(Disclaimer; no time for this, have to pack for school, I own nothing you recognise, bye now *spurt of dust and she vanishes*
James: What was up with her?
Lily: No idea.
Sirius: *looks shifty*
Lily: PADFOOT!
Sirius: Dammit, why do you always know?
Lily: Because you unpacked my trunk while I wasn't looking as well.)
Ok so it wasn't Siri it was my sister, but whatever.
@LauraKay; don't worry, Remmie'll get there…
@katesparrow; oh wow oh wow I feel so fluffy and warm inside, thanks! I felt so bad about Rem and the whole breaking-his-heart thing, but you have to admit Tuls and Siri are made for each other…
@elvencherry; lol! Just keep jumpin'. Oh and about before, I could've made chris evil but…he was kinda based on an ex of mine, and he –the ex I mean- knows it is (he's improved since then), so…making Chris evil might have hurt his feelings. Did that make sense? Sure as hell didn't to me…
God, I'm out of reviewers…guys, tell your friends to come read!
Enjoy…
Tulah awoke to find Sirius face down beside her, his legs tangled comfortably with her own and one arm flung protectively over her bare stomach. He muttered something, pulling her closer and nestling into her neck.
"Time to get up," she said into his ear, and one eye cracked blearily open.
"Mmph?"
"Morning to you too!"
Sirius closed his eyes again and stuck his face back into her neck. "Saturday, no school," he mumbled sleepily. (A/N; A Walk To Remember! GREAT film!)
"Quidditch match," she reminded him. He sat up with a groan, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Damn." He gave her a kiss and slid out of bed, yawning. Tulah watched him as he fumbled his way into his robes, admiring his…eyes. (A/N; well what did y'think I was gonna say?? Dodgy lot!)
"Aren't you getting up?" Sirius queried.
Tulah rolled into the warm hollow he had left, stretched luxuriously, and shook her head. "It's Saturday, lie-in day. I'm not getting up for hours," she yawned.
Sirius' face fell. "You're not coming to the Quidditch?"
"I've never seen a Quidditch match; nor do I intend to."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Have you seriously never seen a Quidditch match?"
"Not technically," Tulah admitted, laughing. "Unless you count playing with you in the holidays."
"So, come to this one!"
"But I'm sleeping," she protested.
"Not any more, you aren't." Sirius picked her up, dumped her unceremoniously on the nearest chair and threw her rugby shirt and shorts at her. Tulah caught them, making a hideous face in his direction, and began to get dressed.
"Bully."
"But you love me for it," Sirius told her, grinning and helping her to her feet.
An hour later, Tulah inched her way along the stands to where Lily and Peter were standing with the rest of the Seventh Year Gryffindors, draped up to their chins in red.
"You guys actually enjoy this experience?" grumbled Tulah, shivering violently.
"Wait until they get started," Lily grinned, pinning an enormous red and gold rosette to her hat.
"Go on!" screamed Tulah as the Slytherin seeker spiralled into a dive, closely followed by James. "Get him James…come _on_...NO!" She subsided with a sigh; both seekers had slowed then turned back upwards, and the Snitch was nowhere to be seen. "What's the score again?" Tulah shouted to Lily over the deafening roar of the crowd – Remus had the quaffle firmly in his grip and was speeding up the pitch, a Slytherin beater in close pursuit.
"Twenty-ninety," Lily bawled back. "James needs to get the Snitch now or…" Tulah didn't catch the rest because Remus had just scored and the crowd was going wild, Lily along with them. "Thirty-ninety," she shrieked, punching the air. "Take that, you bloody…you filthy…you _bastards_!"
"Language, Miss Evans!" Professor McGonagall admonished from three rows down. Lily ducked her head, giggling.
Tulah strained her ears to catch the words of Dave Jordan, commentator extraordinaire, who had gone into overdrive with the latest goal.
"And it's Izzie Bell, Izzie Bell for Slytherin with the quaffle, she's shooting up the pitch – come on Gryffindors, tackle her…yes…yes!…HAH! Gryffindor in possession, Gryffindor chaser Lydia Baker pelting towards the goal…passes to Lupin…passes to Chase…and it's Marie Chase, dodges a bludger – close call, Marie – she's getting nearer…" A ringing silence fell throughout the crowd, thick with tension. Dave's magically magnified voice cut sharply through it. "…SHE SHOOTS… SHE… doesn't… score…" He died away. The Slytherin side of the stands exploded with cheers and catcalls. "Blocked, by Slytherin keeper Zachary Harts," Dave continued dejectedly. "Slytherin have the quaffle…"
High above the game, James and Sirius were holding a whispered conference with Sirius' fellow beater, Tom Sullivan.
"You need to take out their keeper," James repeated urgently, while his beaters nodded their agreement, "then go for anyone else you can. Padfoot, I'll need your backup later on."
Tulah squinted into the sun, trying to catch a glimpse of Sirius. He and Tom had been keeping out of the action so far; they were playing defensively rather than aggressively and not doing much more than keeping the bludgers from knocking any of the Gryffindors out. Tulah would have been worried if Sirius hadn't already explained to her the long and complicated strategy that he and James had worked out, and his part in it, in excruciating detail.
Finally picking him out from the tangle of players, she watched as he and Tom, working perfectly as a team, whacked bludgers repeatedly at the Slytherin keeper who was getting more and more jumpy. Their tactics worked; Hart fumbled an easy save, taking the score up to forty-ninety.
Sirius grinned at James, who was circling the game above, and flashed him a triumphant thumbs-up.
James ignored him. He had seen a glint of gold at the other end of the pitch, and the Slytherin seeker was already a quarter of the way there. James sped after him, a mixture of fear and excitement flooding his veins. He was catching up…but the Slytherin was too far ahead…he was going to lose it…
He flattened himself to the broom handle, mentally urging it on.
A bludger flew out of nowhere; he dodged it, swearing. Sirius swooped past him in hot pursuit of the bludger. "Get your arse in gear, Prongsie," he bellowed. (A/N; can I have feedback on whether it's 'ass' or 'arse' please??)
James accelerated once more towards the snitch which, miraculously, was still hovering beside the Slytherin goal.
The bludger which had so nearly hit him zoomed past his head, hit the Slytherin seeker from behind and knocked him clean off his broom. Moments later, James' fingers closed around the struggling snitch.
Seconds later he was surrounded by his team - who were pounding him on the back, delirious with happiness - and Sirius was yelling something hoarsely in his ear. They sank to the ground, a tangle of triumphant bodies, to be met by the crowd of Gryffindors flooding onto the pitch.
Sirius planted an enormous kiss on Tulah's lips, slipped an arm round her waist and turned to look at her. "Well?" he inquired excitedly. "Did you see?"
"I watched the whole match," Tulah replied, her face alight. "You were brilliant!"
"Flattery? What have you done?"
"I stole your red sweatshirt," Tulah admitted, gesturing to it. "Sorry. But you _were_ brilliant," she added. "You and James are a great team."
"Great team we may be," James said to Sirius from behind them, "But that doesn't mean I know why you have your arm around Tuls, and she hasn't murdered you yet."
Tulah answered. "We…um…" she glanced at Sirius, who nodded. "We got together last night."
Lily, who had joined them just then with Remus in tow, let out one of her squeals. "Finally! Congratulations!"
"Prove it!" Remus laughed, although Tulah noticed he was clutching his broom very tightly; his knuckles were almost white. She shot Sirius a 'please-don't-lets-make-too-much-of-this' look, then kissed him, very gently, on the lips.
Remus cleared his throat. "Ok, I think that's enough proof for now…"
Lily, who had been finding it very difficult to suppress her excitement, suddenly burst forth, "But it's just so great for you guys, because you've been like on and off for so long, and you make such a cute couple because Tuls is so small, and Padfoot's so tall, and I hope you aren't going to break up this time-"
James, hoping to stop the flood of words, said, "Padfoot, did you know you've broken the Slytherin seeker's jaw?"
"I have? Cool!"
Seconds before Tulah fell totally asleep in History of Magic, a neatly folded note landed squarely in front of her.
Tuls, she read, The end of term ball's next week, and I was hoping you'd come with me. So…will you? Sirius. xxx
Tulah glanced over at him to find him surrounded by the crumpled remains of his other attempts at a suitable note. He grinned back bashfully at her. Tulah, laughing, began her own note.
Sirius,
Considering the amount of effort that went into that, I can't really say anything except I'd love to come to the ball, however shit you may have been at asking…
Tuls xxx
A week later Tulah descended the stairs nervously, searching the common room for Sirius before she even realised she was doing it. She spotted him by the fire; looking, as usual, effortlessly attractive. (A/N; At no point will I mention what he's wearing because technically he should be wearing dress robes and in my head he isn't.) "Tuls!" Lily shouted, waving wildly from her perch on James' knee and nearly knocking his glasses off. "Careful, woman," he growled crossly, straightening them and spoiling the effect with a swift kiss on her cheek. Tulah, laughing, tugged absently on the low hemline of her dress and looked back at Sirius, only to find him gone.
Warm breath stroked her cheek and strong arms slid around her waist. "You smell good," Sirius murmured in her ear.
"Lily sprayed stuff on me," Tulah explained, turning in for a proper kiss. Sirius slipped his arm through hers, and they went to join the others.
"Want to dance?" Sirius asked, a while later. Dinner was over, and people were streaming onto the dance floor which dominated the middle of the extravagantly decorated Hall.
Tulah nodded and stood; Lily and James were long gone, as was Remus, and even Peter had found himself a girl to grope.
Tulah moved her head a tiny bit closer to Sirius' and drew in a slow, rather shaky breath as his hands moved up her back. He took a gentle hold of her chin and turned her head up to face him.
This time all I need is you
There is no one else
Who can take your place…
"This is a muggle song," Tulah murmured. "I love this song…"
This time you burned me with your eyes
You see past all the lies
You take it all away…
Sirius kissed her firmly, running his hands down to the base of her spine and resting them there, digging his fingers in just slightly. Tulah pressed as near to him as she could, trembling with suppressed anticipation.
Take me away
Take me away
I've got nothing left to say
Just take me away
They had left the dance floor and Tulah found herself backed up against the wall in a dark corner, pinned down by Sirius' arms. For once she was enjoying the experience; especially when Sirius turned his attention to her neck.
I've seen it all and it's never enough
It keeps leaving me needing you…
(A/N;
Title: Take Me Away
Artist: Lifehouse
Album: Stanley Climbfall.)
"So what are you doing this holidays?" Sirius asked breathlessly; surprising Tulah, who had never known him ask such a mundane question.
"I don't know." To be honest, she hadn't really thought about it. "Go to James', I suppose, unless he has any objections. What about you?"
"My, uh, my uncle left me some money. Quite a lot of money, actually. I was thinking of buying a flat."
Tulah stopped dead, a huge smile spreading over her face. "Sirius, that's great! So you can move out of James'?"
"Looks like it!"
Sirius let the excitement wash over him for a minute. ::Finally, independence! I can pay back James and Remus for all the times they've had me to stay!:: But there was still one more thing to do before he bought the flat, which he already had his eye on.
"Would you move in with me?" he asked quickly, before his nerve went. "I mean, it makes sense," he carried on in a rush. "I know it's way too early, but neither of us really has anywhere to go and we can't stay at James' forever, so I may as well get my own place and I know you've got no money so you may as well move in with me. And I'm in love with you," he added softly, "which always helps…"
"I love you too," Tulah whispered. "And I'd love to move in with you."
She laughed, because she had suddenly thought of what Lily would say if she could hear them.
"This is getting clichéd, isn't it." Sirius laughed with her. "Shall we get back to the kissing part?"
"Excellent idea," Tulah approved, and Sirius drew her close again.
(A/N; It's one in the morning. I've been revising all day. Harry won't text me so I've developed a crush on a random guy called James instead. I hope you guys appreciate the effort that went into this. Now, just the epilogue to go then maybe I can get some sleep…boy am I going to be ratty next term…hope you forgive me!)
Thought I'd leave that author's note in; it's a little outdated (Harry's history). And no it's not you James. Yet another James.
But I am writing this at one in the morning, and I have been revising all day, so it still applies. God my life is mundane…