Getting To Know You.
Sirius was sat in Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was sat back in his chair sucking on a Lemon Drop a calm façade replaced occasionally by a look of complete mischief when he remembered what Harry and Professor McGonagall had told him what they had seen.
"I don't know what's upsetting you. You obviously like each other."
"I don't understand what's happening! Pat intrigues me, she excites me, and she makes me flustered. I don't know anything about her."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a second. "If all you are worried about is the fact that you don't know anything about her then change that! Get to know her!"
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~
"Miss Carver! Miss Carver! I need to talk to you!" Sirius spotted her while roaming the corridors after teaching a particularly boisterous class who founded the Ministry of Magic. She stopped and turned to face him.
"Yes Mr Black?" Her eyes twinkled at his use of her formal name rather than Pat.
"Miss Carver. I was wondering if you would give me a moment of your time. If you could come to my classroom for a moment."
"Of course Professor."
They began walking to his history classroom in silence, looking up at each other through lowered eyelids like shy children. They reached his classroom and he wheeled her in, his hand on the small of her back. He felt her shiver at her touch and the faint ghost of a smile crossed his face, it momentarily stopped his fear, but it soon returned. The gnawing anxiety in his stomach reached maximum and he tried to stop it from reaching his face.
'You are just asking the girl out on a date, not about to propose marriage!' He told himself crossly.
He cleared his throat and motioned her to sit down.
"Ummm… Pat."
"Yes… Sirius." She mimicked him.
"I… ummm…" He trailed off. For the first time in his life he was unable to speak to a woman. He gesticulated at his inability to speak. 'Damn! It had to happen when I was talking to her.'
He croaked. "I… I… ummm… I'm asking you… to… eat dinner with… me. Tonight?"
She sunk into a chair and covered her eyes with her hands.
"What? Don't you like me?" Sirius asked, horrified with the thought that she might not want him.
"Yes, of course I do." She answered.
"Then why…?" He asked, pleased at the thought of her liking him, but still worried that she hadn't answered his question.
"I thought you were going to say we should stop seeing each other, what with Harry and everything."
"No! Of course I wouldn't." Sirius exclaimed. "I love Harry. He's my Godson and my best-friends' son. But he doesn't control my life!" He paused. "You … still haven't answered my question. Will you eat with me tonight."
"Yes." She smiled. "I don't see why you are asking! We eat dinner together every night!"
He thought about what she had said for a little while. "You've misunderstood me, I meant alone. Will you eat dinner with me alone, in my room, tonight?"
She turned away from him in thought. The room was silent for a few moments.
'She doesn't want to. She doesn't.' He stilled his face into a relaxed smile preparing for the rejection that was to come.
"Isn't this the wrong way to do it?" She questioned. "Weren't you supposed to ask me on a date before we slept together?" She turned and faced him. Her cheeks flushed with pleasure.
He laughed long and loud. "This relationship is going to be a completely original one. That is if you want to go out with me."
"Have I not answered that question yet?" She was teasing him! And he was enjoying himself!
"No, I don't believe you have."
"Well. Okay then. What time shall I see you? And is it to be a formal occasion? Am I to dress up?"
"How about 7ish?" He crooked his eyebrow at her. "And you can come wearing a sack if you want."
She laughed. "I think I can find something to wear. I shall see you at 7."
"Good. I'm glad you agreed to go out with me. If you didn't I would have told Albus and Minerva that we had slept together. They would have made you go out with me!"
She left the room laughing.
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~
Sirius had heard enough. "These accidents are not 'accidents' at all Harry."
Harry looked down at his clawed feet and hands. He had been in potions and instead of creating an antidote to a poison; he had somehow created something that turned him into a mole, just before Herbology. The claws were the only things that remained.
The day before he had fallen down the stairs and broken his wrist after feeling incredibly dizzy. He had also been to Madam Pomfrey after a couple of other incidents.
"I'll tell Miss Carver what's been happening. I take it you haven't?"
"No…" Harry started, a deep mewl coming from his throat at the same time. He cleared his throat. "Does she really have to be told?"
"Yes, Harry. She's here to protect you. Luckily Professor Sprout cancelled her lessons, if you had been there when you turned…"
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~
'The house elves have surpassed themselves!" Thought Pat as she headed towards Sirius' room. It was nearly seven o'clock and the aroma coming from the door made her mouth water in anticipation. She had seen him earlier in the day when he had told her of Harry's accidents. There was something not right going on there. She remembered the way he had winked when he had left her, whispering "until seven" suggestively. She arrived at his door and smoothed down the pale green silk dress she had bought from some quaint little muggle shop she had seen while touring the country. Nervously she tapped on the door. Nothing happened. No one answered the door. She leaned her head in closer, hoping to hear something.
"Bloody, stupid…"
She could hear Sirius muttering from his rooms. Frowning she tried knocking again, this time a little louder. She was beginning to feel a little bit uncomfortable waiting outside his room. She tried the door handle. It was unlocked so she let herself in. "Sirius?" she quietly said. No answer. Only the faint muttering continued. 'This is strange!' She thought to herself, and shutting the door behind her she headed towards where the mumbling was coming from.
"Sirius?" She called out again, slowly heading towards the shut door. "Are you okay?"
All of a sudden the door was flung open to reveal Sirius in a plastic apron that the teachers used in potions, a pair of oven gloves and carrying a huge plate of vegetables. He stopped and grinned at her.
"Well... you caught me! I wanted it to be a surprise."
"You're cooking?" She asked in disbelief.
He looked disconcerted and flushed. "Yeah. I ummm… wanted to impress you."
She smiled smugly. "All this… for me?"
"Yeah." He walked through another door and motioned for her to follow.
Pat gasped in disbelief as Sirius placed the vegetable platter on the table and moved behind her. She moved over to the table. She ran her finger along the pristine white tablecloth that covered the mahogany table for two. The cutlery was silver and gleamed. There were two candles in the centre of the table surrounding a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne chilling in it. Her hungry stomach took in the smoked fish starter on the place mats and the range of vegetables, the boiled potatoes, and the chicken pieces poached and wrapped in a layer of bacon with small pieces of apricot as a garnish in the centre of the table. The lights in the room dimmed, and a soft glow filled the room from the fireplace. She turned around and looked at Sirius. He was leaned against the doorframe watching her. He was wearing dark blue trousers which complemented his light blue shirt. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone so she could see a few curls of black hair from his chest. She became aware that she had been staring at his chest for at least ten minutses. She looked at his face his eyes captured hers. His hair was slightly wet and tousled as if he had just washed it. She quivered in appreciation. She motioned to the table.
"You did all this… For me?" She asked dumfounded by the effort.
"Do you like it?" He asked moving towards her, his eyes widening in approval, as he took in her just-above-the-knee pale green silk dress and her hair left down in a halo around her face.
"Who wouldn't?" She asked. Her breath catching in her throat as she watched him undressing her with his eyes. He momentarily looked at her face and said.
"I'm not interested in "Who". I'm interested in you… and what you think."
She smiled slowly. "I love it."
They sat down and talked.
"My sisters taught me everything I know about girls, it may not be apparent when I'm talking to you, but I used to be a ladies-man. You seem to be the only one that I can't… use my lines on!"
"And that's a bad thing… because? I've dated handsome men before and they've used chat up lines. It never made me feel this… special, this… cherished." ……..
"My father couldn't cope with the death of my mother. He blamed himself until finally he lost it. He forgot everything except my mother and her final promise. He even forgot me."
Sirius moved his chair closer to Pat and pulled her into his arms.
"You poor, poor baby. How did you cope?"
She nestled closer to him. "Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall decided to keep me at Hogwarts. You see my mother was an ex-pupil here, she was even head girl. They knew her well and that was in my favour." ……….
They finished the meal with delight.
"That was wonderful. Where did you learn to cook like that?"
"Well… when I was on the run, I had to survive for a time without magic. I hid in the muggle world doing assorted minimum wage jobs. Cleaning, dealing with rubbish, that sort of thing. I had to learn how to look after myself. A little old lady found me and took me in. She taught me how to do this."
Pat looked at him roguishly. "You mean you used your well learnt chat up lines on her and she couldn't say no?"
Sirius laughed. "No, contrary to popular belief I don't chat up everything in a skirt!"
Pat yawned.
"Nice to see my company is as stimulating as ever!" Sirius said while clearing up the plates.
"Well… I've cleaned you out of all of your food, and I've told you all there is to know about me…"
"Except your real name! Is it really not Patricia?"
She ignored Sirius' interruption and carried on. "…what else is there to do except go home?"
"Not yet." He stopped her from leaving. "A while ago I asked you how you'd thank me if I gave you a big box of butterscotch."
Pats eyes widened in a half excited state of apprehension. "You've bought me…?"
"Alas, I couldn't get a box of butterscotch in time…" He interrupted her.
"Well… you wont be getting the thank you without the present." She called out to him only half seriously as he went into the kitchen.
"So…" He came back. "I asked the house elves to do this!"
He entered the room with a large three-layered cake.
"A butterscotch cake?" She asked, captivated by the cake covered in candles. "But its not my birthday!"
"Its not a butterscotch cake either. It's a banana cake covered in butterscotch sauce. And who cares if its your birthday or not. I just want the thank you!"
She blushed. "What would you like by way of a thank you?"
"Oh, surprise me!" Sirius answered deviously, liking the way he could get under the Pat's skin and fluster her. He sat down and watched her.
"I'll have to judge how good the cake is as to how good my thank you is." Pat answered.
She cut a piece of cake off, and nibbled at it as if she was evaluating it.
"Not bad, not bad." She mumbled in a stage whisper for Sirius' benefit. "Yes, its certainly interesting, but what would the reward for it be?"
Pat could feel Sirius watching her, an intent look on his face.
"I've decided!" She said cheerfully after finally finishing the cake. She made eye contact and a frisson of heat rose in her. She shivered with the tension. "Now, to properly enjoy my thank you, you must shut your eyes."
He shut his eyes, and she drew closer to him, picking up a piece of cake on the way.
She knelt on the floor in front of him and drew closer to his face. She could smell the tang of mint on his breath. "Open your mouth." She whispered. He obeyed, but she was the one captivated. She took a piece of cake from the plate and teased his mouth with it, letting him have a taste of the sweetness then drawing it back until finally she put the whole piece in his mouth. Screwing up what little courage she had left she kissed him. He bit her lower lip gently, which made her gasp. Using her open mouth as an invitation he tasted the inside of her mouth with his tongue. She was motionless, addicted to the faint taste of cake and the power exuded by this man's kiss. She lifted her arms and pushed her hands against his chest feeling his muscular torso. As if they were mirror images of each other he did the same. She gasped with the contact. 'What's happening to me?' The rational voice inside of her head asked. The passionate kiss seemed to last forever. Until her conscious thought intruded. She couldn't do this. Not now. Not while the Ministry still considered him a suspect. He opened his eyes as she pushed him gently away, his hands reached out into the air between them.
"Where are you going?" He asked confused by the sudden end of their encounter.
"I.. I can't do this." She said, as bewildered as he was.
She brushed her hair with her fingers, trying to make some sense out of the confusion inside her head.
"I.. I must go." She turned towards the door.
"Wait!" He commanded. "Wait! Was it something I…?"
She turned to him slowly, the flush of passion still on her face. "Nothing you have done has upset me. Its just.. I need time to think about what's happening here."
"Have you ever done this before?" He asked unsure of what emotions the answer would bring him.
"No chat up line has ever worked on me before. This is a first for me."
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N
I know, I know, I can hear the groans from here!!
I just can't help it; the leading lady has to be innocent! It contrasts with Sirius' "Man-whorishness"!!! (Great phrase by the way!)
Thanks to Jestr017 for the compliments, and I'll try my best to make Sirius even sexier – if it's possible!
Thanks to kbear for reviewing again. I've said it before but I like cliffhangers!! Which is why there are so many unanswered questions! Sirius' sisters will be in the story soon, so watch this space!
Also thanks to Siriuslyinlove. Firstly sorry for the shortness of the last chapter. This one is much longer (I like romantic dinner scenes!). The story wouldn't be the same if I sent Sirius to Azkaban. He is way too good a character for that!!
I'm also sorry I haven't put much in about the shadow in this chapter, I hope to include more later.
Is the shadow and the animagus the same person??? Well…
Mrs Grim, thanks for continuing to read and review! Again, Sirius is a sweetheart, and he and Pat clearly belong together. (I wish I could say Pat was based on me, but alas I can't!) I can't reveal who the shadow is!!! It would kinda ruin the ending! But don't worry. I will give you and kbear clues!!! (Hopefully!)
Will update soon. I want to know what's gonna happen!!
Love to you all.
Krusty.
Oh yeah!! P.S. Sorry for the lame title. It's from "The King and I".