It was a bright clear day, perfect for flying, Sirius thought to himself. He was strolling through the Hogwarts grounds, making his way to the Quidditch pitch. While passing near the lake, he noticed that someone else was enjoying the day. Under a tree near the edge of the lake, Jane was spread out on a blanket. Silently, he moved closer. She was reading a rather thick, old tome. He could smell the musty air rising, as she turned each page. Silently, he reached the edge of her blanket. "Jane," he quietly spoke her name.

The sudden intrusion startled her. She looked up, shading her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun. Seeing Sirius staring down at her, she was shocked. She hadn't expected to see him again, before school. Then she spotted the broom slung over his shoulder. That explained it, she thought, he's going to practice. It wasn't as if he had come looking to find her. She was disappointed, yet relieved. Uncle Albus had warned her to stay away. Yet, she craved company, and he was always so busy. Craning her neck, she looked into his eyes. Maybe, he was lonely, as well. She spoke to him. "Hello Sirius. Are you heading to the pitch?"

Without waiting for an invitation, Sirius settled himself down on the edge of her blanket. He had seen the disappointment on her face. He wondered if she was upset to see him here. He had expected to see her strolling into the pub, but it had been over a week. Not once had she stopped by the pub. He had asked Rosmerta if she had been around while he was gone. She hadn't, and he was curious as to why she hadn't. It wasn't as if all the girls fell at his feet, but it was an uncommon occurrence for Sirius, that one would ignore him completely. This girl was a puzzle to him. He enjoyed puzzles, but was a little afraid he wouldn't be able to put pieces together. The whole picture was something he wasn't sure he would ever see. Deciding to be cautious, he answered. "Yea, I was going to get in some flying maneuvers." She trembled slightly at his answer. "Don't like flying much?"

Jane rolled her eyes, "No, I don't like the lack of control. Besides, I'm not very good at it."

He spotted her lack of interest and turned the subject to his question. "Been sticking pretty close to the castle, haven't you? I thought you might drop by the pub."

Dropping her eyes to her book, Jane had the grace to look ashamed. Her voice wavered as she replied. "No, I was down at Hogsmeade, yesterday. I went to Honeydukes for Uncle Albus." Not sure what Sirius reaction would be, she shot a sideways glance at his face.

Keeping his face down, Sirius played with the fringe of her blanket. He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to know her reasons. Looking at her with sad eyes, he pushed forward. "Why didn't you stop by?"

She turned toward Sirius, shocked by his question. He seemed hurt that she hadn't stopped by. Looking at him, through new eyes, she wondered again if he could be as lonely as she was. Uncle Albus was wonderful, but as the autumn term grew closer, he grew busier each day. This left less time for Jane. She was at her own devices, more and more each day. Staring Sirius directly in the eyes, she told him the truth. "Honestly, I didn't think you would expect me to stop by. I only met you the one time. I assumed you were only being polite."

"Yes, I expected you to stop by. If I didn't want to see you, I would have kept my gob shut. What did you think; I was trying to impress the Headmaster?" Sirius glared at Jane. Shaking his head vigorously, he fired a retort. "Since you don't want my company, I'll leave you alone."

Following his scathing remarks, he started to stand. Jane rushed to defend herself. "It isn't that I don't want your company. I'm just not sure that you really want mine. Besides, how would I know if you were only being polite?" In a low voice, she added a final dig. "Uncle Albus warned me about you."

At her last remark, Sirius' temper shot off, like a rocket. "It's because I'm a Black, isn't it?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued to rant. "I hate them; the lost of them are just a bunch of slimy Slytherins. I ran away from them. Yet, they are still biting me in the arse." Sirius ranted.

Chuckling at the display, Jane tried to explain. "I don't know who the Blacks are, and Uncle Albus never mentioned your family." She told him quite firmly. "The reason he told me to stay away from you was quite different. He told me you are a bounder."

Gaping at her, Sirius managed to choke out his question, "What the bloody hell is a bounder?"

Now in a full blown laughter Jane tried to answer, "Apparently, a bounder is a cad, who breaks young girls' hearts. He also feels you and your friends would be a bad influence on me. Something was mentioned about breaking the record for the most detentions over your school years." Watching Sirius' face carefully, she waited for his reaction.

"So Professor Dumbledore thinks I'm going to molest you, then break your heart. Then James, Remus, and Peter are going to corrupt your morals. Merlin, he made James the Head boy, and Remus a prefect. Blimey, Peter isn't going to lead anyone anywhere. He can't even find his own arse, half the time." Sirius stared at Jane, absolutely flabbergasted. "I just can't believe the Headmaster thinks that of us."

By the time he had finished his rant, Jane was rolling around with laughter. Calming her self some, she leaned on her elbows, to pose a question. "Does this mean you aren't here to molest me?" Laughter was still dancing in her eyes.

"Sweet Merlin, like I'm going to try to molest you right under his nose. Not bloody likely, without something to distract him. Does he think I'm stupid?" Sirius was in a full rant. He looked over at Jane, and saw her cheeky grin. "Don't answer that. I'm sure you don't know me well enough to answer that."

Jane turned her body towards him. The expression on her face was suddenly solemn. "Your right, I don't know you at all. You know even less about me. Unfortunately, I don't know much more about myself than you do." She avoided Sirius' eyes, by turning on to her back. She stared up at the leaves of the tree.

Noticing her suddenly sober tone, Sirius laid back onto the blanket. He turned his face towards her. "You still don't remember?" Jane jerked her head towards him, questioning him with a look. "Professor Dumbledore told me you didn't remember your past. He was firm about my not asking about it. If you ever need to talk about it, I'd be willing to listen." He noticed her distressed eyes; he decided it was time to leave. "I'm going to go practice now. If you need to talk find me. I'm not just being polite. I know about needing to talk. Your Uncle may not be the most comfortable person to blow off steam at. Either way; you know where to find me."

Jane nodded that she did know where to find him. At her nod, Sirius leaned closer. She could feel his breath ghosting across her cheek. Whispering into her ear, he said his parting words, "I'll just have to molest you later."

Sirius got up off the blanket and picked up his broom. He set off for the pitch, never looking back. Jane watched him with wary eyes, until she couldn't see him anymore.

A few days after talking with Sirius at Hogwarts, Jane visited the pub. Her eyes were drawn to the massive walnut bar. Just over the top of the bar, she could see the top of someone's head. The hair shone as darkly as the aged bar wood. As she watched, the person raised their head up from behind the bars imposing structure and Sirius' face came into view. His ivory skin stood out in stark contrast to his ebony hair and eyes. His eyes seemed to sparkle when he spotted her. Grinning, he called out to her. "I see you decided that I wasn't just being polite. Sit up here at the bar, so I can talk with you." He gestured to a stool, in front of where he was at the bar.

Jane decided to oblige him and she slipped onto the stool he had indicated. As Sirius bent his head to finish washing the last few glasses, she watched him. He presented quite an inviting picture. Under his tight t-shirt, she could see his well-toned muscles. Raising his head, he caught her intense scrutiny, as his jet-black eyes met her chocolate brown ones, and it startled her. She was slightly embarrassed that she had been unknowingly staring and wondered what he was thinking after catching her. He turned towards the back of the bar and replaced the cleaned glasses on a shelf. Calling back over his shoulder, he told her, "It's nice to see you again. Is it lonely sitting up there in your ivory tower?"

No answer was forthcoming, however. Wondering if she had snuck out while he wasn't watching, Sirius turned around. She was still there, her head down and resting on her folded arms. Misery seemed to seep out of her pores. He leaned on the bar, propping his head up on one of his hands. Raising one eyebrow, he questioned her, "What happened?"

With her head still cradled in her arms, she turned towards him. Her hair partially obscured her face, as if to help her hide. "Uncle Albus was supposed to take me to Diagon Alley tomorrow but today he told me that he has meetings all day tomorrow so he can't take me to get my school supplies." She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "Then he told me the best part. He arranged for the Head Girl to meet me at Leaky Cauldron in the morning. Someone I have never met is supposed to take me shopping." She sighed.

Sirius was surprised at this news. He had assumed Dumbledore would keep Jane close at hand, at least until school started. Diagon Alley was still fairly safe, but surely she would be a target for the Death Eaters as her parents had just been killed earlier this summer by You-Know- Who's followers. Wouldn't they want to finish the job by killing Jane? To send her to Diagon Alley with Lily Evans might be too much of a temptation for unexpected attack. Since Lily was muggle-born, she was a target herself. Didn't Dumbledore realize this? Even if the Headmaster thought Jane and Lily would be safe, Sirius didn't feel comfortable with it. He knew that, for his piece of mind, he would go tomorrow as well. To make it even safer, he would owl James, Remus, and Peter. He figured the four of them could protect the two girls.

He kept his face neutral to hide his fears. "That's a tough break. I'm sure you will get along with Lily, though. It is Lily you're supposed to meet, right?" Sirius prodded her.

Jane sighed in response to his question. "Yes, it's Lily Evans who I'm supposed to meet. Another Gryffindor. All I will know is Gryffindors."

He was vaguely surprised that she was being so melodramatic. Girls could be he knew, but somehow she hadn't seemed the type. Reaching down behind the bar, he drew two pints of butterbeer. Pushing one towards Jane, he took a long pull of the other. "Is that so bad?" Sirius teased her. She simply shrugged her shoulders. "Would it make it easier for you if I was there tomorrow? Not shopping with you, just at Diagon Alley."

She looked at his face to see if he was sincere. The idea appealed to Jane. It would give her an easy way out, if Lily resented being stuck with her. Sirius could tell her where to get her supplies. Eagerly, she smiled and nodded. "Yes, that would be a big help."

He took a drink, to hide his satisfaction and amusement. Despite Dumbledore's warnings, Jane was starting to turn to him. Maybe soon she would trust him. Let him be a friend. She seemed to need a friend.

"I need to go in the back and check with Rosmerta. Wait here, I'll be back in a few minutes," Sirius told her. He sauntered to the back of the bar, and slipped through the door.

He casually strolled into the back room and, looking around, he found Rosmerta taking inventory. Going to her side, he drew a breath and asked, "Could you change shifts with me tomorrow?"

Rosmerta turned to look at Sirius. He was trying to act calm, but she could see how nervous he really was and she wondered how much he really wanted this. The only way to find out, she decided, was to push his buttons. "I don't know Sirius. If I trade shifts with you, all those big tips the evening crowd gives will be yours. The day crowd doesn't tip nearly as well."

His face seemed to fall. The night crowds were much better tippers. Rosmerta made her living at this job. He was just working here for something to pass the time. If he needed money, Uncle Alphard's money was in the bank. Rosmerta didn't have someone else's gold to fall back on. Maybe he could bribe her to work the day shift. "Rosmerta," he whined, "I'll give you all the bloody tips I make. I just need the day off."

Rosmetha decided not to torture him anymore. "Yes, I'll work for you. Keep the tips; I just wanted to see how desperate you were. Have a hot date lined up?"

He had the grace to blush. Looking down to avoid her eyes, Sirius answered. "No, I just need to meet James at Diagon Alley tomorrow. Need to get supplies for school."

She observed him. He was lying to her and she could tell. It didn't matter, though, she didn't mind changing shifts. But it made her curious what he was up to. Shrugging, she spoke to him. "It's okay. You better get back out front. It will be lunch time soon. I'll be out to help later." She turned her back to Sirius, dismissing him. Not wanting her to change her mind, he rushed back out to the front.

While Sirius was in the back talking to Rosmerta, Jane was lost in thought. She wondered if Uncle Albus could be wrong about Sirius. He seemed like a regular guy to her. Not that she had much to go on. She didn't really know him. Besides, Uncle Albus might be prejudice against any boy. She had noticed that he hadn't asked the Head Boy to take her to Diagon Alley. I'm not stupid, she thought. "He just doesn't want me around any boys. A sudden movement caught her eye and, turning towards it, she saw Sirius coming from the back room with a smile on his handsome face.