"Nobody is perfect until you fall in love with them"

-unknown

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Still chuckling to herself, Joey walked over and turned on the shower's hot water . She slipped off her dirty, wet dress and slid under the warm spray. The water felt so good on her skin, and she began washing the mud out of her dirty hair. Looking around through all of the hot steam that built up in the shower, she tried to find a bottle of shampoo.

She finally found one sitting on the bath ledge. Oddly, it was clearly labeled SIRIUS on the side of it. Giggling to herself at the randomness of having a name printed on the side of a shampoo bottle, she flipped open the lid and just breathed in the delicious scent. It was no wonder Sirius smelled so good. His shampoo was heavenly. She lathered the smooth foam through her hair and just inhaled the wonderful aroma.

In the mean time, Sirius was patiently twiddling his thumbs out in the dormitory. He couldn't lie down on his bed because he was still soaking wet, so he remained sitting in the hard chair. Never the less, there was still an enormous smile plastered across his face. He was wet, muddy, and grimy; but the most beautiful and wonderful person he had ever loved, he now knew, loved him right back. In fact, he had just been kissing her a few moments before! All this information finally began soaking into his brain. Life was finally going the way he wanted it.

Suddenly, Sirius train of thought was interrupted when a burst of footsteps could be heard running up the stone dormitory steps, just outside the door. Sirius pulse shot up. He was desperately hoping that the person wouldn't come into his dorm room and see that Joey was in the shower and he was soaking wet and still in his ball robes . . . what conclusion could they make! Especially if it was one of the marauders . . . their first conclusion would always be the most suggestive one.

It was just the luck when James Potter came bursting through the doorway, all out of breath. He was actually a rather hilarious sight to see. His robes were practically hanging off of him . . . almost like he had been in the middle of a struggle. To go along with his lovely robes, his glasses sat crookedly upon his face, and there were the clichéd kiss marks all over his cheeks and neck that resembled a deep shade of plum lipstick. James bustled into the room and walked straight over to his trunk. He began frantically digging through it, when Sirius, who was now on his feet, cleared his throat very loudly to get his attention.

James almost jumped in fright at the noise. He had been so preoccupied, that he didn't even think to look around to see if anyone else was in the room.

"OH! Sirius, what are you doing in here?" James said with a surprised tone. "And why the hell are you all wet?" Sirius gave him half a smile.

"Well, I went for a walk an-"

"In this weather! Are you bloody mad!" James was hysterical.

"No . . ." Sirius said with a minor chuckle. It was kind of hard to take James Potter seriously when his face and neck were covered with kiss marks. "Actually, I happen to enjoy walking in the rain."

"Yeah, whatever, mate. . ." James trailed off, shaking his head, as he turned back around to continue rummaging in his trunk.

"So what are you doing in here?" Sirius enquired.

"Oh . . . well I was just. . . uhhh . . ." James began nervously looking around the room.

"You were just what?"

"I was . . . well, I was just getting some clothes to change into that would perhaps be a little more comfortable . . ."

"So you aren't going back to the ball? Where's Lils?"

"Oh . . . she's still in her room . . . I was just going back there to keep her company . . ." James trailed off again. ". . . I just thought I'd get out of my dress robes first."

Sirius ears perked up to this last statement that James had made. The phrase: 'she's still in her room triggered an idea in his brain. If she was still in her room, and James was planning on just going back there, then that would imply that they both had already been in that room together, just earlier . . . An enormous smile crept over Sirius face. Lily and James were obviously the two people that Joey had overheard getting better acquainted.

All of the sudden, James had found the T-shirt and pair of boxers that he had been looking for, and turned around towards the bathroom so he could go change into it. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the door closed. Suddenly, he became very aware that he could hear the shower running, as well. A very perplexed look came over James Potter's face, and he turned around to look into Sirius' very anxious expression.

"And who might be using our shower at the present moment?" was all he asked. Sirius just stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. If he told him the truth, then James would, of course, go off on a ceaseless, suggestive string of comments. Sirius really didn't want that, so he instead proceeded in stuttering through a lie.

"OH! Yes, well . . . NO ONE, actually . . . yeah . . . no one's in our shower . . . nope . . ." Sirius shook his head adamantly as if that would suddenly make him sound believable.

James just gave him one of those looks that says you need help, and then he leaned in and asked, "If no ones in the shower, then why's it on, mate?" Sirius just took a deep breath and tried to speak with a normal tone for a second.

"Well, you know how I like to take steamy showers . . ." His voice was surprisingly calm compared to how he was feeling. "I just thought I'd let the hot water run a little and keep the door shut . . . that way, I thought all the steam would build up in it by the time I was ready to hop in." He said this with an obviously nervous chuckle at the end. He was lying through his teeth, and he was only hoping the James perhaps, if not believe him, maybe take mercy on him and ask no questions.

James just paused for a moment as if trying to take in the information. The slightly dense boy suddenly started nodding a bit like he understood.

"Right," he paused for a moment and chewed on his upper lip. "Well then, I guess I'll just bring these clothes over to Lily's and change over there"

"Okay, mate!"

". . . Goodnight, then! . . . and I hope you enjoy your. . . steamy shower," he trailed off as he walked over towards the door.

"Oh, goodnight . . . And say g'night to Lily for me!" Sirius gave him a friendly smile and a nod. James looked over and returned the smile as he opened the door and walked out.

"I will, mate . . . and you'll say g'night to Joey for me too, then?. . . when she gets out of the shower, of course." Trying his best to stifle a laugh, James gave him a sly wink and shut the door behind him. Sirius just rolled his eyes and fell back into the hard chair he had been sitting in before. What a night.

Joey finally got out of the hot shower, smelling nice, clean, and fresh. She was happy. Despite all of the emotional stress she had gone through that evening, she was just eager to go to sleep . . . it didn't really matter where.

She quickly dried herself off, and grabbed the clothes that Sirius had given her so she could put them on. She put her nose to the clothes and breathed deeply. These smelled like Sirius, too! She liked using his shampoo and wearing his clothes. Now she could just walk around anywhere and still be able to breathe him in.

Examining his fashion decisions, Joey found herself quite thankful to him. Sirius had obviously, judging by the size, picked out his smallest pair of boxers. Joey found herself wondering if it was a pair that had gotten shrunk in the wash or something. It was clearly a pair that would not fit on Sirius' muscular frame.

Sirius had also given her a large grey shirt that was really big on her. She had seen Sirius wear that shirt before. However, recalling on the occasion, she could remember how he filled out the shirt a whole lot better than she was. This thought made her giggle a bit as she looked at herself in the steamy bathroom mirror. Still giggling, she wrapped her hair up in her towel and walked out into the cool dormitory.

"Bathrooms all yours," she said as she walked over and sat down on the bed next to Flam.

"Thanks," he said as he grabbed his night clothes and walked over to the bathroom.

"Oh, I used your shampoo. I hope you don't mind." A large smile grew over Sirius face.

"Oh, no, thats okay . . . you'll just be flea free, I guess!" He started laughing.

"What?" she said with a perplexed look on her face. "What do you mean flea free?"

"Oh . . . well, as Padfoot, I gotta be a little careful about flea control, see . . . so I concocted my own little shampoo-invention. It gives me all the benefits of human shampoo, but also gives me flea-protection." He flashed her a cheesy smile and walked into the bathroom laughing to himself. Joey just shook her head, rolled her eyes, and sat down on the bed with a smile on her face. Sirius was such a goofball sometimes.

Sirius took a much quicker shower than Joey had taken, and he was back out in the dormitory in no time. Joey was lying back on Sirius bed, stroking Flam who was sitting on her stomach, and trying desperately hard to stay awake. However, seeing a wet-haired Sirius walk out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, seemed to wake her up a bit. His dripping hair sat shaggily on top of his head, countless fly-away strands dangling in front of his eyes. He took the towel he was holding in his hands, lifted it to the top of his head and rubbed his hair thoroughly. He pulled the towel away, and his hair was in even more of a disarray.

"Oh, my . . . that's attractive!" Joey laughed with a sarcastic tone, causing Flam to get annoyed by his unstable perch and fly off, landing on the window sill.

"Why thank you, my dear," Sirius said with a funny smile creeping over his face. "I think so too!"

"I bet you do!" She laughed as he rolled onto the bed next to her, tackled her, and pinned her down by rolling onto her. His bare chest was up against her, and she suddenly found herself very mesmerized by his good looks. The thought was quickly erased from her brain as he started tickling her like crazy.

"Oh, but you don't think so, do you?" he laughed as he continued tickling her all over her stomach and neck. Joey started screaming and laughing hysterically. She hated it when Sirius started tickling her . . . she always lost control and couldn't stop laughing. It was her main area of vulnerability.

"Sirius!" she gasped through loud bursts of uncontainable giggles. "Sirius!" She was now snorting and crying all at once.

"What do you say!" he managed to sputter out through wild snickering. She couldn't get a hold of herself. She tried desperately to move, but he was too strong for her, and she was too weak from laughing.

"YOU WIN!" she practically screamed out through tears. Still laughing, Sirius rolled over onto the bed next to her and allowed both of them to catch their breath. The two of them just laid there on the bed next to each other for a few moments. The room was silent besides their stabilizing panting and laughing. When Joey had finally gotten a hold of herself, she looked over at Sirius and spoke.

"You're such a jerk!" she teased, still laughing, as she playfully socked him on the shoulder. Sirius just looked down at his bare, muscular arm where she had punched him.

"Are you trying to say you want more?" he laughed.

"Oh, no you don't!" she said quickly as she tried to get up off the bed before he tackled her again. He was too quick for her. He grabbed her and pinned her down so that the upper half of his body was on top of her. Sirius just looked down into her amused expression. The huge smile on her face reached all the way up to her jade-blue eyes which were glowing with excitement. Sirius was absorbed in her beauty as they just lay there. His eyes had glazed over and a serene smile was plastered across his face. All he wanted to do was just stare into her eyes, and Joey's heart was fluttering like crazy from the look he was giving her.

Please Review! love, SJ