Sirius Black was waiting anxiously for an owl. Maybe he was being childish, but he desperately wanted to know if he still held the records of most detentions at Hogwarts.
He hadn't had a chance at being a grown-up before he got shipped off to Azkaban. So somehow after all the horrible he had been through, he still acted like he did when he was seventeen. And at seventeen, and during the seven years he had spent at Hogwarts getting the most detentions had been his goal.
That, and how to get Minerva McGonagall to fall in love with him had been the most important things on his mind in those days. She had been so beautiful, but she never noticed him. Well she was in her fourth year while he was in his first but still… He had kept saying to himself that it could happen.
Never mind the fact that she was in her seventh year while he was in his third. He had never let anybody else aware of the fact that he was head over heels in love with her. She was beautiful, her long brown hair that floated down her back, the eyes behind the glasses always looking brightly at the world.
She was in a league of her own, and it surprised him that she didn't seem to date anyone. What didn't surprise him was that she returned to Hogwarts as a professor a few years after she had graduated. She had spent some time studying animagi, and he almost owled her saying that she had his permission to study him anytime…
She hadn't been his professor, as Lily, James, Remus, Peter and he had graduated from Hogwarts the summer before she started. Lily and Peter were working at the Ministry, James, Remus and Sirius were going off to Auror's training. He supposed he had been so busy later on that he had completely forgotten about Minerva.
A few years went, the Aurors were busy, the people working at the ministry no less. But in the midst of all unhappiness caused by Voldemort James and Lily decided that they wanted to get married. Sirius remembered the ceremony as if it had been yesterday. Lily didn't have any close girlfriends that could be the maid-of-honor, so she had bestowed that honor on Remus.
He still heard Remus' voice in his head. ("Lily, I can't be your maid-of-honor. People will begin to doubt my sexuality if I show in a pink dress.") Lily had let him of the hook regarding the dress, but he still was her person-of-honor. Sirius had been James'. Those had been the days.
Someone had even invited the staff at Hogwarts. Sirius suspected Lily, as Head-girl she had been extremely close to some of the staff the last year. Afterwards at the reception he finally had the guts to do something that he had never done at any of the Yule Balls at Hogwarts.
Sirius Black asked Minerva McGonagall to dance.
***
The Boy Who Lived had the feeling something weird was going on. He went up to the owlery and wrote his letter to his Godfather.
"Dear Free Record holding Sirius Black.
I know something fishy is going on here. When I had asked Professor McGonagall about your record, I left closing the door behind me, the strange thing was that I heard her say "Why me." Sirius, something's wrong. She didn't look like herself. Do you know what could be the matter? Maybe you could owl Dumbledore and ask him to check it out?
Me, I am fine. If someone could make Hermione realize that the OWLs aren't a matter of life or death I'd be even better. Sometimes I wish myself back to the time when Ron wasn't going out with Padma Patil.
I like seeing my best friend happy, and Padma is just the girl for him, despite their fiasco for the Yule ball, but does he have to go away with her leaving me as prey for Hermione? Perhaps prey is a harsh word, but once in a while it feels like she hunts me down when it is time to go to the library.
Quidditch's great. Life is good in fact, and my grades are almost better than that. I know I owe that to Hermione, but I want to keep complaining about the issue so don't tell her that my grades have improved.
I have to go. Hermione is still in the library and I have to drag her out of it in time for dinner.
Say hi to Remus for me. Try not to pester him too much about your detention record.
Write soon.
Your Godson with the great grades.
Harry."
Harry folded the parchment and tied it to Hedwig's leg. "Fly to Sirius, Hedwig." Then he went to the library and Hermione.
***
Somewhere at Hogwarts a girl was staring into space. She was going to dinner in a few minutes, but she needed time to herself. She had received some disturbing news by owl that morning.
Her parents, who had been killed by Voldemort a few months earlier, hadn't been her real parents. She had been with her cousins for the previous holiday, but now they had discovered that she was no relation of theirs and were disowning her.
Who were her parents?
Was she still herself, even if she didn't have the same set of parents?
***
During dinner that night there were many confused thoughts fluttering around in the Great Hall.
Perhaps Hermione was into studying for her OWLs, but she wasn't ignorant. Harry was confused over something and as his friend it was her duty to help him. He had been distraught ever since he received the letter from Sirius. Then he had decided out of the blue to go visit Professor McGonagall.
The only student who voluntarily visited Minerva McGonagall was Hermione herself. Something was definitely wrong. Maybe she could afford to loose some of the time she had set of to study. She would ask Harry if he would do something with her. It was just the two of them now. Ron joined them sometimes, but he preferred to be with Padma most of the time.
She noticed that the professor herself also seemed distracted by something tonight. "Can it be something in the air?" But if the professor had problems she would talk them out with someone, Harry didn't have that habit, so Hermione would have to coax it carefully out of him.
A/N: SO what do you think? I got a review saying something about a huge age difference between Sirius and Minerva, well… I don't care. So I've made the difference lesser in this fic, I can do nearly whatever I want with it. Even if I don't own it. Somebody else does.
Please leave a review…. And maybe check out some of my other fics as well…
If you want to mail me: anastacy@hotmail.com is the place…Love getting e-mails, or have I mentioned that already?