Chapter Eight: An Unexpected Confession
== Sirius ==
"You log her," James said disbelievingly the next day, at lunchtime. I hadn't told them about it in the morning, well, I COULDN'T, because Lupin spent all morning yelling at me and James on what idiots we were. "You log her. I ruined my best mate's date, lied about something he nearly had a heart attack over, and got my ass kicked just so you could tell her that you LOGGED her."
I sighed. "Stop rubbing it in."
"Why try to say 'love'?" Wormtail said moodily, resentful of the fact how Lupin had yelled at him for a good five minutes before realizing that Peter really hadn't puked on his essay. "Why not 'like'? You could've gotten that out faster, and it wouldn't have been as hard."
"Yeah, right," I rolled my eyes. "I'd probably end up saying something like 'I hike you a lot!'"
"Well, Moony was in a right state this morning," James shook his head. "Didn't talk to me at all. I wonder how things went on between him and Aleesia last night when you fled the scene, Sirius."
"Yeah, and thanks for telling him it was MY idea, chap," I glared at James.
"Hey, you said NOTHING about keeping it a secret," James shrugged. "Plus, he was going to cream me. Well, he did, but, whatever. Now YOU need to keep your end of the deal, mate."
I sighed. "Oh, right. I have to bewitch Evans into believing that you're a good guy and that she should go out with you."
I ducked as James threw a plate at my head.
"So you and Arwen are broken up now, eh?" Wormtail looked surprised. "I thought she was stuck on you."
"Yeah, she sent me a note," I said, taking it out of my pocket. It was kind of bold and to the point.
Dear Sirius, the letter said. Hey, it's me, duh, haha. Well. Even though I still like you a lot, I don't think we can see each other anymore. I just don't think you return the same feelings for me, and I can't continue to be your girlfriend if it's going to be like that. Maybe in the future, you could really learn to love me, and things will turn out better. Just remember that I will never stop being in love with you. Love always, Arwen.
"I don't understand," James said bewilderlingly. "She's still in love with you, but she's breaking up with you?"
"Girls will be girls," I shrugged.
Maybe now, there was a chance...
== Aleesia ==
"Oh, shut up laughing, Mal," I rolled my eyes. We were in the Common Room instead of at lunch. She couldn't get over the 'log' thing.
"He logs you! Oh, yes, he logs you!" Mallory said hysterically, wiping tears from her eyes. "He rams a huge piece of long wood into you... he logs you!"
"That doesn't sound right. At ALL," I said savagely.
She finally stopped laughing. "You think that's what he really meant to say?" she said earnestly. "What could he have meant by logging you?"
"Morons. He meant, he LOVES you," a voice said behind us.
We whirled around. It was Arwen, looking tragic and smug at the same time. Her eyes were puffy and red, and it looked as if she had been crying.
"Arwen!" I said, astonished she was talking to me. "What did you say?"
"You heard me," she shrugged, sitting down next to us. "He meant that he loves you. Isn't it obvious."
"He can't love me," I said, feeling thrilled that she was talking to me again. "He likes you."
Arwen snorted. "Me? Yeah, right! Why would he love me." She looked sad, and I felt like complete dung.
"Because he wanted to go out with you first," I said hastily. "You're tons pretty, and you're---"
"Save it, Aleesia," Arwen shook her head, but not unkindly. "It's not the first time I've had my heartbroken, thanks to a friend."
I raised my eyebrows. "Arwen, I'm sorry, but you must understand, I don't like---"
"It's okay. He couldn't help falling in love with you," Arwen sighed. She was quiet for a moment, then she blurted out:
"Three years ago, in the third year, before I even knew you guys... I fell in love with somebody. He was so nice to me, even though I was all fat and ugly. He stood up for me against all the bitches who didn't accept me since I was overweight, and that's why he became unpopular. He was like... utter perfection." Arwen breathed in, as if the memory was too hard to relive. "Finally, one day, I got up the courage to tell him how I really felt. I told him I was in love with him.
'I love you', I told him. 'I've been in love with you.' Then he... he..." a tear rolled down Arwen's cheek. "He said, 'I'm sorry, but I can't say that I feel the same way. I'm in love with your best friend... Lily Evans.'"
She started sobbing. "I stopped talking to either of them after that. It hurt too much. The ironic thing is, he never told her he was in love with her. Maybe he stopped, I don't know. But I just couldn't look at them."
Mallory and I sat there in shock. Finally, Mallory said, "Arwen, honey, this asshole... was it James Potter?"
Arwen shook her head. "Right, like Potter would defend anyone! No, it wasn't."
I swallowed. "Then, who was it? Please tell us, Arwen."
Arwen started sobbing some more. Finally, she calmed down, and we could barely make out the words:
"Severus Snape."
== Sirius ==
"You log her," James said disbelievingly the next day, at lunchtime. I hadn't told them about it in the morning, well, I COULDN'T, because Lupin spent all morning yelling at me and James on what idiots we were. "You log her. I ruined my best mate's date, lied about something he nearly had a heart attack over, and got my ass kicked just so you could tell her that you LOGGED her."
I sighed. "Stop rubbing it in."
"Why try to say 'love'?" Wormtail said moodily, resentful of the fact how Lupin had yelled at him for a good five minutes before realizing that Peter really hadn't puked on his essay. "Why not 'like'? You could've gotten that out faster, and it wouldn't have been as hard."
"Yeah, right," I rolled my eyes. "I'd probably end up saying something like 'I hike you a lot!'"
"Well, Moony was in a right state this morning," James shook his head. "Didn't talk to me at all. I wonder how things went on between him and Aleesia last night when you fled the scene, Sirius."
"Yeah, and thanks for telling him it was MY idea, chap," I glared at James.
"Hey, you said NOTHING about keeping it a secret," James shrugged. "Plus, he was going to cream me. Well, he did, but, whatever. Now YOU need to keep your end of the deal, mate."
I sighed. "Oh, right. I have to bewitch Evans into believing that you're a good guy and that she should go out with you."
I ducked as James threw a plate at my head.
"So you and Arwen are broken up now, eh?" Wormtail looked surprised. "I thought she was stuck on you."
"Yeah, she sent me a note," I said, taking it out of my pocket. It was kind of bold and to the point.
Dear Sirius, the letter said. Hey, it's me, duh, haha. Well. Even though I still like you a lot, I don't think we can see each other anymore. I just don't think you return the same feelings for me, and I can't continue to be your girlfriend if it's going to be like that. Maybe in the future, you could really learn to love me, and things will turn out better. Just remember that I will never stop being in love with you. Love always, Arwen.
"I don't understand," James said bewilderlingly. "She's still in love with you, but she's breaking up with you?"
"Girls will be girls," I shrugged.
Maybe now, there was a chance...
== Aleesia ==
"Oh, shut up laughing, Mal," I rolled my eyes. We were in the Common Room instead of at lunch. She couldn't get over the 'log' thing.
"He logs you! Oh, yes, he logs you!" Mallory said hysterically, wiping tears from her eyes. "He rams a huge piece of long wood into you... he logs you!"
"That doesn't sound right. At ALL," I said savagely.
She finally stopped laughing. "You think that's what he really meant to say?" she said earnestly. "What could he have meant by logging you?"
"Morons. He meant, he LOVES you," a voice said behind us.
We whirled around. It was Arwen, looking tragic and smug at the same time. Her eyes were puffy and red, and it looked as if she had been crying.
"Arwen!" I said, astonished she was talking to me. "What did you say?"
"You heard me," she shrugged, sitting down next to us. "He meant that he loves you. Isn't it obvious."
"He can't love me," I said, feeling thrilled that she was talking to me again. "He likes you."
Arwen snorted. "Me? Yeah, right! Why would he love me." She looked sad, and I felt like complete dung.
"Because he wanted to go out with you first," I said hastily. "You're tons pretty, and you're---"
"Save it, Aleesia," Arwen shook her head, but not unkindly. "It's not the first time I've had my heartbroken, thanks to a friend."
I raised my eyebrows. "Arwen, I'm sorry, but you must understand, I don't like---"
"It's okay. He couldn't help falling in love with you," Arwen sighed. She was quiet for a moment, then she blurted out:
"Three years ago, in the third year, before I even knew you guys... I fell in love with somebody. He was so nice to me, even though I was all fat and ugly. He stood up for me against all the bitches who didn't accept me since I was overweight, and that's why he became unpopular. He was like... utter perfection." Arwen breathed in, as if the memory was too hard to relive. "Finally, one day, I got up the courage to tell him how I really felt. I told him I was in love with him.
'I love you', I told him. 'I've been in love with you.' Then he... he..." a tear rolled down Arwen's cheek. "He said, 'I'm sorry, but I can't say that I feel the same way. I'm in love with your best friend... Lily Evans.'"
She started sobbing. "I stopped talking to either of them after that. It hurt too much. The ironic thing is, he never told her he was in love with her. Maybe he stopped, I don't know. But I just couldn't look at them."
Mallory and I sat there in shock. Finally, Mallory said, "Arwen, honey, this asshole... was it James Potter?"
Arwen shook her head. "Right, like Potter would defend anyone! No, it wasn't."
I swallowed. "Then, who was it? Please tell us, Arwen."
Arwen started sobbing some more. Finally, she calmed down, and we could barely make out the words:
"Severus Snape."