Poppy's POV

When we got back to Hogwarts there was a tension in the air as OWLs and NEWTs lingered in the horizons. The fifth and seventh years were crammed into the library and as such I had taken to working in the common room or the dormitory to give them all some space. I figured they would need the space more than me and I had done a good bit of revision over the holidays to make me feel confident enough. The downside to this was the distraction the guys brought with them, but I had managed to win them round to my way of thinking for a couple of hours a night at least, even James and Sirius sitting down to do some revision. Granted we had to spice it up a bit but doing it as a quiz actually got everybody involved and the competitive nature of it appealed to the guys.

The penultimate weekend of April saw the final Gryffindor game of the season and the team were in high spirits, fancying their chances of bringing the cup home for what I heard would be the fourth year running. Gryffindor were currently in the lead but with the Ravenclaw Slytherin match still to be held, Sirius explained that in order to have a chance of the cup they would need a point margin of at least 60 points. This therefore meant that James was relying on Sirius, Fiona and Olivia to get as many goals as possible whilst James held the Hufflepuff seeker at bay. I nodded along as they talked about it which was the only input that was needed from me, my mind often drifting during these conversations to revision and recalling key information.

On the Saturday, spirits were high over breakfast, there being a lot of discussion about the game. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins were just as interested, obviously having yet to play and therefore needing to know what they needed to do to snatch the cup from Gryffindor. I made my way down to the pitch with the others, seeing Sirius lingering by the Gryffindor stands and grinning at me when he saw me, striding purposefully towards me and kissing me in front of everybody.

"Needed the luck" he told me when he let me go, giving me a wink before dashing off with a laugh, the other Gryffindors laughing at the spectacle and me obviously blushing.


It was a tense match and even I felt myself on edge, hoping that Gryffindor could do it. I'd not seen a determination quite like it in the team, the chasers doing everything they could to retain the quaffle and get past the Hufflepuff team. The Hufflepuffs were putting up a strong fight and I could see James working hard to keep their seeker distracted, assuming he had already seen the snitch multiple times given that this match was now approaching the hour and a half mark. At last, at long last, Olivia put through another quaffle which gave Gryffindor a 70-point lead. I could see James now actively seeking the snitch and the Gryffindors in the crowd suddenly got louder, clearly urging James on. Sirius managed to score another, adding another 10 to the lead just as James suddenly shot forward, directly opposite our stands. The volume got even louder until finally, at last, James victoriously held his arm up, and in his hand was clearly the snitch. There was a great roar from the crowd as the team descended on him, all of them entwined as they made their way to the ground and I knew that the party tonight would be a particularly rowdy affair.


It was the Ravenclaws who hosted the party as I made my way over with Sirius. He was in a fantastic mood, having bounced around the common room for the whole day, enjoying being the centre of attention.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" he asked as we neared the room, making me blush. He paused, bringing me to face him and looking at me with a smile. "You blush every time I tell you that you know?" he questioned, and I averted my eyes at this, knowing I was still blushing. "James told me you know" he said after a moment and, feeling confused, I looked up at him with a slight frown, not understanding what he was talking about. "That you think you're a five" he said with hesitation and I shook my head, blushing once more; I should have known that would come back to bite me at some point.

"Come on let's go in" I said, attempting to step away but he held me close.

"Poppy Turner you're a solid 11 out of 10. I need you to know that" he insisted. I opened my mouth to speak but he shook his head. "I mean it. You are the most beautiful girl ever. And I am going to tell you all of the time" he told me with a smile. "Just so you know, you're going to have to get used to hearing it" he continued before kissing me. "Okay?" he asked, and I sighed, nodding which made him laugh. "The hardships you have to face huh?" he questioned with a grin. "Anyway, do you want to spend the night with me tonight?" he now asked a little more quietly and I felt that familiar sensation of butterflies and excitement. I nodded,

"You know I do. You've sorted it?" I asked and he nodded, giving me his crooked smile. "I'm looking forward to it" I told him, and he leant down and kissed me.

"Me too. It's been too long" he murmured before kissing me again, gently manoeuvring us so that I was against the wall and he pressed himself up against me.

"Sirius" I warned him, pushing him lightly and he chuckled before stepping back.

"Sorry Pop" he told me, clearing his throat and ruffling his hair.

"We've got a party for you to be centre of attention of" I reminded him, and he laughed, pulling me forward and slinging an arm around my shoulders.

"Hey, remember you're the only woman for me" he teased me as we made our way in to the crowded and noisy room where Sirius was almost immediately mobbed. He kept a firm hold on me, steering me through and managing to shrug off most people as we made our way to get a drink.

"Go, I'll go find the girls" I told him once he'd passed me a beer. He seemed hesitant so I kissed him before reminding him: "'you'll have me all night" I whispered before giving him a light push. He caught my hand however, kissing me again.

"I hope you realise it's not going to be a late one here" he growled when we pulled away and I grinned at him.

"I was hoping you'd say that" I told him, just as James called him, beckoning him to where he was stood with Alex and Olivia.

"I'll come find you soon" he told me, giving me a cheeky smile and a wink before he disappeared and I found myself watching him go, excited for our night together.


It wasn't even midnight when Sirius extracted himself from the crowds and managed to find me as I was on my way to get another drink. He said nothing, just took my hand and led me out as my heart rate increased. We snuck quietly along, Sirius leading me to the seventh floor where he paused me around the corner as he had previously until he reappeared, leading me quickly into the room. It was as it always had been, but this time with a bed, and I turned to Sirius who was watching me carefully.

"Have you had a good night?" I asked, moving towards him and putting my arms around him.

"It was okay. I would have preferred it if you were around though" he told me, putting his arms around me now as well.

"You're a right softie you know" I replied, making him laugh.

"Only around you. If you go around telling everybody they won't believe you" was his reply, trying to make his voice sound gruff and making me laugh. He gave me that crooked smile of his before leaning down and kissing me as I relaxed into him. "You sure you're okay with this?" he asked after we pulled away and I nodded, smiling. Instead of saying anything I led him over to the bed before kicking off my shoes, beginning to panic about what I was going to sleep in.

"You can sleep in my shirt if you want?" Sirius suggested, clearly picking up on my line of thought. He was in a burgundy shirt and was already undoing his buttons giving me that very nice view of his body. I stepped towards him, lightly tracing a line down him and saw his eyes flutter shut at my touch. He dropped his hands and I un-did the last few of his buttons, helping him shrug out of it.

"Spin" I told him, seeing him open his eyes and grin but he did as I asked. I waited for a moment before quickly undressing and getting into his shirt, moving over to the bed and getting in before speaking again. "Okay you're good" I told him, seeing him look surprised that I was in the bed already.

"I think you're getting quieter you know" he commented, head tilted slightly to the side to watch me. I blushed a little, thinking my training with Phil over the holidays had evidently paid off. "Shut your eyes" he commanded now with a grin and I did as he said, turning so my back was to him as I laid there, already feeling tired. I had evidently zoned out of the room as the next thing I knew I felt Sirius slipping in beside me, arms wrapping around me. I smiled, keeping my eyes closed as I nuzzled into him.

"I was thinking we could hang out for a bit tomorrow?" he asked quietly, one hand softly stroking my back.

"After breakfast? I need to see Professor Dumbledore after lunch" I told him with a yawn, feeling the sleep coming quickly.

"After breakfast" he confirmed and with that I promptly fell asleep.


Sirius and I spent longer than intended in bed the next morning, a fresh pair of clothes thankfully appearing so we could head straight down to a late breakfast. After that we spent the morning wandering around the grounds hand-in-hand, chatting about the summer and what we wanted to do. I had decided that in May I would let my family know about Sirius and he had said he would do the same. I was genuinely somewhat nervous about what they might think of it, Sirius being the first guy I would ever be telling them about. This made him cocky before he then admitted I would be the first girl he told anybody about too which made me smile and my heart flutter. I was hoping I would be able to invite my friends out to spend some time in France with me this summer and figured that honesty would be the best way to do this.

After lunch I made my way up to Professor Dumbledore's office, smiling when I saw Fawkes already perched on the edge of the chair Dumbledore beckoned me too. He asked a few questions about my holidays and revision before he put me through my paces of using my light magic for a solid hour which left me tired and feeling a little drained. Afterwards, he summoned a glass of water and orange juice, the latter reviving me better than the former.

"I'm impressed, your magic seems stronger now" he told me, and I blushed a little at the compliment.

"My guardian, Phil, insisted on training during the holidays and he wasn't as kind with his spells as you are" I replied and he chuckled at this, nodding.

"Well it's worked to your advantage that's a certainty" he said, making me smile. "I have made some progress with my research about the Etoileige" he told me now and I found myself surprised. "I have, in fact, managed to track another down" he said, and I felt the shock flitter through me. Another?! I found myself leaning forward in eager anticipation. "She has been travelling but she will be in France this summer. I have contacted her, and we have spoken with your guardians about this but, she has volunteered to train you further should you want it" he explained with a smile. Extra training?! Somebody who was like me and could tell me everything I wanted to know?! Why would I not want to?!

"I'd love to sir!" I replied enthusiastically and he nodded, smiling.

"Very well. I will let everybody know and get the arrangements in place" he told me, looking pleased with my decision. "For the time being, Miss Turner, we will put our lessons on pause for exams" he continued, and I nodded, feeling secretly pleased as I wanted to get my head down and work. "And then the summer will be upon us. You've made an impressive start to your magical education here and I have no doubt this will reflect in your exam results. Should you ever need anything, remember to please just ask" he said, and I knew now I was being dismissed. I rose, nodding and gave him a smile.

"Thank you for all the time you've given me this year sir" I told him, and he nodded, eyes twinkling.

"A pleasure Miss Turner. Work hard over the summer" he replied and I nodded, giving Fawkes a quick stroke before heading out, still feeling weary but with a renewed sense of purpose and hope, excited for the forthcoming summer.


Soon enough the exam season was upon us and a respectful hush fell through the castle as the fifth and seventh years sat their formal exams. The rest of us all had end of year exams and the Professor's didn't go easy on us, pushing us to prove how much we had learned throughout the course of the year. In the common room after dinner there was either a riot of noise as people wound down from exams or a forced hush as people crammed for the night before. The latter always worked better for me and often when it got too boisterous, I had to remove myself, heading up to my dormitory or the library. Sirius and I didn't have much time for ourselves over this period, more at my insistence of wanting to do well in exams. This forced his hand then; if he wanted to spend time with me it meant he would have to study and although he came to it reluctantly, I was secretly pleased to be able to get him to work like this.

Finally, after a stressful few weeks we were done and there was a joyous air now as the sun came out, bringing the heat with it as we were facing the final week. Sirius and I had told our respective families about our relationship, the both of them writing that they were happy as long as we were happy, and they were looking forward to seeing the pair of us together. I was still nervous about this but excited, thinking that Sara and Phil did really like Sirius and I could only hope the Potters liked me in return. I knew how much they meant to Sirius and was keen to have their stamp of approval.

I had also asked Sara and Phil if my friends could come out in the summer holidays. All of our group were excited, all bar Suze and Frank who were going away with their families in the time I had invited everybody so therefore couldn't come. It had been cleared with all our parents and so, at the start of August they would all be coming out. I had asked if Sirius could come out a few days before everybody else and Sara and Phil had both consented as long as the Potters did too. I was excited to show Sirius my French life, and he seemed excited to see it. First though, we had a few matters to take care of such as seeing our families at the station and then, for me, the challenges of training with a proper Etoileige. I had kept this part quiet from my friends, just telling them I would be busy with family matters for the first month of the holidays (which is how long Sara and Phil said I would be training for) and they had easily accepted my words, Sirius the only one looking as though he didn't quite believe it but said nothing, clearly going along with what I told him.

It felt like my first year here had flown and I couldn't believe how nervous I had been when I first started to where I was now. How easily and readily Hogwarts had accepted me and how many friends I now had. I simply couldn't imagine life without any of them now, and I was so glad that Sara and Phil had consented for me to come and study here, in line with my parents' wishes.

"You okay Pop?" Sirius's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I jerked upright in my seat slightly, only now realising that the train was slowing.

"Sorry, lost in thought" I told him, feeling him squeeze my hand and smile.

"You ready for this?" he asked as everybody started getting up and I nodded, drawing my courage together to meet the people Sirius classified as family.

"I sure am. Are you?" I asked in return and he smiled although I could sense the nerves.

"Ready as I'll ever be" he told me before giving me a short kiss.

"Pop I wouldn't worry. I know mum already likes you" James told us as he stretched, glancing across at us with a grin. I ignored him, readying myself as we streamed onto the platform, the air thick with excitement for summer.

"Merlin's beard. Err, guys, I think all our parents are all together. As in…all of them" Fiona said to us and we all stared at her as she pointed through to the crowds where a large group of adults convened. My eyes widened, recognising the Potters, the Shorts and the Brooks' alongside my own family.

"This is the weirdest thing" I heard James say and nodded in agreement. We all grabbed our luggage before we moved tentatively together forwards, the first few parents spotting us and we watched the news spread, all eyes on us.

"You're really freaking us out" James was the first to reach them, embracing his parents who laughed.

"Well if we're sending you on holiday together, we thought it best if we knew each other" Mrs Potter told him, her eyes lit up in a very similar way to her sons. I said nothing but made my way to Sara and Phil, clocking Max and Sienna stood slightly to the side and talking amongst themselves.

"It's so lovely to see you sweetheart!" Sara greeted me, giving me a big hug before kissing me on each cheek.

"You look very happy" Phil told me as he swept me in a hug, drawing Max and Sienna's attention.

"Pop we've missed you so much!" Sienna threw herself at me, causing me to stagger a little bit before she drew back, eyes bright and looking carefully at me. "You're positively beaming with light! Isn't she Max?!" she called to her brother, making me blush as he swept me into a bone crushing hug.

"You do, you're literally glowing" Max told me with a grin, and I saw his eyes dart over my friends.

"I've missed you both! I can't wait to spend some time with you" I told the both of them, looking forward to catching up with them and hearing about their plans for the future now they were both finished with school.

"And us you but first, where's Sirius?" Sienna asked coyly, eyes flickering on each of my friends, trying to distinguish who he was. This brought me back to everything and I turned to see Sara and Phil waiting expectantly. I glanced around the group and, naturally, found Sirius's eyes on mine. I tilted my head slightly and he came over, smiling widely but nervously.

"Sara, Phil you remember Sirius" I told them as he slipped his hand in mine. I gave it a squeeze as they both smiled at him.

"It's lovely to see you both again" he said politely, offering them his hand as he had at Easter. Sara looked amused but shook it and Phil did the same as I saw Max and Sienna drift over.

"It's wonderful to see you again Sirius" Sara told him, and I saw how happy this simple sentence made him.

"And this is Max and Sienna" I introduced. "Guys, this is Sirius" I told them, the pair of them wearing matching grins. I felt Sirius shift nervously next to me, knowing this was what he was most nervous about.

"It's so lovely to finally meet you" Sienna told him, Max nodding in agreement as he offered Sirius his hand.

"It's nice to meet you both, obviously I've heard a lot about you" Sirius told them, making Sienna laugh.

"I'd like to say all good, but I'm not convinced" she said to him and he grinned at her.

"No, no all good" he assured her, and I saw Max shake his head.

"We are looking forward to you coming out to see us this summer Sirius" Phil told him, drawing his attention back and I saw a flicker of surprise on his face before he smiled.

"Thank you for letting me. I'm looking forward to seeing everything Poppy's told me about" he replied, turning to give me his trademark smile before looking back at them.

"It will be a pleasure, I'm sure. Now Poppy, go and make sure you properly introduce yourself to the Potter's" Sara chivvied me, and I nodded, feeling nervous again. She gave me a reassuring smile before Sirius led me to where they were stood, all the families having split slightly apart to reunite. The Potter's watched us approach and I made sure to smile, although I was fairly sure my eyes were slightly golden. We stopped in front of them Sirius giving my hand a squeeze, before I saw him straighten up slightly.

"Matt, Carol this is Poppy" he told them, and I could hear the pride in his voice which would have made me blush had I not been worried about what they thought about me.

"It's nice to see you both again" I said nervously, seeing them both smile at me.

"And you Poppy. I must say, it was nice to hear that Sirius was finally wanting us to meet somebody, and even better that it was you" Carol told me kindly, her words now making me blush a little.

"Poppy, I don't know how you hack him, but you'll have my thanks if you can calm him down" Matt told me with the same cheeky smile James had and I saw Sirius shake his head and heard James laugh.

"Matt don't be so mean!" Carol told him, gently hitting him and he pulled a face at me.

"Sorry what I meant to say was that it's lovely to see you again Poppy" he corrected, and I smiled, feeling more relaxed. I noticed how they both watched me closely, realising this was probably on account of my eyes.

"It was lovely to meet your guardians as well Poppy" Carol said, her eyes now flicking up to where I knew Sara and Phil were. "I'm sure you'll all have a great time out in France together on your group holiday" she continued, eyes back on me and I nodded.

"I'm really looking forward to it" I told her and both her and Matt nodded.

"Well we'll leave you to say your goodbyes" she said now with a smile, making me blush slightly. All of our friends had come over at this point and it descended into a lot of hugging and promises of writing until we next saw each other. Finally, it left me with just Sirius who expertly led me stealthily away from prying eyes.

"I'll write to you" he told me, putting his arms around me and pulling me close.

"And I'll write back" I replied with a grin, making him laugh.

"You better" he said before leaning in and kissing me. Now we were away from everybody else I relaxed into him, forgetting about where we were. "I'm really going to miss you Pop" he told me when we finally broke apart, our foreheads resting against each other.

"It's only a month" I reminded him, but he pulled a face at that, making me laugh. "But I'll miss you too" I confirmed, seeing his smile return at my words. He kissed me again, our bodies flush against each other. We heard a passing whistle which broke us apart quickly and I remembered our families were waiting.

"Come on, we'd better go" I told him, and he sighed but nodded, giving me one last kiss before taking my hand and leading me back. Summer, I was excited for it to begin.


A/N update: posted new story 'The Etoileige - Sixth year Summer'! Go check it out if you want more Poppy/Sirius :)

A/N: Last chapter! Thank you everybody who has taken the time to read it, favourite it, follow it and review it - I really hope you've all enjoyed it!

I do have a short summer story (only 5 chapters) and then I have actually written a seventh year story which I'm toying with posting. I hate the thought of letting anybody down with sequels that don't live up to it! If anybody would like me to post please do let me know :) I hope you're all healthy, happy and wish you all a wonderful Christmas :)