By: Sweet 16 Movie Buff!
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Sirius sat in his History of Magic class, bored. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. Professor Binns' drone was almost as disengaging as a sleeping drought, he decided. Sirius glanced over his shoulder at a bespectacled boy, a sixth-year like him, with untidy and rumpled black hair; he too seemed to be bored and intent on sketching along the sides of his notes.
He grinned at James; it would figure. He scanned the class; Remus was paying apt attention to Binn's, and looking rather pale and peaked with the full moon tucked just beneath the horizon. Seven seats from James, to Sirius's far right, sat twitchy, anxious Wormtail, his wet eyes darting around the classroom at a dizzying pace.
Sirius scanned the mixed class of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws; few other students could withstand the disengaging monotone of Professor Binns; some had decided that the lecture was an opportune chance for a decent and lengthy nap. Others were contenting themselves to games of hangman, dots, or tic-tac-toe, while still more were embellishing their notes in absolute and complete boredom.
Sirius didn't regarded Jillian, who was seated two seats to Remus's left. She was busy scratching notes down on a sheaf of parchment. He tried to ignore the voice in his head that said class use to be more sufferable when she had been talking to him. He thought he'd be accustomed to it by now. But the icy coldness that she regarded him with, when she even regarded him at all of course, still irked him.
At last the bell clanged through the halls of Hogwarts and the students were released from Professor Binns' charge for the afternoon. Students woke with a jolt; others murmured their relief.
"Lets go, Padfoot," James said, clapping Sirius on the shoulder as if to wake him. Gracefully, Sirius was on his feet, his books shouldered.
Wormtail and Remus joined them at the door and the four strolled down the corridor towards the Entrance Hall and further off, the schoolyard. The sun shone brightly down on the hall, dust bits sparkling like glitter, meaning that it was a perfectly beautiful February day outside on the grounds.
Someone pushed past Sirius's elbow and strode past the four without so much as a word. Sunlight gleamed on a golden-brown chestnut head of hair.
James glanced at Sirius's face; "You still aren't speaking?"
Sirius nodded and Remus gently suggested, "Perhaps you should talk to her."
"Talk to her? Moony, have you ever tried to tell the sun to stop setting?"
"Actually," Remus said wryly, "I have."
"Jillian McKee is the exact same. She'll stay well angry with me until the end of her life."
"She'll come around," Wormtail said encouragingly, "They always do for you, Sirius."
Sirius would have been flattered if he hadn't known how untrue that was. Jillian was not attracted to him; she would not simply . . . 'come around' as Wormtail had put it.
He forced a smile, "Who needs her anyway? - "
"I do," Wormtail muttered, resulting in grins from Sirius, Remus and James. Wormtail often borrowed Sirius's notes, which in turn had been taken from Jillian's own notes during their study sessions.
Grinning, Sirius finished, "I'm quite happy rooming with James in the doghouse. At least we get a chance to get out again tonight."
At that they laughed and plundered outside into the sunshine and unusually warm February weather.
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Jillian rapped on the door. She was standing on the front stoop of a lone cabin just on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Adjacent to the hut, and closest to the tree line, was a pumpkin patch, currently nothing more than a barren patch of land. Opposite the patch was another garden, equally as barren but with each row marked with a different vegetable.
"Hello?" Jillian called, uncertain if Hagrid, the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, was in at the moment or out with Fang, his large black boarhound. From behind the door came a muffled bark and Jillian was reassured.
"Jus' a minute! Jus' a minute! Fang get down," Hagrid's deep voice rumbled. He opened the door, holding Fang by his collar as he strained to welcome her. Hagrid smiled, "'Ello, Jilly. Come fer tea? W'll come on 'n! Come on 'n!"
"Thanks, Hagrid," she smiled and followed him into the hut. From the rafters of the hut hung all varieties of pheasant and hams. A large table sat in front of the merry fireplace, tea and rock cakes all ready in place. In the corner was a great large bed covered in a patchwork quilt.
Contentment and happiness swelled in Jillian's chest as she took it all in. She felt at home here, welcome and warm. She sat down at the table and presently Fang came over; promptly drooling all over her school skirt.
"Aw, Fang!" she cried rankled as she affectionately scratched behind his massive ears.
"W'll eat up! Plenty ter eat!" Hagrid encouraged as he brought over a large basket of mending.
"Oh, thank you. But, I'm not . . . not really hungry," she said at last, her eyes flicking over the rock cakes. "But tea is just fine, if you would."
Presently Hagrid poured two cups of tea and Jillian picked up a sock that was in sore need of mending.
"S' how's yer classes goin'?" Hagrid asked, seating himself at the table and taking a sip from his cup of tea.
"Fine, really. Except there may be a Defense Against the Dark Arts exam that I'm not entirely prepared for," she said, squinting as she tried to keep her stitches small. "What about you? Any luck finding those . . . erm – what was it? The . . . Irish Biragons you were telling me about?"
Irish Biragons were lizard-like birds that often disguised themselves like dragons. They even had spade plates like dragons and could blow tiny streams of smoke. These creatures had been the latest pet interest that Hagrid had shared with her.
Dolefully he shook his head, "Nah, the bre'der in Livin'ston made er mistake an' had bred those ther' talkin' parrots instead."
"I'm sorry, Hagrid."
"Yeah, well no point 'n cryin' o'er spilt milk, I guess."
Tentatively, Jillian said, "Carly's mum sent me an article on Norwegian Ridgebacks a couple of months ago. I think I might still have it, if you want it."
Hagrid seemed greatly heartened by that and the conversation took a pleasant turn to European dragons and, in particular, Norwegian Ridgebacks.
"S'," he said at last, darting a curious glance at Jillian, "Anythin' new wit' yeh and - "
"As far as I'm concerned, that self-righteous git doesn't exist," she said primly, breaking the thread as she finished her second sock. The mask that had fallen over her face at the mention of Sirius had crumpled ever so to reveal a tiny flicker of hurt in her eyes.
Hagrid shook his head, "Sirius don' seem the type ter turn ugly like tha.'"
"No, he doesn't," she admitted softly. Then she smiled, "But not all things are what they appear, right Hagrid? I mean look at you – I was ruddy terrified when I first saw you and you turned to be out as sweet as a teddy bear."
At that Hagrid roared with laughter. "Alrigh' then," he chuckled, wiping a tear from his shining eyes, "Poin' taken, Jilly."
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Jillian did not leave Hagrid's until late in the afternoon, close to dinnertime. The school grounds were barren; all the students were in the Great Hall, eating mince pies and pumpkin tarts. Her stomach gave a deep gurgle at the thought and Jillian, having eaten nothing since breakfast, decided she was indeed in need of some mince pie herself.
Gathering her robes tight around her against the twilight chill, she set off for the castle. The shadows grew longer as the sky turned from a warm orange to a deep, rosy pink, to an even deeper violet color. Jillian slid into the Entrance Hall, blowing a little cloud of frosty air in relief. She pulled the door quietly closed, reveling in the warmth on her back, but as she pivoted about to go on, she nearly ran into none other than Sirius Black.
Her anger not forgotten, Jillian glared. "Get out of my way."
Sirius raised an impudent brow, "Really? There's room enough for two, isn't there?"
"Funny," she smirked though there was no humor in her tone, "I was going to ask you the same thing, milord."
She slipped under his arm and continued down the hall. Sighing, Sirius spun, calling after her, "Remus thought it best that I talk to you. Sad that you had to be the first to prove him wrong."
"You know," she remarked, halting in the center of the corridor, though not turning to face him, "I just had a thought; You and Snivellus should start a club. A Half-Blood Haters club. Actually, that's quite catchy."
"How long are you going to keep this up?" he asked, striding the distance between them and coming within a foot of Jillian. His face was dark. "How long are these taunts and insults going to last? I'd just like a nice round number, if you will."
Abruptly she spun to face him and breathed softly, "As long as time will tell."
"Wonderful," he said, though his voice shook, suggesting it was something much less than wonderful. He backed slowly away, spreading his arms wide, "Fine. Have a go!"
Jillian clamped her lips in a thin angry line, her fists balled at her side. Sirius gave a mocking half-bow, "Do my ears deceive me or is little Miss Perfect out of ideas already?"
"You presumptuous, conceited prat!" she exploded, "I'm just getting started - "
"Then have at it!" he shouted at her. "This was your problem with dueling. You'd start slow and end up flat on your back twenty seconds in - "
"Really?! Well don't get too comfortable on your pedestal, Black, because the only reason you were even passing Arithmancy was because of me. You think things should be handed to you on a platter because you're Sirius Black of the noble house of Black and girls fawn in your wake. Well I bloody hell don't!"
"You're so wrapped up in blood, McKee, that I'm beginning to wonder whether its you with the problem - "
"You don't know what it's like to be called a Mudblood or to work on your summer holiday! You don't know because you're nothing but a pampered, spoiled brat and only that because you're a pureblood. I thought you were different! But no . . . you're just like them!"
"I don't need this - "
"THEN WHY IN BLOODY HELL DID YOU EVEN BOTHER?!" she bellowed back. Her voice was well on the verge of choking as a steady knot was climbing up from her stomach.
"Ms. McKee! Mr. Black! That will do!"
Sirius and Jillian spun to see Professor McGonagall walking briskly down the corridor towards them.
Jillian bit her lower lip worrying it between her teeth; her eyes were over-bright. Sirius was breathing heavily as if he had woken from a terrible nightmare. Professor McGonagall glared at the both of them, "Really, the both of you! I'd have expected more from the two of you, but this . . . Ten points from both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw for such outlandish behavior!"
"Fine!" And with that Jillian fled the Entrance Hall, flinging wide the door to the grounds and sprinting wobbly out into the growing dark.
Sirius and McGonagall's gaze followed her out and when she had disappeared, Sirius's eyes turned as hard as stones.
"Fine!" he muttered darkly and stalked out of the hall, leaving Professor McGonagall alone and rather confused.
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SIDE NOTE . . .
Wow . . . Okay I know they both said some rather horrible things to one another, but I would like to remind my readers that this isn't what it's usually like between Jillian and Sirius.
The flashback, next chapter should instill a little more faith in the characterization!