Chapter 19: Be The One

Sirius climbed up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, confusion warring with anticipation. He glanced down at the note in his hand.

Meet me at the tower. G.

He recognised Gemma's handwriting so knew it was her he was meeting, but why; he had no idea. Not that he was complaining – he could think of far worse ways to spend his eighteenth birthday.

As he rounded the top, he saw her ahead of him, leaning against the railing. It was late afternoon, so already the skies were darkening. "Hey."

She turned to him and he could immediately see that she was nervous. "Hi."

"Are you ok? Your note was cryptic."

She laughed nervously. "Sorry for that. I just wanted to talk to you in private." She looked around. "And where we won't be interrupted."

He smiled. They definitely wouldn't be interrupted. The tower was off limits except for classes and Sirius had never seen anyone else venture up here in all his years at Hogwarts. He stepped towards her. "You seem nervous, Gem. What did you want to talk about."

He reached her side but she stepped away. She looked to be composing herself. He frowned. What was she going to say? Had he done something to upset her? Was she regretting their last encounter together? Merlin he hoped not, but would he really be that surprised if she was? Gemma was a friend and she was a sensible, respectable girl. Lifting her skirt and making her come in a deserted corridor probably wasn't the best way to treat her.

Then again; he struggled to regret it. It had been intoxicating watching Gemma unravel before him, knowing he had brought her pleasure. Because she had enjoyed it; or at least, at the time she had.

"Ok." She stopped pacing and turned to him, but she didn't look at him. "I'm just going to say this, and if you hate the idea, then tell me quickly and I'll leave. Just… just be kind. Please."

He frowned at her but agreed with her terms. "Ok."

She took a deep breath, then finally looked up at him. "I want to have sex with you."

Sirius couldn't stop the smile that spread over his face. Fuck, what a statement. He'd hoped he'd be able to coax Gemma into going further with him; more kissing, certainly more touching and maybe, maybe going all the way. But he'd figured he'd need months to get her comfortable with the idea.

Apparently not.

He closed the gap to her quickly and pulled her in for a demanding kiss. She softened in his arms and opened to him. He loved it when she surrendered herself like that; his cock reacted instantly.

She broke from the kiss. "Is this you saying you want to have sex with me too?" She smiled and he noticed she looked less nervous. No doubt she'd been worried about his reaction.

He nipped at her lips. "Yes. Obviously I want to have sex with you, Gemma." He rolled his hips forward and pressed his erection against her. "You turn me on like no one else."

She bit her lip and moved her hand around from his back to his waist, then she started to travel lower. His cock twitched in anticipation. Slowly she covered him with her palm and he somehow grew even harder. Merlin, he wanted to feel her hand against him without the barrier of clothing.

She rubbed him slowly, the motion teasing at what he really wanted. "I've never done this before." She gave him a small squeeze then rubbed him again. "So I don't really know if this is… good."

He pulled her hand away but gave her a reassuring smile when she looked saddened. "I'll show you. Let's lie down."

He grabbed his wand and conjured a blanket to lay on the ground. Then he removed his cloak and Gemma did the same. He noticed she was in her skirt again; good girl. Together they laid down on the blanket, and Sirius opened the front of his trousers.

He glanced at Gemma. She was watching his hands, watching his every movement. "Gem." She looked up to his face. "What do you want to do?"

She bit her lip again – an action he was starting to find very enticing – before she looked back down at his erection. "I want to touch you. I want to give you an orgasm, like you gave me the other day."

He smiled. He wasn't going to argue with that. He quickly pulled his cock out of his trousers and lowered his boxers. It rose up, hard and tall, and Sirius felt pretty proud. He knew he was well above average.

He glanced at Gemma; she was staring at him with eyes wide. He gripped himself tightly and began to stroke up and down. He watched her eyes track the movement and her lips parted as she sucked in a breath. Fuck, he was set to explode already.

She looked back at him and blushed hard. "Sorry."

"Don't be." He continued to stroke himself. "I like you watching me." And wasn't that the truth. He'd never done this with a girl before. Only two girls had ever seen or touched his cock; one had stroked him from inside his boxers, and it had been pretty enjoyable, but the other had been Katie Travell – she had tried to control the situation and overpower him. She clearly enjoyed inflicting a little pain with her pleasure. He'd promptly shut that down.

"Can I touch you?"

He nodded and let go. She moved closer to him, then wrapped her hand around him. He jerked from the contact. "Fuck." His head fell back and Gemma continued to stroke him, mirroring his earlier pace. "Harder." She squeezed him a little harder and picked up her pace. She really was a quick study. He closed his eyes as he felt the tingling at the base of his spine. It wasn't long before he climaxed hard and a groan tore from his lips.

It took him a moment to recover. He looked at Gemma who was staring at him, a small smile playing on her lips. She had enjoyed that. But now he wanted to give her something in return.

Grabbing his wand, he quickly cleaned them up, tucked himself back into his boxers, then pushed Gemma back onto the blanket. He covered her mouth with his and kissed her deep. She responded beautifully; her tongue tangled with his and her fingers scored against his scalp.

His fingers lowered to her shirt and he quickly began undoing the buttons. It parted easily and he trailed his lips over her jaw, her throat, down to her collarbone. She shivered under him and he continued his exploration with his lips and tongue. He nibbled at her skin; the delicious taste of vanilla and oranges making his cock grow hard again.

"Sirius."

Her voice was breathless as he continued to suckle her skin. His lips nudged at the top of her white cotton bra, and his hand moved to her bra strap. Slowly he pulled one, then the other down, pushing her shirt down too. Then he lowered the cup of her bra and revealed one soft, shapely breast. His breath caught in his throat. He hadn't seen many breasts in his time, but he somehow knew Gemma's were perfect.

He glanced up at her face to find her staring at him. Holding eye contact, he lowered his mouth to her breast and captured her nipple. She closed her eyes on a gasp and her head fell back as he suckled deep, swirling his tongue around the hardened tip. He ground his pelvis into her hip, his cock rock hard once again.

"Oh. Sirius."

He lowered the other side of her bra, revealing both her breasts to his gaze. He fondled the newly exposed breast, rolling her nipple between his finger and thumb as she writhed beneath him. His other hand ventured lower and lifted her skirt. She parted her legs for him as he found her core; hot, wet and ready for him. Pushing her underwear aside, he ran his finger through her folds then found her clitoris. He circled it lightly, teasing her.

Gemma whimpered. "Sirius. Please."

He chuckled against her breast as he moved to suckle her other nipple. "I like you begging."

Just as she began to lift herself up, he pressed against her clit and rubbed harder, faster. Her head fell back on a moan and he smiled.

Slipping his finger back through her folds, he pressed the slightest bit inside. He felt her tense, so he focused on kissing and sucking and nibbling at her skin as his thumb worked her clit. She relaxed, and he pressed back in again. This time, her body softened for him and he slowly eased his finger in and out of her tight sheath. He rubbed his aching cock against her hip – the friction nowhere near enough – as he imagined what it would be like to push himself inside her.

"Sirius. Please."

He really did enjoy her begging. But he enjoyed her climaxing more. He lifted himself slightly and took her lips with his as he continued to play with her body. He increased his pace, pushing inside of her faster and deeper. His tongue lashed against hers as he mimicked the thrusts of his finger. His thumb kept up a focused spiral on her sensitive nub and he swallowed her moans and cries.

Balancing on his elbow, his free hand found her breast again and he squeezed the soft weight then pinched her nipple; she arched underneath him and cried out as her orgasm hit her, her inner muscles clamping around his finger.

He looked down at her face. She was beautiful in ecstasy.

Gemma closed her eyes and relaxed into the soft blanket beneath her. That had been the best orgasm ever; already taking top spot over the one Sirius had given her before. And somehow she just knew things would only get better.

She could feel Sirius's fingers lightly trailing up and down her inner thigh and the sensation tickled. She laughed and squeezed her legs shut. Sirius chuckled. "You're ticklish."

Gemma opened her eyes and turned to him. "Only there."

"I'm sure I'll find a few other spots." He continued to trail his fingers down her leg, curving under her knee and tickling the back.

She laughed and kicked out. "Stop, please!"

Sirius chuckled and sat up. "Fine, I'll stop."

Gemma sat up too and looked down at herself. Her shirt was open, her breasts spilling out over the top of her bra; her skirt was hiked up around her waist. She started to readjust herself, and looked over at Sirius. "How come I look like a complete mess and you look like you've just gotten dressed for the day?"

He grinned at her. "You've had every opportunity to rip my clothes off, Gem. I'd never stop you."

Gemma blushed. She was tempted to rip his clothes off. Especially as she already knew how handsome his broad chest was and his beautiful strong arms. And now she had seen - and touched - his cock, she could imagine just how perfect he would look completely naked.

She smiled at the memory of holding him in her hand and stroking him and bringing him pleasure. It had been intoxicating. But he had been so big; so hard. The thought of him... entering her filled her with anxiety. Especially as his finger had felt huge inside her.

"Sirius." He turned to her and she took a steadying breath. "I know I said I wanted to have sex with you – and I absolutely still do – I just… I don't think I'm ready to do that, today. I really enjoyed what we've just done but I wasn't expecting anything today and while I do want to have sex with you, I sort of meant more in the future… so one day maybe we'd…"

Sirius placed his finger over her lips. "Shh." She stopped talking. "I get it, Gem. I didn't mean to pounce on you as soon as you said you wanted to have sex. And I had no real intention of going all the way today. Not here; on the cold, hard floor. Our first time should be in a bed."

Gemma relaxed and smiled. "A bed does sound nice." She thought of her own bed in her dorm. Then she thought of the girls who would be right next to her. "Shame we don't get much privacy in our dorms though."

Sirius chuckled. "Leave that with me. I'll think of something."

He stood, then turned and helped her to stand as well. She brushed out her clothing one more time. "What are you doing now? Are you celebrating your birthday with the guys tonight?"

Sirius nodded and walked over to the railing. Gemma joined him. "Yep. A few games, maybe some drinks. Fleamont sent me a bottle of fire whiskey for me to 'celebrate my eighteenth in style'." Sirius laughed. "I don't know how he can drink so much of the stuff; the shot I have to do as a dare is bad enough!"

"Fleamont?" Gemma didn't know the name.

"Oh. James's dad. He insists I call him that." Sirius shrugged as if suddenly embarrassed.

Gemma smiled. "You must be close." She realised how obvious a statement that was. "I mean, I know you live with them and everything, but it sounds like you're really one of the family."

"Yeah."

Gemma couldn't read Sirius at that moment. He had agreed, but she could see a hesitation in him. She wondered if he really felt like part of the family, or if he felt like an outsider. She hoped not; everyone needed a family, even if not the one you were born with.

He turned to her suddenly. "Oh, I never told you; an uncle of mine died a few months ago, and he left me a load of money. I got the letter today. Now I'm eighteen I'm legally entitled to it."

Gemma hadn't been expecting that. "Oh wow. I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, but that's lovely he left you an inheritance."

"I know. I didn't even know him. He was cast out of the family years ago, so his face has always just been a black smudge on the family tree, but in the letter it says he heard about me getting sorted into Gryffindor and then leaving home, so he wanted me to have all his money. And it's a lot of money."

Sirius grinned and Gemma couldn't help but smile back. She didn't fully understand the comment about his uncle being a black smudge, but she loved seeing Sirius so happy. She knew he wasn't a shallow person; he had just had so little from his family, it was good that at least one person was looking out for him, even if they had never met. "That's awesome."

He nodded his head. "When I leave here, I won't have to worry about a job for a while. I can travel the world, maybe even buy a motorbike. I'd love a motorbike. I might charm it to fly as well."

Gemma smiled as she listened to Sirius talk about his plans after school; he wanted to head straight to America and explore the country, before travelling through Europe and Asia. He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said he wanted to see the world. Gemma was almost envious.

"I guess it all depends on the war though." Sirius turned so his back was against the railing. "Reading the articles about the latest attacks, it's not just Aurors that are having to fight."

Gemma sighed. "I know. But hopefully the Ministry will get it under control soon. It's not right that people are having to fight. Most haven't had any sort of real training, and they can't arrest the death eaters. All they can do is defend and protect."

"We need more Aurors." Sirius smiled at her. "We need you."

Gemma grinned. "I'm working on it. My application went in – the very first, apparently - and I'm confident I'll be accepted. And not just because of who my parents are."

Gemma heard the bitter note in her voice and she cringed. She hadn't meant to say that. Unfortunately Sirius picked up on it. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing."

"Gemma."

She sighed. She knew that tone. "Fine. Alice made a comment the other day about how I'm obviously going to be accepted because I'm an Arwin." Gemma shrugged, the slight sting resurfacing. "I don't think she meant anything by it, but it just brought up some old memories."

Memories of Gemma's first year and being called out in class as performing particularly well, and a few of the Ravenclaw girls commenting that the professors only liked her because of her father. Because they were scared to piss off George Arwin. They had continuously commented that she got special treatment just because of her surname and she had hated it. But then Alice had stood up for her and told her she could be called Gemma Smith and she would still be amazing.

Gemma shook her head. Of course Alice hadn't meant her comment horribly. Gemma was being silly; over sensitive because of all the stress they were under. "I'm being an idiot. Ignore me."

Sirius laughed. "I'll try but you're pretty hard to ignore." Gemma's heart flipped and her skin prickled as he stared at her, his gaze intense as it dropped to her lips. He wanted to kiss her again, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want the same. He looked back up to her eyes. "And you'll definitely get accepted. Your application was solid, you get great assessments from all your teachers and… while it doesn't define you, you do have Auror blood. You should be proud of that."

She smiled. "I am. Thank you."

Sirius stood. "Right. I've been soppy enough for one day. Shall we head down and grab some dinner? Then maybe I can beat you at poker… take all your money."

Gemma grinned. "You're the one with all the money now, Sirius, so you better watch out. It might be your birthday but I never lose my competitive streak."

"I'd hope not." Sirius placed his hand on Gemma's back and guided her down the stairs. He followed behind and Gemma smiled to herself. The evening had started better than she had expected.

Gemma walked quickly down towards the Quidditch pitch and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. November was cold.

As she arrived, she could hear the sound of voices as the Gryffindor team practiced. Only a couple other students were watching, so Gemma stood along the edge and waited for them to finish.

Eventually all the players flew down and started to pack away. James spotted her and ran over. "Hey. You ready?"

She nodded, her body wracked with nerves. Alice had received another note from Frank and he had shared that someone had been kicked out of the programme because he had been unable to perform basic spells while flying on a broom. Apparently there had been other reasons too, but Gemma had taken that first reason seriously. She wasn't a strong flyer. She didn't like heights, so she always took her time getting comfortable. And as for casting spells while flying at top speeds; she had zero confidence.

So, she had asked James to help her train, and he had gladly accepted.

"Grab a broom and we'll head up." He pointed to the broom closet and Gemma headed over. She picked one of her favourites – a Cleansweep Six – and mounted. Together her and James pushed off and he flew immediately higher and further ahead.

She called after him. "It seems I need help with my kick off too."

James chuckled as he flew back to her. "You'll never get a faster kick off on a Cleansweep, Gemma. You need one of these." James tapped his Nimbus 1000.

Gemma smiled and playfully rolled her eyes. "Since I'm not on the quidditch team, I don't think my parents will buy me one of those. In fact, I'll be lucky if they buy me a broom at all; I may have to use one of the Ministry brooms when I'm an Auror."

James pulled a face as if she had just suggested he clean his teeth with someone else's toothbrush. She held back a laugh.

"Right." James sat back on his broom and clapped his hands. "Let's get started. I'm thinking we start by flying some laps; get you used to flying again. Then we'll cast Vermillious, just to get used to the balance between flying and casting spells; then, we'll work on aim."

Gemma smiled. "I feel like you've done this before."

"Just using our Chaser practice technique. We always start basic and work our way up. Hardly fair to expect someone to jump on their broom, catch the Quaffle, dodge a Bludger and score within their first ten minutes." James did a clever little loop in the air, clearly showing off. "Although, obviously I managed it." He grinned and then shot off around the pitch. "Come on! Keep up!"

Gemma smiled and rolled her eyes. Merlin, he was a pain sometimes.

Flying after him and being nowhere near fast enough to catch him, Gemma followed James around the pitch. Soon she was comfortable with flying again, and her and James were shooting red sparks out in front of them.

"Up!" James shouted and Gemma sent the sparks up. "Right!" She shot them right. "Up! Down!" Gemma followed his instructions, reacting quickly to the different directions he was giving her, never knowing what was coming next. "Over your shoulder." She twisted and cast the sparks over her shoulder, then quickly turned back. She was finding it difficult to fly at pace and cast the spells, but she was getting better.

Suddenly a flash of red appeared in Gemma's vision and she felt her broom lift from underneath her. She slipped backwards, but maintained her grip on the handle and steadied herself.

"What the fuck." Gemma heard James's shout and she turned herself in midair. The Slytherin Quidditch team had arrived, their captain smirking at them as he pointed his wand at Gemma. James flew to the ground quickly. "What the hell are you doing, Venner. You could have knocked her off."

"Would serve her right for being on the pitch when it's Slytherin's turn to train." Venner sneered at James. "I should have aimed for you, Potter. Seeing you crash to the ground would have been an enjoyable start to our session."

The other Slytherins all laughed and sneered at them as Gemma flew down and joined James. James folded his arms over his chest and smirked. "It would take a lot more than that to knock me off my broom. And it's not your session yet. Gryffindor have the pitch for another twenty minutes."

"Wrong." Venner pulled out a piece of parchment. "We got approval for an extended session."

Gemma sighed and she saw James frown at the signed note. They must have snuck around the system somehow. But unfortunately, the rules were clear and binding when the Quidditch pitch was involved; if a House had approval to use it, then they used it. She turned to James. "Come on, we should go then."

James nodded. "Fine, we'll go." He looked over the whole team then back to Venner. "I suppose you need all the practice you can get."

And with that, James quickly turned and headed off the pitch. Gemma left her borrowed broom on the ground and ran after him, trying to keep up with his long strides. She didn't want to be left behind with an angry Slytherin Quidditch team. She could hear them shouting after them; mocking them, swearing at them, general nastiness that Gemma had learned to ignore.

She turned to James. "Despite finishing early, today was really helpful. Thank you."

He turned to her and smiled. "That's ok. You were doing really. Sorry those idiots ruined it for you. And that they tried to hit you." He stopped and turned to her fully. "You're ok, yeah? They didn't actually hit you, did they?"

She shook her head. "They didn't. I'm fine."

"Good." They turned and continued back to the common room. "Gryffindor are practicing again next Thursday, so I'm happy to work with you after if you want?"

"I'd love that, thank you. I really do appreciate you putting in this time with me."

"Of course; it means I can one day say I'm partly responsible for the success of the great Gemma Arwin." He winked at her and Gemma laughed. "Plus… I'm hoping you'll tell Lily all about my good deed."

Gemma laughed again. "Oh, I see. You don't care about helping me at all; you just want to impress Lily."

He chuckled. "Caught me. Will it work?"

She smiled. "I'm sure it will. I promise to tell Lily what an excellent human you are and that she's very lucky to be spending her Hogsmeade day with you." And Gemma realised she meant that; James really was a great guy and he would be good for Lily. And Lily would be good for him.

"Merlin, I'm nervous about Hogsmeade." Gemma glanced over at James, surprised he had said something so… humble. He looked just as surprised. "I didn't mean… I'm not nervous… it's just…"

"James." Gemma stopped him. "It's ok to be nervous. And to admit you're nervous. I get it. You care about her. You want the date to go well."

He took a deep breath. "I do. I really do. She's… wonderful. Amazing. Perfect. Too fucking good for me. I can't even believe she's agreed to this date and I asked her so bloody long ago I'm terrified I'm going to fuck it up before the day even starts." He ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry. I'm rambling. I'm just…" He chuckled slightly. "I'm nervous."

Gemma smiled and placed a hand on his arm. "Don't be. Lily is genuinely excited for your date and I know she likes you too. She wouldn't have said 'yes' otherwise. Just relax and be yourself."

He scoffed slightly. "I thought Lily hated myself."

Gemma rolled her eyes. "She never hated you, James. And when I say 'be yourself', I mean your actual self. Not the self you put on for the world to get the most laughs. Be the James you've been being for the last few months. The actual James."

James narrowed his eyes at her but smiled anyway. "I think you and Remus have been talking."

Gemma laughed and held up her hands. "I don't know what you mean." Even though she knew exactly what he meant; because yes, her and Remus may have had a conversation about James and Lily.

"You're a good friend Gemma." James said suddenly. "To Lily, and to me." He pulled her in for a hug and Gemma was momentarily surprised by the gesture. Then she smiled, relaxed and leaned into his embrace.