Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: I have wonderful news everybody! When I last posted I remembered that Valentine's Day is this week. And easy calculation led me to the decision that it was an opportune time for me to force myself to post twice a week. So sweet readers, I leave this chapter here today and I'll (hopefully) come back tomorrow with the next one.

Chapter 23: Invitation

More than a week after February's full moon, I found myself with Lily in the Library.

It was Friday, and I had come out of Double Potions ready to get work done. I planned to finish all the homework I had assigned for the following week, so I could immerse myself during the weekend in a stack of old books Dumbledore lent me. They had been delivered before I woke up. My dorm mates had commented on them; a total of five books sat one on top of the other on my nightstand. I said they were probably put there by the house elves and then I proceeded to ignore them by readying a letter from the Headmaster.

He claimed the books had been written in the time Merlin was alive by wizards contemporary to him, and that they spoke in detail of much of what they witness personally from my ancestral grandfather. Of Morgana, of whom I had asked for information only recently, he said he needed more time, but directed me to one of the books that had a page on her.

So I went about my day thinking of the lore to read at the same time as I tried to push it out of my mind. Spending the better part of a free period in the Library, Lily and I had been accompanied by some or her friends, but they left for their different classes. There was loud buzz lingering and rising in Hogwarts and it all had to do with the following day. However, today was a day for writing essays and of the last one to be done, we labored for a long time over reaching a foot of parchment. When we were sufficiently happy with what we had written, Lily gave me her parchment and I gave her mine, and we set to work.

It was an assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Lily had a skill when it came to writing essays for it. She was wonderful describing spell work and dark creatures, making me a bit self conscious of my written work. My peace of mind always came when Lily would give me back my parchment and I would find it devoid of drastic corrections. It was a moment to look forward to; one I could be proud of since my intense studying regime was working well if the best girl in class thought them to be fine.

I watched Lily squirmed in her seat, stretching her right arm in particular trying it to make strange angles to reach what I could only imagine was a pop. She twisted it around, trying to alleviate a pain that went as far as knotting itself on her forehead. With no relaxing pop to indicate a job well done, she deflated herself, sighing and slouching her shoulders forward as she went back to my paper with her quill.

"Did Professor Ofina have your class dueling again, yesterday?" I asked Lily. I couldn't watch her discomfort any longer. As much as I wanted my essay done with, I didn't want her to force herself when she was too down for it. And I thought conversation would help her.

"Yeah, her drills are insane." She sighed struggling with her words, passing them through gritted teeth, but once they were out in the open, many others stumbled out, giving me the impression that there was nothing more than she wanted to do than talk. And I hit the nail on the topic that bothered her. "Nina Bagnold couldn't defeat her boggart. She stumbled back unto me, crying. I was about to hex Mary so of course I miss and hit Nicrian Stimpson who was on the platform at the other end of the room. He lost his footing and landed in the middle of a duel, getting hit with a Stupefy. He was sent to the Hospital Wing with a fractured knee. It was horrible."

I gave her what I hoped was a sympathetic expression. My heart warmed by her and the conflicted look that invaded her green eyes. "Don't feel bad, it wasn't your fault."

She sighed again, her shoulders slouching a bit more after she tried to straighten them to maintain better emotions. "I just wish the professor didn't take things to such extremes. I know we are in a war, and we have to be prepared, but it's not nice that my friends have to get hurt just so I can practice."

"At least it's not a permanent damage. And you're under surveillance. Things don't get dirty in the classroom with the Ravenclaws." I said remembering my classes of Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Slytherins took it with the Hufflepuff so it was normally a well mannered affair, at least for me. My partner for my duels was Missa Lufkin, a Hufflepuff. She was a quiet, timid girl that answered my questions in monosyllables or grunts, but she was a quick thinker when it came to dueling and she kept me on my toes. The worst she had done to me was break my nose and that also happened to be one of the worse incidents we had had in the whole class; broken noses and a Vomiting Hex that had Mafalda spewing her way to the Hospital Wing.

"You're right. You're absolutely right, of course." I watched as she tried to inflate herself with a positive looking shake of her head, but when she was done she only seemed slightly up. She still radiated sadness. My guess was that it wasn't her day, even though nothing bad had happened as far as I knew. She had been fine at Potions. Her day had soured in Defense. "I've never seen you duel, Faraday. Are you good?"

"Well, I like to think so." She smiled at my words and I was glad that she did. Made me feel special for managing it, even if it didn't last long. "Maybe later we can have a spar you and I."

Nodding, she went on with deflated energies for the remainder of our free hour. I didn't like seeing her like that, but there wasn't much I could do. Sometimes a day was just horrible. Therefore, I left her as she was, and accepted my foot of parchment back with a small smile. I seemed to had done well in her eyes, and I was glad that I was done with all my work. Now all I had left to do was read Dumbledore's books. Lily was still down when it was time for us to leave the Library. She had a scheduled office hour with McGonagall, and she remained as disheartened as she had been before. I had plans of meeting with Peter, who would be out of Muggle Studies at that hour. I was only going to spend a short while with him, before heading to my House.

"Lighten up, Lily." I tried to tell her as a last resort. "Tomorrow's Valentine's. I'm sure Uric has something nice planned for the two of you in Hogsmeade."

Gertrude and Mafalda had talked of nothing else the night before as they got ready for bed. I was reading in my bed with the curtains pulled around me, so I was easy to ignore as they went on and on about what they expected from their boyfriends in the upcoming special day. As was expected with my amnesia, I had no clue what Valentine's Day was, but after listening in on my dorm mates, I could paint the picture. It didn't interest me for I didn't have a significant other to spend it with, or go with considering the first Hogsmeade trip of the term had been scheduled for the same day. I did want to go to Hogsmeade, since I had never gone, but I had no intention of going alone if Lily had a date. Nor was I going to ask Peter. He had his friends, and at least at that I didn't want to bother him.

Lily sighed as a response, packing her things into her bag.

We left the Library together but then we separated. Lily headed for the Professors office and I went outside to the grounds heading for the lake. It had rained for days, but today the sun came out and students were making the most of it by enjoying the general dryness. They loitered around in loud groups, more than once the word 'Valentine' floating around.

I got eyes as I went. I could feel them burning into me, and I did my best to ignore them as I headed down the stone path to the lake. There was a primordial rumor about me running around Hogwarts and as insignificant as I was in school, it refused to die down. And I knew it wasn't because of me, hell I knew it wasn't even because of Peter, it was all because of the Marauder reputation. Obviously, people had taken notice of my spending time with the Gryffindor boys. They spread many rumors I didn't care to listen, but the one being Peter's girlfriend was the most spread. The lie itself didn't bother me. None of the other did. It was the attention that got to me. I had no need for it, nor any desire to have it, and it was a nuisance that I hated. Though, the worst thing was that I figured I had to force myself to be alright with it.

Peter was one of my two closest friends, and I could never shun him away because of rumors. Plus there was the fact that I was getting used to the other Marauder boys. It wasn't such a hassle to be around them anymore, even when it caused a faster and more imaginative wave of lies to be spread around.

I found Peter with the rest of the Gryffindor boys sitting by the beech tree by the lake, lazily thrown under its cool shade. They were speaking together and when they saw me approaching, they waved at me. I sat between Peter and Remus, the last who had his face buried in a book. Peter had one opened in front of him too, but it laid forgotten as he spoke to his friends. They were starting to talk about the Hogsmeade trip too, and the special day it had landed on.

"Are you going?" Peter asked me after I finished adjusting my robes on the floor.

"No, I have a lot of books to read." Though I was excited to learn new information about my ancestors, I did secretly want to go to Hogsmeade. I wouldn't admit it anytime soon, but a little part of me wanted an excuse to go.

"Agh, you're so boring, Faraday." Sirius said, staring off haughty and bored to the students milling around the grass. For a second I wanted to be angry, but that was pointless. He turned to his best mate. "Prongs, what do you want to do in the village?"

James was resting his back against the bark of the tree, and even when one would think it was to feel comfortable, he looked anything but that. He took a breath before speaking, not looking at anyone in particular. "Well, Lily has a boyfriend. I'm sure they have a romantic day planed. Therefore, I want to stalk them for a couple hours and then drown my sorrow in Madam Rosmerta best oak-mature mead."

"No sabotage?"

James looked at me for a second, playing it off like unintentional as he went to pay attention to his friend messing his hair in the process, but I noticed. My mind went to that time he asked me to speak to Lily in his stead, and my answer. I tried not to show it on my face, yet I was extremely pleased that he had listened to me. Or at least I thought that had something to do with his decision. "I'm not feeling it."

"Boring, but I'll go for a bender too. Moony, Wormtail, what do you guys want to do?"

"Haul supplies." Remus said over his book and Peter on my side nodded, whispering something about a zonko and honey.

"No surprise at all." James said. This time he seemed different than the moment before. He leaned forward, a glint in his hazel eyes that I hadn't seen so close before. There was smugness in them, the kind I had seen when he was up to no good, and it made me wonder why. "And you Padfoot are you going on a date?"

I got a feeling there was an intended jab in his words with the way he said them. Especially with the irritated expression in caused on Sirius. When he answered, his words were drenched with sarcasm. "Yes, because I have a bird to go with."

"I'm sure you can find someone."

"Why don't you just stare one down and ask her. Like you did last Valentine's with Denyse Strentton." This was supplied by Remus whose eyes never left the book he read. I eyed the cover, trying to read the title and see if I recognized it. Damn thing had his resolved attention, it must have been fascinating. I made a mental note of it, intent of asking him later if I could borrow it.

"I don't fancy any of the girls right now." Black pulled a fistful of grass from his side, exposing the dark moist ground underneath. He threw the handful to the side, watching it land too close to where a group of third years were scribing furiously what could only be homework, and went to do it again.

"That doesn't seem like something to be so angry about." I said, more of a comment to his actions then to what was being conversed between the boys.

"He's angry because he wanted to take you." Peter said as he went to whisper in my ear, but when he spoke he did it too loudly, and I flinched away. Pulling a bit more back, I was shocked. Whether it was because of the information, though I had no idea if it was real, or the fact that Peter had come out with it so comfortable, like it wasn't a big deal, well, I didn't know. Looking instantly at Sirius, I noticed that he heard what Peter whispered. Hell the other two did as well, and they weren't too happy about it.

"Wormtail!"

"You s-said 'Next Valentine's I'll be taking Birdie to Hogsmeade.'" Peter said in a manner that seemed to me was to defend himself after afflicting damage. He became smaller under his friends' glare, and once I saw him look at James, as if asking for help. The Quidditch Captain shook his head and it made me realized something. James' jab from earlier had implied the same thing Peter had bluntly said.

"Birdie?" I asked not perturbed anymore with what had happened, turning to my friend with a slight curiosity.

"T-that's you."

"I figured." My stare landed on Black again, and he had eyes only for glaring at Peter. I tried to see beyond his angry grey eyes and his tense ready to pounce body. I analyzed every inch of him in a second, and I didn't find anything too problematic for me. There was no evading my look, or embarrassment in him, he didn't really seemed to care that I knew this sort of secret. Truth be told he looked like he had been betrayed, and glancing at James at his side cemented that thought in me. Potter had the same expression and tenseness, albeit not with the same intensity.

Sirius threw a patch of grass unto Peter, staining his robes with the dirt that clung to its roots. He squirmed by my side, trying to clean the fabric with his bare hands. We watched him fumble over himself, and after a while of waiting, I pulled my wand out to utter a cleaning spell. I felt sorry for Peter, I really did, but a part of me didn't enjoy the fact that he had told me that so brusquely in front of all his friends. He shouldn't have even told me, he knew how aversive I was to that kind of thing after he confessed during Christmas.

"What bothers you more, Padfoot? Not going with the bird in the white dress or losing the bet?" Remus had closed his book, and his immersion into the conversation alleviated the tense atmosphere for before. I turned to him, feeling like I was in a whirlwind of astonishment, whipping around from one side to the other.

"There was a bet?!" This time it was me the one that spoke louder than I should have, and that action apparently eased the space under the tree a bit more, almost back to normal and so where the boys.

"Twenty galleons." James simply said, enjoying what I could only imagine was the look on my face.

I whirled back to Black, this time he did meet my stare. There was nothing in those grey abysses that I recognized, not that I made a habit at looking at him, but I felt comfortable with the fact that nothing was awkward. When Peter had told me his feelings there had been a few awkward encounters between us, not that I thought Sirius Black had feelings for me. He seemed as normal as I felt, and I took that as a good sign. "Why haven't you asked me to Hogsmeade yet?"

He was surprised, they all were. He blinked a couple times at me, giving the impression that he couldn't see me well. There was an indecisive moment in him, I caught him off guard, and he looked in the corner of his eyes to James. That one also could only stare at me, his mouth slightly agape. "You'd go with me?"

"If all is clear that it's a date sorely to win the bet and I get to spend half the money, then yes." I did a motion with my hands as I blurted out the words, more excited than I should be. I wanted to go to Hogsmeade, and though I had lots of interesting things to do, all I needed was an excuse. Also, one of the main reasons I didn't want to venture to the village by myself was because I didn't have any money. I spent all I had left on Lily's birthday present. And going to look at stores without money was no fun.

"That's folly!" James said pointing at me with an obtrusive finger.

"There weren't any specifications." This was replied by Remus, whose eyes shone with a playfulness I found myself enjoying.

"It's my money!"

"But you're Peter's girl." Sirius spoke over James' complain. My attention went back to him. His eyebrows were set together as he stared, his eyes bouncing between me and Peter.

"I don't get why everybody thinks that." I said to Peter. He looked away as if I had caught him doing something bad. It made me wonder. Did he now feel betrayed that I was agreeing on going on a date with his friend, did he still have feelings for me or was he still embarrassed about what happened earlier? If it was because of the first, I would get angry. I was being clear with my intentions, and he, as I person I would expect to know me, should know I have no feelings for his friend.

The other boys stared.

"Might be the fact that you're all over him." James piped in, his voice laced with bit of discomfort.

I shrugged not thinking much of it anymore. "I think he's cute."

The boys took turns to look at Peter and me. Remus spoke. "There isn't anything going on between you two?"

Remus' question caught me off guard and it made me realized something. Peter had not told them about his confession to me or my rejection. He had not. If he had, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And I had trouble trying to think of why. They were his best mates; his house and dorm mates, surely they had no secrets from each other. Or at least, that how I had seen it up until now. No wonder he was so quiet.

I shook my head, making way for silence to befall amongst us.

Sirius spoke up, slowly as if he was testing his footing with every word he said. His eyes were sorely on me, confused looking but also somewhat interested, I think. "So, you would say yes to going to Hogsmeade on a date with me? As friends of course, to win the bet."

"I'm not giving you the money. You're cheating!" There was a frown on James' face as he went to cross his arms.

"You have to."

"Moony!"

I thought for a moment that I was being too spontaneous and insensitive, but I pushed that away. "Sure! I'll go with you. I've never been to Hogsmeade before. And with ten galleons to spend!"

"You've never b-been to Hogsmeade?" Peter asked quickly looking at me with strange eyes.

The boys seemed curious to know just why I had never been to the village before, but I ignored them. I sat up instantly and grabbed my book bag, putting it to hang from my shoulder. I looked down at them with a smile. "You need a permission form for the trip right? I have to go talk to McGonagall about mine. We'll meet after breakfast, okay Sirius?"

And with that I left them all in the air, off to find Professor McGonagall, forgetting completely for the moment, about all the reading I had planned to do the following day.

. . .