A/N- I'm pretty sure this is going to be the last chappie, cos I'm really not enjoying writing this story. I'm finding it hard to write, and that's never a good sign. Thanx reviewers, you rule! I'm sorry, but I'm concentrating on The Second War right now, and it's taking up most of my time.


At The Lake.

Anya and Sirius were sitting in a pair of fluffy chairs and looking at each other. Even though Sirius tried not to let it affect him, it did. Anya's' big dark eyes looked at him. Concerned and with so many questions. At last Sirius couldn't stand looking in them anymore. He closed his eyes, and turned his head away.

Anya couldn't quite work out Sirius' expression. She was still trying to work out what had just happened between them. She stared at her friend- he looked worried.

' Sirius, what is it?" she finally asked. He looked so desolate; it scared her.

'It doesn't matter…' Sirius heard his own voice coming out, a hoarse whisper.

'Hell yes it does!' she said sharply, hearing the words at the same time as him. She hadn't meant to sound so harsh.

Sirius stared at her. "Nothing…it's nothing."

'Is it what happened tonight?'

 Sirius stood up suddenly. She was getting too close to the truth for his liking. She couldn't find out. She couldn't.

'Look, just… just… just forget it! It doesn't matter I said! You wouldn't understand it anyway, and if I told you how I…' Sirius stopped short. He had almost said-' and if I told you how I feel about you, you'd run a mile!'

He couldn't risk letting slip the truth. He turned around and walked out of the common room. Anya stood up immediately, determined to find out how he felt.

'Sirius… Come back…' Her voice was soft. Sirius could feel his stomach somersaulting.
 

She caught up with him just outside the portrait hole, and took his arm gently, turning him to face her.

'Please tell me what's the matter' she whispered. 'Is it what happened tonight? 'Cos if it is, I'm sorry, I just… I'm not sure what happened."

'Its not that.' He whispered, unable to take his eyes off her face. He had felt her lips on his moments ago, but now… he had never felt so distant from her.

"What is it then, Sirius?"

Sirius looked at her, trying to think of an excuse for his behavior. But he couldn't. There was nothing for it. He was going to have to do what Remus, James and Peter had been on at him to do for the past three weeks. He was going to have to tell her. He swallowed a lump in his throat that was threatening to choke him to death.

'Can…can we go outside? I'll tell you then, I swear'

'At least if we're outside' he thought ' once I've told her she can always run inside and avoid me'

He led the way down to the lake, and sat down looking across at the perfectly clear water. He had the sudden, mad urge to drown himself…

'Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?' she said. ''Cos you're really scaring me…'

'Yeah' he sighed, resigned to the fact that he was about to lose one of his best friends. No matter what anyone said, of thought, there was no way she felt the same way. No way. He took a deep breath, and then took the plunge.

'Listen Anya… I … I … recently, I've been getting these… these weird feelings…about you… and I thought they'd go away… but they haven't'

He turned to look at her, and to his surprise, she looked anything but shocked or revolted. She edged closer to him looking as though she almost wanted to smile.

'About me?' she said slowly, unable to believe what she was hearing. 'How d'you mean?'

'I mean… shit, this is hard… I … I … I mean that… I …I think I'm… well, I know I'm… um…-'

She cut across him-

'Y'know, this gonna take forever- how about we just skip straight to my bit?'

He stared at her blankly. 'What?'

He could have sworn he saw a shadow of a smile passed across her face as he watched her stare across the lake.

' I said why don't we cut to my bit? Y'know the bit where I …'- she paused for a moment, and turned to look at him. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, barely above a whisper,

'The bit where I say I love you too'

It took a few moments for what she had just said to sink in. He can't have heard her right. He must have misunderstood her.

'Sorry, what?' he said, his voice shaking.

She let out a tiny laugh, 'Don't make me say it again' she said shaking her head.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing, surely not?

'Did you just … no… no, say it again'

She turned to him again, her eyes on fire, 'no! No… you say something… please say something' Anya's stomach was churning. Her entire future as a Marauder rested on his reaction to her blunt words.

She pleaded with him, on the verge of tears. 'Please' she whispered… 'Anything'

He stared at her; he seemed unable to register what she had said. The sight of her tearful face, however, seemed to flick a switch on in his head. He decided there was nothing for it; he was going to do what he had wanted to do for the last several weeks, and to hell with the consequences.

He leant forward, and brushed his lips softly against hers, before pulling away to look at her, and gauge her reaction. But before he had time to read her expression, she lifted up a hand, and placed it round his neck, pulling him towards her. His lips found hers, he wanted to keep his eyes open, to watch her face, but he couldn't, he was too lost in the kiss. His hands found her waist, and slipped round it tightly, pulling her even closer, just as her other arm found its way round his neck and pulled him in, deepening the kiss. She fell back on the grass, with him on top. It was, without a doubt, the most blissful, perfect moment of his life.

It was going to be a very interesting summer.