Chapter 6 – Study Date

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It was their first study date, a week after Sirius birthday. Lily was already back in class and helped her during, but it would be nice not to have help at all. She was a bit miffed that she didn't ask for to tutor her, but she explained she had enough on her plate already. Once she accepted her explanation, she nearly fell from her chair laughing that the Sirius Black was going to tutor her. Izzie left her in the common room, where she was still laughing.

So, now Izzie and Sirius were sitting in the library for about half an hour. Not that they had much time to study as they kept being interrupted by girls every few minutes who wanted to talk to Sirius. Just like now...

"Hey, Sirius." A pretty girl came over, rubbing her hand on Sirius's back. Sirius sighed quietly.

Izzie looked up smiling and even though she wasn't addressed she said. "Hello, Madeline."

The girl glared at her for a hot second before turning back to Sirius. Izzie shrugged and turned back to her essay.

"Never thought I would see you in the library to study." Her fingers trailed up and down his back. "There are more fun things to do here, do you want to-'"

"No." Sirius looked up from his notes he was writing for her. Izzie looked at them from the corner of her eye. "I'm not interested, can you just-" He waved his hand. "Go."

"I -" The girl was red in the face and fuming. Izzie's guess was that no boy had ever denied her. "This isn't over." She gritted through her teeth, shooting a glare at Izzie.

"It is for me, bye." And with that Sirius looked back down. Madeleine stood there for another minute trying to get his attention. When that didn't work, she marched out of the library.

"How do they all find me here?" He groaned.

"They don't. They're not out searching for you, Black." Izzie snickered. "They were all literally studying when we came in"

Sirius snorted in disbelief. Izzie knew some of the girls weren't really studious. But nobody was that stupid. They worked in silence again for a few more minutes before they heard giggling girls come closer. Sirius put his quill down with a loud thump and turned to her.

"I can't work like this."

"Like this... you mean in the library or with me? Or just study at all."

"I mean here. With all the girls."

"I thought you relished in the attention?'

"Well, not now." He snapped. Izzie studied him for a moment, he had his head down, playing with his fingers. Izzie rose from her seat swiftly and started packing up. "Where are you going?" He asked a little panicked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Oh, Sirius " She chuckled lightly. "You're not getting off the hook with studying with me. I just know a place where we can be alone."

"Oh." Sirius fought the blush. "Right, great." He shoved all of his things in his bag with one movement. "Lead the way."

"Let's go." She grabbed his hand, surprising Sirius, as she guided him out of the library and weaved through the castle. She hadn't let go of his hand since the library, and Sirius didn't mind at all. He looked at their clasped hands, they fitted perfectly, Sirius mused to himself. Then a shiver ran down his spine, making his halt in his tracks.

"Iz? Why are we in the dungeons?" He asked with a frown. "The Slytherin common room is nearby."

"I know. Right there." She pointed at a blank wall.

"How-" He started but she pulled him into an empty classroom on their right. "Where are we?"

"An empty classroom." She said, blowing off the dust from one of the desks.

Sirius tried to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "I figured that out."

"You asked." She smiled over her shoulder before sitting down. "This once, a long time ago, was the classroom for the Dark Arts."

"Defence against the Dark Arts, you mean?" Sirius asked as he sat down next to her, placing his bag on the floor.

"No, just the Dark."

"Huh." He glanced around the dark room. Izzie lit a few candles with the wave of her hand, he looked at her curiously. "You really are a little Charmer."

"Oh, Merlin. Not you too." She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched up. "At least we'll have our peace and quiet, no one comes here."

"I wonder why." He muttered to himself. He watched her take her things back out and leaned forward to examine where she left off. Her caramel hair hung like a curtain in front of her face, he could just see the top of her nose. He desperately wanted to tug her hair back, to see her face, probably that cute little frown on top right now, but he restrained himself, barely. He leaned back, placing his hands behind his head, pushing his chair up to the back legs.

"Can I help you?" She asked, not looking at him instantly, she scribbled down another few notes, before she finally revealed herself from behind her curtain of hair. She had raised an eyebrow, the corner of her lip slightly twitched up.

The way she asked him that, send an unvoluntary shiver through him. He leaned forward, letting his chair fall back on his four legs. His face a few inches from hers. "No, I was just wondering."

"I hope you're wondering how you're going to explain Felix Felices to me, because that's why we are here for, remember?" She said, tucking her hair behind her ear, exasperated.

"In due time, love. In due time." He sent her a lopsided smile. Which she thought was cute, but nothing more, surely nothing more. "Tell me something about yourself first."

"I thought we agreed to do that after our study session." She said looking back to her notes.

"We never agreed on when." He said, prodding her arm. "So..."

"So, what do you want to know?" She asked looking back at him. She leaned back on her chair. Her arms protectively crossed around her chest.

"Everything." He grinned. "But where to start..." He snapped his fingers: "Oh, are you a pureblood? You certainly have some of the traits, but not all of them."

"I am, I thought you knew." She tilted her head a little as she regarded him. Then she shook her head before he could respond. "Of course, you didn't." She looked down at her crossed arms.

He reached his hand out tentatively but dropped it before it could reach her. "I'm sorry."

"James already apologised." She said, waving it off. "And it's okay, I'm just always amazed how little you guys know." She frowned. "Even the basics."

"I-" Sirius opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing what to say. Because of course she was right. They never even gave her a second glance, and for the life of him, for her sitting in front of him, he couldn't understand how that had happened. "I am really sorry. I don't have any excuse, nor does James. Please, give us a second chance."

She looked up to him, her eyes large. She had never heard him beg anyone for anything. She nodded before she even realised she was doing it. "In case of forgiven you and all, you can ask me another question."

Sirius started to beam at that. "Who's your favourite band?"

"I like muggle music. Led Zeppelin, Queen, things like that. I don't know if you know them?"

"Know them? I live vicariously through them!"

"Who knew we had something in common, huh?" She chuckled. Then she turned and tapped her paper. "Now, first study."

"Yeah." He breathed, he looked at her for another second before he leaned closer to explain the potion.

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"You think she's related?" Sirius asked James as they sat in the common room, two weeks after their first study date, always in that eerie abandoned classroom. They had met up six or seven times by now, and he was learning more and more every day. Besides the fact she liked the same music as him, she also loved muggle movies, playing hide and seek whenever there was a ball at their house, she had grown quiet after that. She told him how she and Remus met, how that she knew about his furry little problem, that one shocked him to be honest. He asked her how she and James got close. That one made her laugh, and she informed him; she was giving him pointers to woo Lily.

But right now, he was watching her again. He was watching her since the beginning of the year together with James. James had stopped eventually, going back to his plan to woo Evans. And in doing so he gotten pretty close to Izzie, but not Sirius. Izzie was sitting on the opposite of the room with Lily and Marlene. She looked so serious as she discussed something with the girls, a small frown on top. James was smirking at him from above him. Sirius was sitting at a small table in the corner, while James was leaning against the wall. He ignored it, per usual, but to his horror, he called out to her.

"Oi, Miller!"

She snapped her head their way and raised a perfect single eyebrow. James gestured her over with his index finger. With a slight roll of her eyes, she walked over.

"Can I help you?" She always asked them like that. And Sirius liked that very much, it made him smile.

"Yeah, question." James was grinning like a madman right now. "Are you related to Sirius?" Sirius's smile dropped and glared at James.

"What?" She chuckled, she glanced between them before she said. "Nope." Sirius nearly lost it at how her lips popped the P. "My grandparents originated from the states, but I do believe you are a sixth cousin removed or something." She waved her hand to James. "Can I ask how my heritage came up?"

Sirius wasn't one to blush easily. But now, he had to fight it off, not knowing if it actually worked but considering James toothy grin, he doubted it.

"Yeah Sirius, how did it come up?" James raised an eyebrow, making Sirius just want to throttle him.

"Uhm." He cleared his throat as she looked at him. "You just look like my great aunt." He blurted out. She blinked her eyes owlishly at him, not expecting that. James looked like he wanted to ram his head into the wall, the same way he was feeling, to be honest. Idiot!

"Oh." She frowned a little, then she smiled brightly. "Well then, you better finish your homework then, cousin."

James barked out a laugh as she turned to sit with her friends. Sirius watched her go, saw how Marlene, Lily and Izzie all leaned their heads together whispering. Lily's head snapped up to them with an acquiring look. Sirius quickly looked away, only for his eyes to lock with Remus who had come down the boys' staircase. He grinned too, knowingly. He must've heard everything. Fucking werewolf hearing.

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Sirius poked his head out of the curtains of his bed and saw that the others were all drawn shut. He slipped quietly out of his bed and into James', who didn't look remotely surprised to see him. James without saying anything waved a Muffliato around them.

"I think our plan to get to know her is going well, don't you think?" Sirius asked. "I mean you grew close to her before me, with the whole Evans thing, but I eventually found a way to get her to talk to me." Sirius babbled. James looked amused at him as he leaned back on his hands. "What?"

"You like her."

"Of course, I like her. She's Remus's best mate. Moony seems happy, and that was the whole point, wasn't it? For Moony to be happy."

"And the thing about Do you think she's related?" He asked, with raised brows.

"I was just wondering, since she's a pure-blood and all." He shrugged, looking away.

"Right. Why don't you sleep on that, Padfoot." James shook his head slightly, flopping on his back.

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I finished writing this story yesterday, it's going to be 70 chapters