SUNNY side UP PART 3 : (gulp)
Sorry I took so long to finish this, hope this one's as good as the two previous stories.
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Sirius considered leaving, but curiosity got the better of him. He edged closer to the greenhouse, noises from the snowball fight started to fade away.
The girl replied, " I don't know what do you wanna do? "
"Maybe we should lay low for a while." answered Moony
Blimey, and all this years we thought Moony was shy!
"There has been a lot of nasty rumors..."
"You don't wanna be seen with me, don't you ?" interrupt the girl, her voice quavering
Sirius desperately fought the urge to jump on them,
If Moony is starting to keep secrets from us, I'm gonna make him pay.
He crept even closer, pretending an interest on one of the potted Mandrake Professor Sprout kept in the greenhouse as the voices became suddenly muffled.
"Come on, don't be silly. You know I care so much about you. C'mere."
Sirius could only hear the rustling of their robes as the couple embraced. He was eating his heart out with all this Moony and the Mystery Girl thing.
Who the hell is that girl???!! What kinda girl would make him stab another guy in the back ???
He looked around, trying to conjure a plan so he can catch old Moony in the act. The couple were standing behind a tree near the green house, there was nothing around them but tall trees.
Hmm...should I sneak up on them or blow that damn tree to pieces so they can't hide??
"I think we should go back inside, it's chilly out here. I don't want you to catch cold."
Even though he couldn't see through the tree, Sirius knew that the girl was smiling at Sirius.
"Remus, someday we should thank him you know."
"What for ?" asked Remus
"If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have the chance to see each other again."
" Yeah good old Padfoot."
Sirius' jaw dropped when he heard that remark,
GOOD OLD ME????? WHO THE HELL IS SHE???????????
Suddenly something horrible flashed through his mind,
It couldn't be HER could it? Moony couldn't be talking to......
Sirius felt as if he got struck by lightning when Remus and that girl came out from behind the tree they were hiding. Although he could only see their backside, that girl has an unmistakable jet black hair, with a figure Sirius would give a nine for.
He watched as the two figures disappeared inside the Castle, "Moony finally gets a girl." he whispered.
The image of Moony's girl flooded into his thought, he shook his head to get rid of it.
I should be happy for him, they're perfect for each other. But why does it have to be Marissa?????????
Sirius felt something funny, his heart seems to be strangely empty. Unable to move or even think, his first instinct was to take his other form. A black dog appeared where he just stood, hanging it's head down, looking as if it was separated from its master. The black dog wandered around the snow covered grounds until darkness fell. The snow seems to chill him to the bones as Sirius rose in his human form.
What am I suppose to do ? Should I give them my blessing or should I fight back ?
As he entered the Castle, his mind was set.
I'll give Moony the happiness he deserves even if I die doing it.
He thought his steps would become lighter as he reached the verdict, but nothing happened. His heavy heart remains, and the nagging emptiness persists.
"There you are, we've been looking all over for you !" Sirius turned and found James marching toward him.
He froze and waited for James to catch up with him, "Where's everybody? "
"They already left for the Great Hall. Would you hurry up already ? I'm starving!" replied James.
The Great Hall was its usual magnificent self, tall Christmas trees were put on almost every corner in celebrating the holiday season. The candles that normally hovers above them were replaced by thousands of fairy lights, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Sirius, on the contrary wished that he could just skip dinner and go straight to bed.
He sat between James and Arthur Sears and joined their discussion about Quidditch just to occupy his mind, but when he glanced away, he knew that his efforts were in vain.
Marissa McKinnon was sitting directly across himself in the Hufflepuff table. She caught his eyes and smiled. Sirius were suddenly oblivious of his surroundings, all that matters to him was Marissa.
Stop it Sirius! She's Moony's girl, how
could you look at her that way?
So what if she's Moony's girl, I'm not going to touch her. I'll just.....well...I'll just admire her from afar.
His arguments with himself was broken when Lily turned to him, "So Sirius, who are you taking to the Ball?"
He stole a look to the Hufflepuff table then shrugged, "Nobody, I'm going stag I think."
James choked on a roast beef, "THE Sirius Black going stag? Well...well....you'll be breaking a lot of hearts then."
Sirius smiled unconvincingly and gnawed at his plate,
"Have you asked Marissa?"
Sirius almost jumped at the sound of Remus' voice, he regained his calmness before replying,
" No I haven't. But why don't YOU take her Moony? "
All around the table, people are looking at Sirius with wide eyes.
"Is he crazy or something? I thought he was the one after Marissa McKinnon!" said the whispers, "Is Remus having a crush on her as well??"
Sirius took no notice of them, instead he stared directly at Remus, expecting his answer. Remus looked a bit uneasy,
Maybe he's worried I'll blow his cover. Okay, it's his game, it's his rules.
He took a deep breath and faked a booming laugh, "Naw, just kidding! Of course I'm asking her, just thought ol' Moony here would be interested."
His laughter was echoed by the rest of them, some of the Gryffindor whacked his back, "Good luck Sirius, she's a tough catch." said James, "Even I........" his voice trailed away as he found Lily staring.
"Even you what James?" she said, toying with her fork and knife.
James cleared his throat, "Even I...wouldn't go after her because I already got you." He put his arms around Lily and gave her a peck in the cheek.
Sirius joined the Gryffindors in their roar of laughter, but there was still a sore spot on his heart.
What if she's not in love with Moony? Would she go to the Christmas Ball with me?
After dinner they all went back to the Gryffindor tower, filled with food, incredibly tired but still in high spirits. Most of them however chose their beds over the rowdy common room.
It's was almost midnight when the Marauders stumbled into their bedroom, James was hooting over some joke Peter told them. He collapsed into his bed and was fast asleep in about five seconds. Peter whined about which girl he's taking to the Christmas Ball, he ceased only after Remus threatened to put a hex on him.
"So, when are you going to ask Marissa?" asked Remus rummaging for his pajamas, he then sat on his bed waiting for Sirius' reply.
The bedroom seems to be eerily silent, except for Peter's snores. Sirius wondered, technically they're alone now, should he ask Remus? From the corner of his eyes, he saw Remus sitting there waiting patiently. Deep inside he knows, he would never ask about it. Not because it would hurt Remus, but because it would hurt him even more.
Finally he mumbled something about looking for the right time, it was half an hour past midnight when they drifted off to sleep.
"Psst...look who's standing over there." Sirius followed James' gaze until his eyes rested on the one and only. They were heading to the Great Hall for breakfast the following morning.
"It's Marissa! Come on Sirius, go and ask her!" urged Lily
Sirius stole a glance at Remus, who's looking as excited as James and Lily,
What the hell is he trying to do? Is he trying to get me humiliated when she choose him over me?
Thought Sirius, as a sudden wave of anger washed through him. He stared at Remus' eyes, seeking a glint of mischief hidden inside it. But he all he found was pure excitement.
"Come ON Padfoot, you're going to lose her again!" Remus gave him a gentle nudge. Sirius lingered for a second
What the hell....at least I tried, she could turn me down or even put a curse me. Well, I don't care if they want to rub mud on my face.
He sprinted to Marissa who was leaning on the wall. She smiled pleasantly when she saw he was coming. Sirius actually thought she was happy to see her.
"Hi! I suppose you're back to your old self now."
His heart was pounding so loudly, he felt he was going deaf.
"Yeah, thanks a lot for those books." he replied, hoping that his voice would cover the thumping of his heart.
"No problem, hope it helped."
"It's quite useful actually, I still use it as a self defense weapon."
Marissa giggled at the joke, "Ookay.....what ever you say Mister Black..."
Should I ask her now? What would she say? Would she agree? What if she thinks this is some kind of game? What if...
"Would it be okay if we go to the Christmas Ball together?" blurted Sirius, by now his heart felt like it was trying to break his chest. He watched as Marissa's face went crimson.
Dammit, me and my big fat stupid ugly........
"Sure, I'd be glad to go."
smart....fast....and intelligent mouth....
Sirius suddenly felt his face growing warm
I'm not blushing am I?
"Thanks, so I'll catch you up at the Great Hall okay?" Marissa nodded and gave him another smile.
He walked backwards, not wanting to miss the sight of her, and bumping to a lot of people in the process.
James, Remus and Peter were giving each other high fives when he reached them, with Lily beaming as if she was watching James winning the Quidditch World Championship.
"You did it! You did it!" cried Peter enthusiastically
"This calls for a celebration."
"How 'bout getting some Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks tonight?" whispered Remus.
Sirius' head deflated immediately, the rush of adrenaline made him forgot all about Remus and Marissa. Suddenly he felt worse than ever before.
Ahhh...what the hell....someday it'll be good for a few laugh. He thought, trying to convince himself.
He rejoined his friends halfheartedly and waited for the right time to confront Remus.
It was James who took the words right out of his mouth, "So Moonman, seems you're the only single guy around. Want me to fix you up with a nice girl ? Or with a sexy witch? Or would you prefer the wild child?"
Wolf whistles echoed in the Gryffindor table, drawing disapproving looks from the teachers table and curious one from other students, except of course the Slytherin's who openly jeered at them.
Sirius watched as Remus' face went 5 shades of crimson before he managed to utter something,
"I've already asked."
"What? Who is it? When? How?" demanded Arthur, suddenly the Gryffindorian seems to sprout extra long ears for better hearing, they leaned at Remus' direction.
Remus fixed his stare at Sirius before lowering his gaze, "You'll find out soon enough." he answered, stuffing his mouth with food so no one will ask more question.
His stare sparked an old flame in Sirius' heart, he started wondering again about Remus' conversation with Marissa the following day.
Are they using me as a shield so they can
cover up their relationship?
Out of the blue, Sirius chose to stop giving a damn about all this.
If they want to play, fine! Nobody can put the blame on me, anyway she agreed when I asked her.
He held his head high and rejoined the conversation, occasionally glancing at the Hufflepuff's table. Marissa was naturally there, they caught themselves staring at each other a few times. Sirius truly liked the way she blushed every time he caught her staring.
The whole Gryffindor house nagged Remus to tell them who his secret date is. The Marauders tried blackmailing him, Lily even suggested to slip a few drops of Veritaserum in his drink. But Remus stayed cool and played dumb every time they mentioned it. As the Christmas Ball drew closer, everyone grew tired of it and decided to wait instead.
"Lily, would you hurry up a little? The Ball is starting in 10 minutes, Professor McGonnagal told us to be there 30 minutes before." bellowed James, he glanced at his wristwatch again and started pacing back and forth.
"Allright..alright..hold your horses!!" yelled Lily, she descended the stairs and twirled in front of James.
"How do I look?" she asked, showing off her emerald green robe that complimented her red hair and lending her an unusual elegance.
James gaped at her for a long while before realizing that they are facing McGonnagal's wrath. They rushed through the entrance and practically sprinted to the Great Hall.
While James and Lily were zigzagging through a sea of students, Sirius were waiting anxiously for Marissa near the Great Hall. He craned his neck to look for her every 5 seconds. After 5 minutes of agonizing wait, she finally showed up, clad in a light burgundy robe that showed off her violet eyes. Sirius stood mesmerized, she certainly put quite an effort to look good tonight, her skin looked incredibly smooth and rosy, while her hair was piled up on top her head, leaving a few loose strands to frame her face.
Sirius stepped forward and offered her his hand, butterflies were dancing in his stomach before Marissa finally held his hand. They joined the other student waiting for the Great Hall to be opened.
Sirius leaned over to Marissa, "Thanks" he whispered.
"What for?"
"For being so beautiful."
He felt a tug on his hand, "You're a naughty boy Sirius Black."
Before he could give any reply for her remark, the doors of the Great Hall were opened. The Ball was opened formally by the Headmaster's speech, but the dancing was lead by the Headboy and Headgirl plus prefects.
The Great Hall was decorated by enormous Christmas trees twinkling with fairy lights and ornaments of every sort, snowflakes were falling from the enchanted ceiling, giving them a pinch of cool snow.
James and Lily as usual was a stunning couple, but today they were rivaled by Sirius and Marissa. They glided across the dance floor completely in tuned with the music, it was like they were the music.
Sirius couldn't care less about his surroundings, he only cared for the smell of Marissa's hair and the way her hands held him tight on every song. As the band played a fast number, Sirius disengaged himself from Marissa.
"I'll get us some Butterbeer okay, just wait here." he flew of to the refreshment table and found James,
"Where's Remus?"
James shrugged, "Haven't seen 'em. Maybe he lied about his date or something came up suddenly."
Sirius froze, he turned to look for Marissa. She was gone. He scanned the whole room wide eyed, but he couldn't find her.
"Blimey, isn't that Remus?"
James knew Remus as well as Sirius, although he's got his back on them, the person standing a few feet in front of them is Remus. He was hugging a girl from behind, owing to the dim lighting, all they could see was her jet black hair.
"Sirius, he's not with Marissa isn't he?" James turned at the ashen faced Sirius, for once ol' Padfoot was lost for words.
Sirius felt like he was stabbed from the back, his world was spinning right in front of him. He knew that the nagging emptiness in his heart had returned.
"Sirius, where have you been? I'm parched!"
Both of them turned and faced Marissa McKinnon,
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Sirius and James exchanged an incredulous look,
If she's here...who's the girl Moony's with?
An outraged bellow from the dance floor answered their question, Marissa and the two boys watched Severus Snape stomped out of the Great Hall followed by Lucius Malfoy and a few other Slytherin boys. They shot dark looks at two figures who were dancing. As the dancing couple parted, they realized who it was.
"Isn't that Remus and..."
"Snape's girlfriend???" said James and Sirius in unison,
"You don't know? She's Arabella Figg from Ravenclaw. She broke up with Snape a few days ago." Marissa's eyes trailed off to Sirius, "I thought you'd know, after all you're the one who got them together in the first place right?"
James frowned at Sirius, "How?"
"I didn't even realized I was doing it!" replied Sirius,
Marissa shook her head disbelievingly, "Remember when you pulled a prank on Snape, the one involving a dozen dungbombs? Arabella finally saw through Snape and decided to dump him once and for all. After that she and Remus just clicked."
Sirius' thought went back to the hollowness he felt when he saw Moony and that girl.
How could I distrust him like that? God, I must be acting like a real SOB.
He glanced at Remus and Arabella,
I owe him an apology, and I owe her one too.
Sirius pulled the wide eyed Marissa' closer and kissed her hand, "Could I have the honor?" he asked, leading her back to the dance floor.
James stared as the couple embraced and started dancing, enter Lily,
"What was that all about? I saw Sirius went pale when he saw Remus and Arabella dancing."
Pulling Lily closer, James leaned and whispered in her ear,
"C'est l'amour."
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DISCLAIMER:
All of the original cast are characters created by J.K Rowling, based on the novel "Harry Potter" published by Bloomsbury.
Notes: Tremendous thank you to those who have read and reviewed "Sunny Side UP". Hope I've lived up to your expectations. For Ferrum and Kamaitachi^Akira, thanks for pulling me up from my author's block. Thanks a lot you guys, you don't know how much this means to me.
