Apple or Cherry?

Part C (3/3)

By: Tenshi no Nozomi

(Contact at: tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com mailto:tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com)

Author's Blurb:

Kwa! Well, we've made it. This is the third and final installment of Apple or Cherry?, and to be honest, I think I'm going to miss it. It certainly was fun to write… But it's a bit demanding on my sanity to try and update once a week, even if it is just one chapter. I'm thinking of doing perhaps another one-shot, but first I'll probably have a longer SM/HP crossover… ^^ *grins* I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I'm excited to get to it… Though I have half a dozen other projects to do.

One other thing- if cursing offends you, you may want to avoid this chapter. For some reason, this chapter seems to have a lot more of those kinds of words in it than the other two.

Thanks to:

My wonderful pre-reader, Usa-chan! *huggles* This girl is a miracle, I swear.

To all of the wonderful people who reviewed me! You guys are the greatest. This includes (though is probably not limited to): (I also apologize ahead of time for any names I may goof up… I've been known to do it before, so please don't be too mad at me.)

Sailorsunandchildrenofthesun, Sakura-Star-Magick, Sailor Ronin Usa-chan, Vanna Maxwell, Celestial Artemis Pendragon, Sweetie Pie, Venus, Sailor Star Scream, Celestial DreamBlaze, Serenity Silvermoon, starfury 3000, moon, Usagi Asia Maxwell, sapphireskies, ~Person, Squirrel, Fetish, SailorChibi, StArHiMe13, Crazygurl70, star-siren, Linauri, tohru-kun, kawa, Kage-Shadow-of-Darkness, Storm Demon, Dragon Girl, Htchime, MarsMoonStar, Daughter of Death, and silver sparklez.

(This list was made up as of March 27th, 2003.) Wow! Thanks to you all, especially repeated reviewers! I feel so loved!

I'd like to take a special moment to thank Celestial DreamBlaze for her last review. (I'm guessing you're a girl; if not, my most humble apologies.) She pointed out to me that my spelling of Dumbledore's name was wrong. Thank you very much, and please don't  ever be afraid to correct me if I'm wrong. I promise I won't bite your head off.

Also, Fetish- I heard your plea, and though I don't try to be too pleasing (or else I have a habit of getting walked all over) I tried my best. I hope it was satisfying to you. I know I didn't involve the other Marauders a whole lot, but… ^^;; It was something? Ehh… Next ficlet it'll be Remus's turn, so there'll be more Maruader related fun there. Kay?

Another shout out  to star-siren… sorry, but those are the only two I know of. *tear*

****

Four o'clock in the morning found Sirius in the kitchen with his freshly baked apple pie, half asleep and nearly falling off of his stool in his stupor. If Lily hadn't been a total grouch and madly in love with James, she might have thought that the half-asleep, drooling, flour-covered and messy-haired Sirius might have actually passed for cute.

As it was… she was on a rampage. If Sirius thought she was 'butch' after a good night's sleep, well, he really hadn't seen any thing.

The reason for her unending rage? One James Potter had forgotten completely about their previous agreement. He was supposed to come and help her with Sirius, but instead it was likely he had forgotten, gone off and played some trick on a Slytherin and then gone to bed.

It hurt her feelings that he'd forget about her and gone off to play, especially when she was sitting around with a guy that was doing everything possible to get things right despite his lack-of-knowledge in cooking.

Little did James know that he was going to sorely regret missing out on her cooking lesson. Valentine's Day was coming up, and instead of chocolates, she had something else in mind… Namely, 'Love Confession Pie!' (1)

Lily let out a small cackle. It would teach James a thing or two about ignoring her!

"C'mon, Sirius, get up," she ordered, picking up his pie and the invisibility cloak. He just sat there blinking at her, fighting off another round of yawns. "C'mon already! I'm tired, and tomorrow we have that exam in Potions- you know how awful you are in that!"

It wasn't great motivation, but he still got up, took off the apron he was wearing, and took the pie from her sleepily.

"Not just yet," Lily practically screeched. "What, do you want Filch to catch us? First we have to spell that scent away, then we have to spell it so that it won't go bad, and then we have to creep up to the common room without being caught! Not to mention that stupid painting hanging there is such a tattletale…"

Sirius only mumbled an incomprehensive reply. Lily sighed to herself; this night had gone on for way too long. James was going to be lucky if she let him off light enough to make her a pie…

**

The next morning found Usagi feeling rather tired, which was rather surprising since she'd slept like a rock. Since coming to Hogwarts, she'd easily fallen into a steady sleep pattern, and was always eager to go to bed at night. So it was pretty odd that she felt jumpy and irate.

Or maybe, it really wasn't such an odd thing. Ever since she'd woken up, her fellow classmates- who, ironically enough, had all been females- had been giving her dirty works. And when she'd gotten into the shower that morning, someone had hexed it so that the water wouldn't even go remotely near warm. Since she couldn't think of a counter spell at the time, she'd been forced to bath (fairly quickly) under temperatures that probably weren't far off from those in the Atlantic Ocean.

That had been the basic treatment she'd been getting all morning- in fact, it was a lot like hazing. She had a good feeling that these girls had been doing this as a means to try and defend their beloved 'Sirius.' It amazed her, though, that girls could be quite so catty.

As for the subject of Sirius… Usagi couldn't even begin to explain the source of guilt he was for. Just coming down that morning and seeing that purplish bruise on his cheek was enough to ignite her shame. She had managed to slink by him and his group unnoticed, to her relief, but she wondered just how long that luck would last.

The reason that they hadn't seen her had been largely obvious. For one, Sirius looked as though he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. Anyone could tell, the way he was nodding off and nearly falling asleep- quite literally- into his breakfast. Lily was sending off cold and angry waves at James, who was quite oblivious to the matter and chattering on about Quidditch.

Why are boys so horribly ignorant, she asked herself.

Usagi sighed to herself, and fiddled with her silverware absent mindedly. She just wasn't hungry. Instead, she was feeling upset and foolish. Why did things always have to end so badly for her?

You need to stop throwing a pity-party for yourself, she instructed herself steely. It's your own fault for reacting so badly, even if he was being a total jerk.

She sighed to herself, unable to shake off the gloom that clung to her like an invisible cloud. She got up from her place, food untouched, and headed off to take a short walk before class.

**

Lily fumed slightly to herself. James was as big a dimwit as Sirius was, apparently. She ought to watch out; the stupidity might be catching.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Sirius," Lily cried, grabbing his head by his hair and yanking him upright again. "You'd better wake up before you accidentally drown in your grits," she scolded him.

He muttered something that was beyond Lily's grasp. She sighed to herself, frustrated, when she saw him start to nod off again. "You'd really better wake up, or I'll toss you in the lake with the squid," Lily threatened.

Sirius let out a loud yawn, and blinked his dark cobalt eyes at her sleepily. He muttered words about being tired, but began to shovel some food weakly down his throat.

"Where are Remus and Peter, anyhow," James asked, breaking off from both eating and ranting about plays he'd seen his favorite Quidditch players execute.

Lily sighed to herself. "Remus went to talk to one of his teachers- Arithmancy, I think it was- and who knows where Peter is," she growled in half exasperation. What did it really matter where Peter was, anyhow? Here she was, trying to make sure that Sirius ended up in a lasting relationship rather than ending up with a long parade of girl friends for the rest of his life, and James wanted to know where Peter and Remus were.

Lily turned her attentions back to Sirius. "Have you decided how you're going to give the pie to her, yet?"

Sirius tapped his spoon gently against his chin, with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I dunno… I think I'd rather do it in private, though."

"That's a start," Lily urged encouragingly. It would probably end up happening when the 'situation was right.' In truth, there was no 'right' situation- it might actually have been better if he'd give it to her in public, because she'd noticed that Sirius's fanclub was getting just a tad out of hand with the whole 'let's-get-revenge-on-Usagi-Tsukino' thing.

A loud bell rung, signaling that in ten minutes breakfast would be over and everyone would need to get their things for class. Lily sighed; the day was already wearing on her patience. If only she had gotten some more sleep last night…

Sirius rose with a weary groan. He was off even worse than her, in her opinion. Although Sirius wasn't on the Quidditch team, he was still pretty active. He liked to duel, and he did like to ride brooms and other assorted vehicles in races. After having just recovered from exams, he was still probably trying to catch up on sleep. Then, between detention and baking that pie…

It was a wonder that he wasn't still in bed.

If he can do it, then so can I, Lily told herself as she got up, even though she was groaning out of fatigue on the inside.

James looked up from the food he was shoveling into his mouth to see his best friend and girl friend leaving him. He quickly swallowed, and ran after them. "Hey, hey Lil! Wait for me," he called.

Is it just me, he asked himself, but does she seem mad at me?

**

Potions was probably the class Usagi dreaded most out of all. Even though her mother had drilled her endlessly on it, it was such monotonous work… Usagi wasn't good with plants, measurements, or cutting things up. It was one of the last things Usagi wanted to take up as an occupation in the future.

Still, she welcomed the distraction that it brought. Since she had such a difficult time making sure she got things right, she had to be extra careful and pay super close attention to what she was doing. Which meant no day dreaming or distractive thoughts, particularly about a certain Sirius Black and the way she'd managed to stick her foot in her mouth.

So she welcomed it, for once, and set to her task whole heartedly. Today they were learning how to create a potion that could decrease the IQ of the person who ingested it- for a limited period of time, of course. It was tricky to make it, though, so she would have to be ultra, ultra careful…

If Usagi had been paying less attention to her project, she would have noticed the spiteful giggles coming from behind her. A few girls in the row behind her were gathering all sorts of ingredients- too few of one thing needed, too many of another, missing something totally, grabbing something that didn't belong at all- and adding it to their concoction.

It had turned a sickly yellow color, and the girls looked pleased. Although this girl was in the same year as they, no one had the right to do something like that to their precious Sirius. She'd just have to learn her place… (2)

Carefully, they managed to ladle some of the contents into a large pot, where the brew continued to bubble despite the fact that it was no longer in the cauldron. One of the girls carefully took it, and began to walk forward as though she were bringing to the front for instructions on what she'd done wrong.

She 'accidentally' tripped over the hem of her robe, jarring her body forward and tilting the pot at a suitable angle so that the liquid inside would be splashed all over an unsuspecting Usagi.

Usagi was about to put her meticulously chopped herbs and spices into the mix when a wave of liquid hit her back. She shrieked in surprise as the liquid managed to spill inside of her robe and slide down her back, suddenly cold and slimy.

She turned around, and faced the culprit, whose face was a mocking mirror of her own; shocked looking, gaping-mouth, and wide eyes. The yellow liquid began to drip off of her clothes and uncovered skin, but began to react strangely.

The liquid began to condense, becoming spongy and porous almost. Usagi made a disgusted face, and tried to wipe it off of her arm, but became alarmed when she only retracted sticky substance that stretched with her finger tips as she moved them away from her skin. They never snapped though, like horribly strong spider webs.

That thought sent a chill up her back, as well as the fact that her uncovered skin was beginning to itch badly. She was having an allergic reaction to a potion that had just been dumped on her…

"I'm so sorry," the other girl finally managed to choke out. "I didn't mean to…"

Usagi knew better than that,  but there wasn't a lot she could do. She didn't have any witnesses who would back her up, and the teacher hadn't seen it. So in other words, despite her concrete-solid conviction, she had no evidence…

"Sensei," Usagi called, feeling increasingly alarmed as the spongy material began to crystallize. Upon her classmates' sniggers, Usagi realized that in her panic, she'd reverted to talking in Japanese. She flushed in embarrassment, though she was uncertain as to why, and called for the teacher's attention again. "Professor?!"

The female professor emerged from her scrolls and books and bottles, and all other sorts of odds and ends cluttered on her desk. She then slipped her coke-bottle-lens glasses on, blinked a few times, and then cried out in surprise.

At once, she was being whisked out of the room and to the infirmary. The teacher shouted instructions to her students, sending one boy off to find a sub and the rest to continue on with their potions. Just before she was dragged off, Usagi could see some of the malicious smirks on her fellow students' faces…

**

Sirius couldn't wait for the Lunch bell to ring. He was seriously considering sleeping through the whole thing and then skipping some classes in the afternoon in order to make up for lost sleep, but if he got too far off the regular sleep pattern… it would be disastrous.

He couldn't help but wonder just how he was going to manage to do any marauding with the others when Filch was constantly breathing down his neck, just waiting for him to even think of slipping up. He'd seen Mrs. Norris around several times already today, watching him specifically. It was wearing thin on his nerves, needless to say.

He needed a break, that was for sure. Between lack of sleep, classes, and detention, there just didn't seem enough energy to go around. The only reason he hadn't fallen asleep already was because his cheek was absolutely throbbing. There wasn't anything he wouldn't give to get some relief...

At about that moment, Lily showed up. Inwardly, he groaned to himself, asking the forces above why they wanted to put him through hell. Someone was trying to test the limitations of his sanity...

Lily was normally just a friend he liked to argue with a lot, if not a little annoying. He put up with her because James was so crazy about her, although lately his friend seemed even more blind that he himself was. So because of James's strange bought of cluelessness and lack of sleep, Lily'd been an ogre pretty much throughout the day...

"Sirius, did you hear what happened," the girl asked, sounding troubled.

"What happened," he asked, lifting his head to meet her eyes. She really did look concerned... What had happened? "Did something happen to James or Remus?"

Lily shook her head, red tresses following the motions vaguely. She tucked the strands back behind her ear out of habit before going on. "Nuh uh. I'm talking about Usagi."

"Usagi," he asked, perking up further.

"Apparently, in potions, there was some kind of accident," Lily explained to him. "This nasty potion got all over her, and she had to be taken to the hospital wing."

Sirius gaped at her; that was horrible. It had been that bad that they'd had to take to her to see Madam Pomfrey? "Is she going to be okay," he asked, feeling dazed.

"How should I know," she asked, sounding irate again. He opened his mouth to object to her attitude, but she was moving on. "Just what are you doing sitting here, you dope," she demanded.

"Y-... what," he finally asked, feeling as though he'd just missed something monumental.

From the extravegant roll of her eyes, apparently he had. "Geez, this must be a gender-related defect," she muttered. "It would be a really good time to give her that pie, you git. Don't tell me you're so far asleep that you forgot about that, too," she demanded.

"Of course not," he snapped back crossly. "But you have to make everything a guessing game, so how was I to know?"

Lily was practically glowering. It was Sirius's fondest hope that not all girls were like this- hopefully, only red heads- and that Usagi would be a much more calm person. Or maybe not, he thought to himself, having a flashback to yesterday's events.

A nagging voice reminded him that she'd been provoked… and between his guilty conscious and a fuming Lily, he gave in. "Alright. I'll go give it to her," he resigned, getting up. His body protested, muscles feeling like giving way, getting dizzy.

"Good," Lily said, expression clearing up almost immediately. Out of nowhere, it seemed, she pulled out the pie and handed it to him.

"What… how…?"

"Well, I knew that you'd give in," Lily told him, matter-of-factly. At the dark look he gave her, she laughed. "Hey, I can't help the fact that you're whipped even though I'm not your girlfriend."

**

Usagi was feeling rather miserable. The past two days had been horrible, and didn't seem to show any sign of improving. I should have just stayed in bed this morning, she thought to herself miserably.

It was probably true, too. Upon arriving at the hospital wing, they'd had to try and spell her clothes off of her, which was no mean feat. In the end, they'd had to get a pair of hedge clippers to disconnect the barbs that had crystallized from the material.

After that, she'd had to bathe in a nauseating liquid, that was cold and almost equally slimy feeling as to what the yellow liquid had been before it had hardened. It was worth it, though, because in the end, the strange formations dissolved off of her.

However, the treatment had been a double-edged sword. While it got rid of the sickly yellow crystals stuck to her skin and clothing, it hadn't done much for her rash. Actually, it had done something for it- it had made the situation worse. Instead of light reddish-pink, the welts had turned a rather pronounced red color, and had gotten larger. Not to mention how painful they were and how badly they itched…

But like all other itchy rashes- like the chicken pox, for example- it was a big no-no to actually scratch. The first and last time Madam Pomfrey had caught her doing so, she'd threatened to tie her hands up. As her potions teacher had so kindly pointed out, the woman was probably liable to do so in order to make one of her patients better.

It didn't really matter, anyhow. It would have meant peeling past the layers of clothing she was wearing- namely, the new robe and uniform that they'd found for her to use- and she was feeling far too tired for that at the moment.

Thinking of it, she might as well take a nap while she was here. It would take her mind off of the incessant rash, for one, and she'd probably feel a lot better afterwards.

Usagi was just about to actually fall asleep when she heard the soft sound of someone clearing their throat. She opened her bleary eyes, cursing whoever it was for prolonging her nap, and got a pretty big shock. Right in front of her stood Sirius Black, looking rather abashed.

Usagi stared at him, feeling rather befuddled, while he just stared down at the floor as though he'd found something extraordinarily interesting there.

"What do you want," Usagi asked, sounding curious and not cross. Indeed, she really was curious as to why he was there. Not to mention that he looked far too cute with that flushed-and-almost shy expression on his face. Or maybe that was just the bruise from where she'd hit him…?

She winced inwardly, and swore to herself she'd apologize to him.

"This is for you," he mumbled, taking what looked to be a pie-pan out from behind his back. Numbly, almost stupidly, Usagi reached out to receive it, and brought it in to take a closer look at it.

Sure enough, there was a pie inside of it, still warm-verging-on-hot. A delicious scent met her nose, and her stomach gurgled in reminder as to the fact that she hadn't had lunch yet and her breakfast hadn't been too great, either.

"Is this…" she began, not quite able to focus the question into understandable words. Was it too much to hope…?

"Well, I'd heard you weren't feeling too good…"

Instantly, her stomach felt as though it had fallen straight through the bed and down, down to the dungeons. It had just been too good to be true. But what did she expect, after how she'd treated him yesterday? Still, it was a bit peculiar that he'd give her anything, even out of sympathy.

"I don't need your pity," she told him stonily, lowering her head so that her loose, golden hair fell in a curtain around her face, shielding herself from his eyes. She felt like crying right now, she was so miserable, and the act would contradict her words somehow.

"Sympathy," he asked, sounding shocked. As though that wasn't what he meant at all. "Wait, I-"

"Ah! I was wondering when you were going to come and see me," demanded a voice, breaking into their conversation.

"Ah, Madam Pomfrey. I-"

"Now just you hold still," she commanded, taking Sirius's face into a firm grip, examining his bruised cheek. She made a 'tsk'ing sound of disapproval, and spelled the bruise away. Moments later, he was left with a smooth cheek that looked as if it had never been stricken in the first place.

"You need to learn how to handle girls, love, or they're going to tear you to pieces," she warned him. "Although it certainly was nice of you to come up and apologize to her for humiliating her twice in one day," the woman said, patting him on the shoulder before going on with her business.

For a few moments, Sirius was quiet. "I didn't give that pie to you because I felt sorry for you. I mean, I do feel sorry for you, but this isn't about that," he told Usagi, trying to explain his motive to her.

"Is it as an apology, then," she inquired softly.

"Yes- I mean, no! I mean… That wasn't its purpose either," he admitted, blushing and looking away.

Usagi peeked at him through her hair, studying his blushing face. "Then what…?"

**

Lily stood eagerly at the doorway, listening to every word that was going on inside. Although Sirius was having his fair share of bumbles, he seemed t progressing fairly well. And without any coaching from Lily, for that matter! It was enough to make her proud.

She'd received some weird looks from fellow classmates, but that didn't matter. What did matter was that all her hard work and headaches paid off. She would be severely pissed if Sirius managed to botch this up. Because all they really needed was a nudge in the right direction, considering that the attraction was already there…

"Lily," someone said, calling her name. She frowned and shoved her ear closer to the wall. Couldn't whoever it was figure out that she was busy right now? Hell, she was missing out on lunch for this.

"Lily," they repeated, much more insistently this time. Lily made a waving motion with her hand, telling them to go away. She wasn't going to miss this…

"Lily," the person insisted one final time, this time tugging on her robes. And that did it- what bloody fool couldn't get it into their head that she wasn't busy!?

"What do you want, you- oh! James," she said, becoming quiet. She couldn't help but feel mildly surprised. What was he doing here; James wouldn't have missed lunch for the world.

"Why are you so mad at me," he asked, expressive dark eyes boring into her. It had taken him long enough to catch on, though.

"Oh, I don't know," she replied sarcastically. "Take a guess."

It was obvious that James was trying to be patient with her sardonic attitude at the moment. Well, Lily couldn't help the fact that she was always this way- he'd just never realized it. Or perhaps her bad mood had amplified it? Oh, well.

At his searching, dumbfounded look, Lily sighed. "Alright, I'll give you a hint. You were supposed to help me with something last night."

Instantly his face dawned with comprehension. "Oh, Lily! That! I'm so sorry, I must have forgotten…"

"No kidding," she muttered sarcastically.

In her peripheral vision, Lily could see that there was someone who needed to get past and into the Infirmary. Without even sparring them a look to see who it was, she stepped aside to allow them admittance.

"Lily, I'm really sorry," he apologized. Lily could see that there was sincerity in his words, and sighed to herself.

She shrugged her shoulders a little, and commented quietly, "It doesn't matter all too much." Liar, she called herself. It means a lot.

James shook his head defiantly; even he wasn't so blind as to believe that. Lily wouldn't have carried on like that if it hadn't meant something to her. "No, it's not. And I promise, I'll make it up to you."

Lily smiled, feeling a bit better. "Alright. But first, let me check up on the lovebirds…" So said, Lily pressed her ear against the woodwork and began to listen in to try and make out the muffled sounds. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was hearing.

"James, did you happen to see who it was that walked through the door," she asked him, sounding a bit strange to him.

He frowned slightly. "No, I didn't. Who was it," he asked. In truth, he'd been too busy trying to patch things up with Lily at the time.

"Bloody hell," Lily cursed. "It's Malfoy!"

**

"Well, well… if it isn't Black and Tsukino… My, how… fetching you look," Lucius commented, sneering particularly at Usagi. He made the word 'fetching' sound as though she were truthfully very ugly.

Actually, Usagi wouldn't have been surprised if she was ugly. What with her rash and currently-near-crying eyes, she probably didn't look anything close to cute. The idea of her being disgusting, though, even to a Slytherin git like Lucius… made her feel miserable inside.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Sirius practically growled at the blonde-haired boy. "She looks much better than Narcissa, at least."

Lucius gave Sirius a bemused. "Are you trying to suggest that, at least in her current state, she could rival Narcissa, who is from one of the finer families in Britain?"

She and Sirius exchanged looks, and Usagi was afraid at first at what she might see there. Disgust, guilt, or perhaps pity. Instead, there was a look of righteous indignation, and an emotion she couldn't quite make out.

"I'd say so. And all that 'pure blood' stuff… you are referring to the fact that she's an inbred, right," Sirius jeered at the other boy angrily.

Usagi's eyes widened at the insult to the girl in question. Lucius's, however, narrowed. "Care to repeat that, Black," he asked, carefully drawing his wand out. It was an unspoken challenge to a duel, and Usagi prayed that Sirius would have enough sense to back down from something he couldn't win.

No such luck, though. Apparently, the male ego had precedence over common sense.

"You didn't hear me the first time? Or maybe you just didn't know," he said, mock-thoughtfully, while pulling out his wand. "Surely you must have the papers on her," he asked scornfully.

That did it, apparently. Lucius swung his wand to cast a spell, as did Sirius. Usagi could see, though, that Lucius would have his out first, and it would be too late. Acting on reflexes and instinct, Usagi did the only thing she could- she picked up the pie and hurled it straight at Lucius's face.

The effects of her action were obvious. Lucius's words were squelched, and Sirius was the only one who could get the words out. Lucius's view was also affectively obscured, at the price of a beautiful apple pie.

Sirius's spell hit the other boy dead on, just as Lucius yanked the pie tin off of his face. It fell to the floor with a small clatter, and Usagi could tell that Lucius was furious. Behind that golden-yellow tinted goop, his face was a livid red.

So how does it feel, she asked him inside, unable to squelch the victorious feelings that bubbled up inside like effervescence.  She couldn't keep the grin off of her face.

"Why you little," he snarled, attempting to wipe the mess off of his face. It didn't work, though- the jelly clung to his face quite persistently. Usagi gaped and tried not to laugh as Lucius tried to wrestle the apple filling off of his face.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey decided to show up again. Usagi forced the smile off of her face with a good deal of effort.

"Young man," the woman cried, "what in Merlin's name happened to you," she demanded, examining his face extensively.

Lucius growled like a rabid dog. "Those two," he began, but never got finished accusing.

"Never mind it. Let's go get this fixed, though. This looks like a tricky one… perhaps a bath in some Dissosient Solverium would work," the woman murmured to herself, meanwhile dragging Lucius Malfoy along despite his physical protests.

Usagi recognized the name from the stuff she'd soaked in earlier, and was unable to hold in her giggles. If he had to actually dip his face into that stuff, Lucius would be lucky if he didn't still smell that stuff a week later.

The door leading to the bathroom was closed behind the two, and the only sounds they could hear anymore were muffled protests and stern instructions just barely recognizable. Usagi snickered behind her hand, before realizing that Sirius was staring at her.

A second realization hit her- she'd just chucked his pie at someone. And laughed… If it was anything like her pie, then she'd just ruined all of his hard work…

Indeed, Sirius was feeling a little small inside right now. Not only had he been rejected, it seemed, but last night's efforts had just gone to wait… When Lily found out, he was a dead man, he realized.

Inside though, that didn't matter so much as the fact that he felt disappointed and hollow. Is this what she felt like? Maybe it's just a taste of my own medicine…

"I'm so sorry," Usagi blurted out of nowhere, capturing Sirius's attention. "I just… I mean, I didn't mean to throw your pie, it just kind of happened. What I mean to say is that I just didn't want him to hurt you, and… I'm sorry," she finished, her babbling drawing to a quiet close.

Usagi fiddled with the sheets to her bed, not daring to look up and see the look in his eyes. Probably, it had been meant for someone more important… and he just hadn't had the nerve to give it to them. So he'd passed it off to her, second-hand…

"You were worried about me," he asked, sounding strangled.

"Well, yeah… Lucius isn't exactly the kind of person to be gentle," she reminded him, as though he needed it.

Meeting his dark eyes, Usagi felt a slow blush begin to rise in her cheeks. He was staring at her intently, as though he were trying to peer right inside of her to see what she was thinking exactly. Why is he staring at me, she thought, shifting a bit uncomfortably under his perpetual gaze.

He leaned over her bed, putting his face alarmingly close to hers. Usagi's eyes widened in surprise, and she became very still. In fact, the only reason that she wasn't squirming at the moment was because she'd frozen still.

"Then what you're saying is that… you wanted to protect me," he asked, as though trying to confirm something.

"Y-yes," she managed to stutter, noticing that their noses were touching. They were close enough to kiss… That thought really made her blush, and she pulled up the sheets far enough to cover the bottom half of her face, as though that could really protect her.

"I never got the chance to tell you why I wanted to give you that pie," he told her, shifting his weight and managed to come a bit closer still.

Usagi leaned back a bit, feeling imposed and over-powered. "Uhm, well, I thought… that you just gave it as a get-well sort of thing. Or maybe as an apology," she told him honestly.

He smiled, just a little, and leaned in closer still. Usagi couldn't really back up any further- hospital beds were a bit smaller than what she was used to- and had found herself trapped between Sirius, the edge of the bed, and the backboard.

She might have told him that she was a bit uncomfortable with the situation, but she never got to it. Before she knew it, he was whispering in her ear. "Maybe in part. But what I really wanted to say with it is…"

Sirius drew up all of his courage for his confession. She was as stiff as a board, sitting there and looking both petrified and shocked. He wondered just what it was she was afraid of.

"… I love you."

Usagi's eyes became wider still, unable to believe what she'd just heard. This has to be another dream, she told herself. She gaped slightly in disbelief and turned her head to look him in the eyes. She was shocked further still by the hopeful sincerity she saw there.

Sirius was pleased to see a reflection of his own hope inside of her eyes, despite the surprised look she was giving him. Did it really shock her so much? Should he prove it?

It's now or never, he told himself almost grimly. Sink or swim, go for the goal, catch the big one, to the moon or bust… (3)

Oh, shut up, he told himself before he leaned in to kiss her gently on her mouth.

It was a sweet and chaste thing, just the gently action of pressing his lips to hers. And yet, it was somehow exhilarating, despite the fact that he wasn't used to love or being loved, or showing it. Certainly, the only woman he'd ever kissed before was his mother, and she didn't even count.

Even so, his heart beat had sped up, and his chest had tightened inside. It didn't matter that she wasn't responding, he had seen himself that she was too shocked to really reciprocate the action. At least she wasn't pushing him away, he decided.

Usagi couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything. She felt as though she'd been frozen in a single moment in time, and wouldn't be able to escape, ever. It was allright, though, she realized. She felt happy and excited inside when he kissed her.

She gave in to the kiss, and couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when it was over. It had ended too quickly for her tastes, but she couldn't rush things, she told herself.

Neither knew quite what to do or say afterwards for some time, so they just sat rather quietly together. Still, neither seemed to mind- if anything, the silence was a comfortable one.

Madam Pomfrey finally exited the bathroom, and looked at the magical sundial on her desk. "It's time for you to be heading onto class, young man," she warned Sirius. "And you," she addressed Usagi, "had better take another nap. That stuff drains the strength right out of you."

With that, she went on about her business. Usagi said nothing for a moment, but finally giggled to herself; any cure, no matter how small, seemed to drain the energy out of everyone.

"So then… you'll be heading on to class," she asked him tentatively, trying to prevent the silence from becoming awkward.

"Mm… I don't know," he admitted. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I was thinking of cutting just this once…"

Usagi couldn't help but feel a little shy after everything, and small talk seemed to be the safest ground. "So, have you eaten anything?"

He shook his head a negative. "Nope, not since breakfast… and not much then, because my cheek hurt, and I was tired."

Usagi winced. "Gomen ne… It doesn't hurt anymore, does it?"

Sirius assumed from the tentative, guilty expression on her face that the words she'd said before had been an apology. "No, I'm fine, since she healed it. But," he said sneakily, teasingly, "if you want, you could kiss it better for goodluck."

No sooner was it out of his mouth than he'd realized what he'd said. Her cheeks went red, with what he assumed to be embarrassment. Stupid git, he told himself. Why'd you have to go and screw it all up like that?

And yet, before he could repent his words, she strained to sit up high, brought his head a bit lower with a gentle, guiding hand, and kissed his cheek.

This time, it was Sirius who blushed, although himself more with pleasure than discomfort. She smiled at him sweetly, and his chest constricted in that funny, extraordinarily sweet way. Perhaps he should kiss her again?

"I think… I think we should try baking another pie," she told him, still giving him that sweet smile in her soft azure blue eyes. "But this time… let's do it together, okay?"

Thoughts of getting flour and jelly all over the two of them danced around in Sirius's mind, and it was all he could do not to grin. "Uhm, and could it be chocolate? My mother makes this wonderful pie… I could get the recipe from her… It's called French Silk, I think." (4)

Ooh… Gooey filling was replaced by a whipped chocolate filling. And almost instantly, he was plagued by some rather perverted thoughts. No, bad Sirius, he lectured himself. Those are bad thoughts.(5)

"So, uhm… I'll see you later," she asked him, looking both hopeful and timid and happy at once. He nodded his head an affermative, and practically ran out of the room.

Usagi giggled to herself and laid down on her cot again. Although he appeared cool and calm and collected, he was just as shy going into this as she was. She fell asleep smiling.

Sirius, however, was not quite smiling. Outside of the room, he'd been greeted to the site of not one, but two of his friends eavesdropping with their ears pressed to the wall. To make matters worse, it was James.

"What are you two doing," he hissed, and they broke off from listening.

"See, I told you I heard him leaving," James insisted.

Lily smiled at Sirius. "I'm proud of you! You managed to do something right for a change. Not only that, but from the sounds of things, Lucius got a makeover today. Two birds with one stone!"

"Usagi's not a bird," he point out, frowning.

Lily grinned, practically from ear to ear. "I know that. Anyhow, tell Usagi that when you guys are going to make that pie… plan on it being a double date!"

"What," Sirius asked, feeling confused.

Lily rolled her eyes. "We'll be joining you, I mean. In the mean time, James is going to accompany me to the kitchen, and he's going to make something up to me." That didn't sound like a fact so much as it did an order.

And indeed, before James could even think about protesting or trying to run off, Lily had him by the ear and was dragging him off in the direction of the kitchen. Sirius only shook his head and headed onto the Common Room for a nap. Just how in the world did he manage to meet all of these weird people?

**

"Well, I suppose you were right, Headmaster. There haven't been anymore fights this week- that have been reported," she added quickly.

Albus Dumbledore sipped his tea quietly, and set it down easily. "See now, Minerva? They just need a little space to grow."

"Speaking of growing," Professor McGonagall said, "Madam Pomfrey reports that although the majority of that pie filling has been- at last- cursed off, there's still pieces there… with mold growing on it."

She made a face of disgust, and Dumbledore chucked softly behind his hand, disguising them as a bought of coughs. "I'm glad his condition is improving… Though I do wonder just what happened as to how it got there."

McGonagall shrugged. "Nevertheless, I think it would be best if we discouraged any more of that cooking class. It only seems to bring trouble."

"Now now, Minerva. I know that we have house elves to do those things, but it's good for the students to learn these skills. And there's no need to be upset, just because you can't even cook toast…"

And to that, she had no reply.

****

(1) - I'm sure that about now, James is off shivering in his bed… *snickers* I know I sure would be! O.o

(2) - In plenty of the manga I've read, the fan girls have a bad habit of becoming horrendously catty if they feel an unapproachable territory's been crossed… Some good examples of this would be Hot Gimmick, Kaikan Phrase, Fruits Basket, etc… I did it kind of as an inside joke at first, a sort of pun on the idea… but it worked well, so it became (by this mark) a bigger part of the story.

(3) –Hee! I didn't even realize what a pun this was until I re-read what I'd written. Do you get it? To the moon or bust? Usagi Tsukino… as in, of the moon? Goodness, I'm so corney… But I left in there, cuz I thought it was humorous.

(4) –Hah! This actually happens to be my favorite pie. It's best with a little whipped cream on the top… I like it a lot, even though it dries my mouth out. So I have to eat it with milk or water. (Just thought I ought to share this with you, so you'd know that I hadn't made it up.

(5) I think, by now… I have way too many notes. -_- Anyhow, why did I add this? Well, by now, Sirius is going to be fourteen or fifteen. And by now, he's not going to be ignorant about… certain things. Hormones will take care of that. Anyhow, I assume that by now, he's going to have the occasional perverted thought running around… He'd be abnormal if he didn't, I assume. So I included that…

I really hope that everyone has enjoyed this fic. I tried to leave it off at a light point, even though we all know that not all stories end happily-ever-after. In this case, any reader who's actually read the Harry Potter series knows that it wouldn't be possible for this euphoria to last, seeing as Sirius ends up in Azkaban. As for a sequel… I don't think that will happen. I'm happy to leave it as it is here.

:: End of "Apple or Cherry?" ::