her as she went. "Whose bed did you sleep in?" she asked casually.

"Erm, Sirius's" I told her, seeing her grin widen.

"Intriguing. Can I ask you something?" she asked, and I hesitated, wondering what she was going to ask before I nodded. "Sirius…do you like him?" she asked me, making me blush. "Oh my gosh you totally do!" she exclaimed excitedly, and I shook my head, not looking her in the eye.

"Just friends" I said, knowing I was lying hence why I wasn't looking at her properly. Truth was, I think I did fancy Sirius Black. I just wasn't quite ready to announce it to the world just yet.