Chapter 6: The Contents of the Letter

Padfoot's Story

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

(Drumroll, please) The 6th Chapter is here!

Sami reread the letter joyfully.

Hey Sami, hopefully you're reading this without Lily hanging over your shoulder since this is sort of private in more ways than one.

She hadn't registered this first bit the first time, because she had merely scanned it to see what it was about. Sami immediately hitched the letter out of Lily's sight.

"Don't bother," Lily said, giggling. "I've already finished. He knows me a little too well, doesn't he? And I've hardly ever talked to him, considering who he hangs out with."

"You're full of it," Sami replied dryly. "You've liked James for ages. I'm starting to get sick of hearing about him. Just stop pretending and go out with him."

"Hey, that isn't fair!" Lily said, trying to look hurt. "As if I'm not starting to get sick of hearing about Sirius Black! Still, maybe I won't have to listen to it anymore, since you're going to be a couple and all," she finished brightly.

Sami shook her head, smiling. Teasing aside, she knew there was no one else she would trust with personal information such as boys besides Lily Evans. She returned to her letter.

We've been hanging out for two weeks or so, and of course I've always been a dog. I'd like to apologize for not telling you about it sooner. You shouldn't have had to find out the way that you did. And I'd also like to confess I like you- a lot. I have no idea if the feeling is mutual, but I've finally worked up the nerve to do something I've wanted to do for ages. Will you go out with me, next Friday night? If you'd like to, come see me and I'll give you the details. I didn't want to put it in this letter in case Lily really IS reading over your shoulder.

Anxiously waiting for your answer, Sirius

She looked up and glanced at the Gryffindor table, where James, Peter, Remus, and Sirius were sitting together. Sirius was staring at her. She caught his eye and he gave her a weak grin before turning away. Sami grinned and pocketed the letter.

"You're going to say yes, aren't you?" Lily asked.

Sami turned to her. "Of course, are you crazy?"

Lily nodded in approval. "Good. Now you can explain exactly what he was talking about. What does he mean, a dog? Does that mean he's acted like an idiot around you, or something?"

"I can't tell you that, it's his business."

"Aww, c'mon, Sami! When have I ever told anyone your secrets?"

"It isn't my secret to tell."

"Yes it is, if you're going to start going out with him!"

"Nothing's final yet! And it's only one date, anyway, we aren't going steady!"

"How can you say that? You aren't going to let him get away, not now! You'd have to be insane!"

"Shhh!"

Lily closed her mouth, she hadn't realized how loud the argument had become. People were starting to stare at them.

"Just tell me, i can't be that bad," Lily insisted, her voice low.

Sami was looking grumpy. "You don't even care hat it is, you just want to know for the sake of winning the argument."

"Well, I do always win," Lily said, winking.

Sami sighed. "Do you absolutely promise not to tell anybody?"

Lily grinned, she could always get Sami to tell her anything if she tried hard enough.

"Of course, I've never broken a promise."

"If you tell I'll put a tickling hex on you until you die laughing."

"Just get on with it!!"

"Alright, alright." Sami lowered her voice and leaned close to Lily's ear. "He's an unregistered animagus. He's that black dog we met in Hogsmeade, remember?"

Lily's mouth dropped. "You're kidding! He's that dog? The one you've been playing with every day since? I can't believe it! Well, scratch that, I can. You guys will be the perfect couple! How did you find out?"

"Shhhh!" Sami said frantically. People were starting to give them looks again.

"Sorry," Lily said sheepishly, lowering her voice too.

Sami continued, leaning close to Lily's ear. "I found out on the way to an Order meeting." She didn't want to elaborate; she had yet to tell Lily about the werewolf episode.

"Has he told Dumbledore? Cause he'll let Sirius join if he knows he's an animagus. I'm still mad he won't let ME join, you know," she grumbled.

"He doesn't like taking on students, you know that. If a student died, the Ministry would look into it, obviously, and Dumbledore doesn't want them to know about the Order. They'd think Dumbledore doesn't believe they can handle the You- Know- Who business. And Sirius didn't tell Dumbledore about the dog thing; there was a perfect opportunity to tell him- yes, he did come to the meeting with me, Lily- and he almost let it slip, but then acted like he'd been rambling. I think this secret is more important than he lets on."

"Yeah, well, find out next Friday, will you? And I can't believe you brought him to the meeting! You won't even bring me to a meeting!" Lily said crossly.

"I thought he'd want to tell Dumbledore," Sami said hastily. "And don't worry, you'll hear all about what happens Saturday morning."

Over at the Gryffindor table, Sirius's face was still flushed and his mind was racing. Part of him wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out, part of him was glad he had finally done it, and still another part of him, he admitted, was terrified of being rejected.

James clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, mate, you finally did it. Now you just have to wait and see what she says."

Actually, after what James and Remus had been able to worm out of him once they were released from the hospital wing (Sirius was no better at concealing information than Sami) James had basically forced him to write and ask Sami out. Sirius had endured half an hour of the Jelly-Legs Jinx before agreeing to do it.

"Hope it's better news than Lily usually has for you, huh, James?" Sirius replied slyly, but his voice shook slightly and revealed his nerves about the whole situation.

Remus laughed and then winced; a deep cut that ran from his nose to his jaw line had started stinging. All of them had suffered minor injuries (well, if you could call a dislocated shoulder for Remus, a broken leg and wrist for James, and a puffy black eye for Sirius minor) except Peter. They were all still pretty mad at Peter for abandoning them like that and being so cowardly, but as he had put it in a scared, squeaky voice, "What could a rat have done to stop a werewolf?" They hadn't spoken to him since.

Sirius hadn't felt that his injuries were severe enough to go to the hospital wing, but Remus and James had obviously needed to. Madam Pomfrey was used to Remus showing up after the full moon because he often injured himself in the absence of humans, but James had had to blame it on Quidditch practice. They were lucky Madam Pomfrey wasn't the kind to ask too many questions. She had been able to heal them in a wink, of course, but James and Remus were still sore enough from all the cuts and bruises.

"Actually," James answered calmly with a smug grin on his face, now buttering a muffin and jerking Sirius unpleasantly back to reality, "I plan to ask her out again today. Maybe we can make it a double date, eh, Padfoot?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It was my idea to take her to the Shrieking Shack. Therefore, you are not going to disturb us. If she says yes, that is."

"You know, I still don't think it's a good idea to take her there. She already knows too much," James said flatly.

"Because of us, she came close to having to join Remus there every month," Sirius replied firmly. "She deserves to know the truth."

"Yeah," Remus sniggered from across the table. "Plus it's an old dump. Broken furniture, blood spattered everywhere, reputation of being haunted. Very romantic choice, Padfoot." He rolled his eyes. "And exactly what makes you so sure that this time Lily will go out with you anyway, James?" He broke off for a moment, snickering. "If I can recall, this will be the-" he had to stuff his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a large, yellow piece of parchment. He unrolled it and continued, his words barely distinguishable through the laughter- "three hundred and first attempt?"

"You've been keeping track?" James said doubtfully, looking suspiciously at the old piece of parchment.

"You bet, Prongs old buddy," Remus said proudly. "I've got the dates of them all and her responses. I knew right away a record such as this would be perfect blackmail material- I imagine Lily would find it very amusing, don't you agree?"

"Give me that!" James shouted fiercely. Remus pretended to look horrified. James reached for his wand.

Remus swore and jumped up from the table, eyeing the wand. Sirius was laughing hysterically, doubled over. Even Peter was giggling nervously.

"Give me that, now," James said, his voice low and dangerous. Remus grinned and bolted towards the Great Hall's doors.

Everyone in the Great Hall joined Sirius in laughing fits as Remus Lupin ran from the hall waving a piece of parchment, James Potter on his heels yelling "Accio!" the entire way.

Later that day, after Transfiguration, Sirius was curled up in the library, trying to bully his mind into memorizing how to mix a Stress-Relieving Potion.

'I could use one right now,' Sirius thought unhappily. Everyone in his year could, since N.E.W.T.s were just over five weeks away (it was the first week of May) and several people were having nervous breakdowns.

Sirius sighed and set his notes down on his lap. There was no way studying would do any good; he was too worried about Sami and her reaction to the letter. She still hadn't approached him with her answer, and he hadn't thought about anything else all day, even throughout Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was his favorite subject.

Sighing mournfully, he rubbed his forehead, which was pounding from studying, and looked up.

Sami had just walked through of the doors of the library. She paused for a second, scanning the room, then her eyes locked with his and she began making her way toward him. Sirius's mind froze. She took a seat in an armchair next to his and looked at her hands for a moment. Sirius watched her intently, tense in his chair.. Then she turned and looked at him, her bright green eyes sparkling. "Hi," she said finally. "I got your letter."

Stating the obvious wasn't the best way to start a conversation, but Sirius would have welcomed anything to break the silence.

Sami opened her mouth and stumbled upon her words, trying to think of what to say. She had rehearsed it over and over, but suddenly she couldn't remember a word of it.

"It t-took me forever to f-find you," she said slowly. She was even having trouble remembering how to speak English. "I kept hoping you weren't in your common room, but then I found James fuming over something, and he told me you'd be here."

Sirius felt a small smile creep over his face. Apparently James had never gotten the parchment from Remus.

Sami took a deep breath, and then said, "Listen- I'd love to go out with you."

Sirius blinked. The words hung in the air between them. He wanted to reach out and grab them; make sure they were real.

"Really? You'd really like to?" he asked uncertainly. He was scared of her answer; afraid it was all a joke.

She smiled happily. "Really. So, can you tell me where we're going?"

"No, that's part of the surprise," Sirius replied, dazed and in awe of his good luck. "But I'll tell you what I can..."

She dragged her chair a bit closer to listen to him talk, and loved the sound of his voice.

In the next Chapter we actually get some romance! Three cheers for romace! Woot woot!

-Padfoot-dreamer-