Everlasting

chapter 3: love is in the air

"SIRIUS BLACK!!"

A very young Professor McGonagall, marched towards Sirius, fuming with anger.

"Yes, Professor?" Sirius blinked innocently.

"I suppose you're the one responsible for this ?!" She practically thrust the scowling Slytherin in front of her. It was Alexander Avery, a rather bratty first year who practically worshipped Lucius Malfoy, and he had apparently turned blue in the face.

"What in bloody hell happened to you, mate? Hold your breath a wee bit too long?" Sirius choked, struggling to hold his laughter in.

"I know you're the culprit, Black." McGonagall narrowed her eyes at Sirius.

"I'm afraid that I lack both the brain and the skills to do such a thing, Professor. And what an advanced spell it is..." Sirius smiled innocently.

"There were witnesses, Black!"

Sirius' face fell. "Aw, shoot!"

"Ten points from Gryffindor, and detention tonight." McGonagall said curtly, then turned on her heel, dragging Alexander towards the infirmary.

But Sirius was neither pouting nor scowling as he entered the Gryffindor common room. In fact, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"You should have seen it! He looked like a blasted blueberry! Wait 'till Malfoy gets a load of that!" Sirius cackled to the other Marauders.

"Oi, Sirius! I think you've got owlpost." Peter pointed at Sirius' brown owl, Butterball, who had just swooped in.

Just then, Lily joined them, balancing a huge pile of books. James quickly rushed to her aid, while Sirius unfolded the small piece of parchment.

"What's that, Sirius?"

"Oh, just a letter from Narcissa, Lily. She said she'd like a snogging session with me in the library." Sirius said, with a perfectly straight face. Lily looked absolutely horrified.

"Poor Lils... She'll believe anything I say." Sirius said with an exaggerated sigh. "But who can blame her? Someone as handsome as me, a liar?? It probably seems rather outrageous."

But Remus and James had him to pinned to the floor, pelted with pillows the next moment.

***

"But Sirius Black is just so gorgeous! Don't you agree, Ella?"

"Hmm... Remus is a pretty close tie-in though..."

"Not a chance! Everyone knows that Sirius is the best-looking boy in our year."

Lily's roommates were currently involved in a discussion where much childish giggling ensued.

"I'd love to go out with Sirius Black..." sighed Rebecca, a small girl with blond hair and freckles.

"Lily would probably know what it's like to be with Sirius, since she used to go out with him, right Lily?" Ella prodded.

But before Lily could even open her mouth to protest, Madeleine cut in. "Although she dumped Sirius for James Potter! She really gets around, doesn't she?"

"I did not dump Sirius for James!!" Lily exclaimed in exasperation.

"Are you trying to say that you're going out with both of them at the same time, then??" Rebecca cried out, looking horrified.

"For someone so obsessed with studying and not even that pretty, you sure do know how to get any bloke you want..." Madeleine said in disgust.

Lily was left absolutely speechless at this absurd accusation, so she refrained herself from saying anything at all, lest she say things that could as well scare the paintings off the walls. Instead, she climbed into her bed, and pulled the covers over her face, pointedly ignoring the other girls.

"No shame at all... Honestly, for someone that clever and seemingly well behaved!" Ella retorted under her breath, before Lily clamped a thick pillow over her ears.

***

"You look really tired, Lily. Did you get any sleep last night?" James asked, looking awfully concerned. And he certainly had enough reason to. Lily had joined them for breakfast that morning, looking half-dead. There were dark bags underneath her eyes, and her eyes looked bloodshot.

"Not a wink. Blasted giggling." Lily said grumpily, and piled eggs onto her plate in a rather savage manner.

James looked at Sirius, but he just shrugged.

"Giggling...??" James asked once more.

"I'm talking about the three hags who share my bloody dorm! They kept me up half the night, gossiping. In very loud voices, if I may add." Lily scowled down at her plate, looking murderous.

"Well, they sure look in good shape to me." Sirius commented, and sure enough, the three girls who had spent the whole night gossiping were still chatting cheerfully as they approached the table.

"What happened to you, Lily?" Madeleine wrinkled her nose, while surveying Lily's tousled hair in disgust.

"Yeah, you look like you got run over by a hurricane or something." Rebecca chortled, flipping her ever-so-perfect blond hair over her shoulder.

Sirius simply watched in amusement, as Lily shot the two girls looks that could kill.

"Well, thanks to you three, I didn't get a wink of sleep last night." Lily said furiously through clenched teeth. Her grip on her fork tightened, and Sirius could have sworn the fork had bent.

"Well, it's not like we slept much either. And you don't see us coming down for breakfast an absolute mess like you are, Evans. You just lack that natural beauty. Don't blame us for your unfortunate genetics." Ella shot back pompously, and sat down rather close to Sirius.

"Why, good morning, Sirius." Ella turned toward him, and flashed him a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Good morning!" Sirius said cheerfully, although he moved away from her ever so subtly.

Ella moved closer to him yet again, making petty conversation. Sirius looked at Lily and James with a pleading look, but they only shrugged amusedly.

"Sirius Black."

Sirius, and everyone sitting around him, looked up. Maybe it was the confident, perhaps commanding way the person(whoever they might be) had called his name. Nonetheless to say, it was a voice that attracted attention in an instant.

"I'd like to see you in the library after breakfast."

It was Narcissa Libelle. She was standing behind Sirius, her face blank of any emotion at all. Before Sirius could reply, she turned on her heel, and marched back to the Slytherin table, her long silvery locks billowing out behind her. Apparently it been more of a command rather than a request.

"She's so full of it. I mean, she acts like she owns the school!" Ella whined, and for once in her life, Lily couldn't agree more.

***

"You, er, wanted to see me?" Sirius stammered, feeling awkward for the first time in his carefree little life.

"Sit." Narcissa gestured to the seat across from her, and Sirius obeyed her wordlessly. "I wanted to discuss the Potions assignment."

"The Potions assignment!" It was then that Sirius remembered. It had slipped his mind, like assignments always did. "That's what the note was about then..."

"Yes. But I didn't figure that you would be able to remember anything at all in that thick head of yours, so I figured I'd fetch you myself." Narcissa said curtly.

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but she had already begun to discuss the assignment.

"I researched the potion in a book I found here at the library. I haven't gathered the ingredients yet, but I have a pretty good idea where we can find them. How about you? What have you done so far?" Narcissa looked at Sirius, tilting her head slightly.

"Er... well... that is..."

"You've done nothing. It figures..." Narcissa sighed impatiently, and Sirius lowered his eyes. He had never been so humiliated by a girl before. Narcissa Libelle seemed to possess the strange power of discouraging and humiliating a person to no ends.

"I'm going to assign you homework then. You are aware that since we are partners, we will have equal workloads. Is that clear?" Sirius just nodded, sheepishly.

"I want you to read up on this potion. Memorize the information on it if possible. Referring to the book every few seconds will slow us down. And gather some of the ingredients too, while you're at it. Perhaps the first three on the list. I'll get the rest." Narcissa spoke quickly, her statements very short and down-to-business like.

She placed two huge books and a parchment with the ingredients written on it into Sirius' arms.

"Don't you need to see the list, too?" Sirius asked, rather timidly, pointing to the parchment.

"No need for it. I've memorized it already." Narcissa said simply, and walked out of the library briskly, her head held high.

"Blimey, she's almost as bad as Lily..." Sirius scratched his head, feeling a little dazed. This girl intimidated him to distances unimaginable. But it drew him to her all the same, in a very strange way.

"Perhaps this assignment will be more fun than I thought." Sirius mumbled to himself with a grin as he staggered out of the library, books in arm.

***

"Black! Oh, the horror! It can't be!" James' eyes widened.

"Relax, mate. I haven't gone loony or anything." Sirius rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"Oh, dear Merlin..." Lily stopped dead in her tracks also, when she spotted Sirius.

"Sirius... you're- you're studying !!" James exclaimed in horror. "What's wrong with you, lad??"

"Are you ill, Sirius?" Lily inquired, looking genuinely concerned.

"I am fine, both of you. I'm just working on my Potions assignment. Narcissa forced me to." Sirius said grudgingly, though a small smile danced upon his lips.

"And when have you ever studied just because some girl forced you to?" Lily peered down at him, frowning.

"This time only." Sirius answered shortly, returning his attention to the books in front of him.

"The man's ill. Let's leave him be." James said grinning, and led a very puzzled Lily away from Sirius.

Sirius continued to read the long chapter about the potion he was supposed to brew. But his thoughts wandered elsewhere. That long, shimmering blond hair... Those sparkling hazel eyes... My, she looked lovely when she flipped that magnificent mane over her shoulder...

On the opposite side of the room...

"Look at Sirius, James. I really do think he's ill!" Lily pointed at Sirius, who was staring at nothing in particular, and grinning like an idiot.

"No, I doubt that, Lily... If I'm not mistaken, I'd say he looks like he's in love..." James grinned at her.

"Sirius, in love? That's not very likely, James." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see..."




A/N : Isn't Sirius just adorable? And don't worry, I'll get around to developing James and Narcissa's character... somehow. And please review!! How am I supposed to know what you think of my story unless you review?? Flames are also accepted... I suppose I deserve them, anyway... .

Disclaimer : I'm not making any profit off of this, so don't sue me.