The next few weeks went by smoothly and before Noelle knew it, the snow was melting and the sun was becoming stronger. Soon, exams would be upon them.

Severus had developed several test potions, but none had been very successful. They had helped her symptoms for a short while, and then her body had become accustomed to them. This made him even more determined to find the correct mixture and ingredients.

One breezy Tuesday, he passed by her desk in Potions and furtively whispered, "Tonight, down in the dungeons...I think I finally have it."

Then, just as quietly as he had approached, he floated away. Noelle sat staring after him, with an indescribable feeling in her heart.

Sirius saw Snape lean down to talk to Noelle, and he saw the look on Noelle's face after he had left. She looked nervous and excited all at the same time. What was going on between those two?, he wondered to himself. He didn't think that Noelle was cheating on him, but there was something strange about the relationship she and Snape had. It bothered him, but he knew she wouldn't hear any of his complaints.

She turned to Lily to ask her a question about the assignment, and caught his eye. Nervously, she smiled. Now he was worried. Noelle never looked nervous around him anymore. What was going on?

Later that night, after everyone had eaten and most of the students were heading to bed, Noelle slipped out of Gryffindor tower. She had briefly thought of asking James if she could borrow his Invisibility cloak, but that would mean letting him know that she knew he had one. Taking a chance, she scampered down the stairs.

Severus was waiting for her in the damp dungeon chamber. A cauldron was simmering on the table in front of him. His onyx eyes lit up when he saw her enter the room.

"Here, sit down."

He pulled a chair out for her and she gracefully sat. Sniffing the air delicately, she gave a lopsided smile.

"At least this one smells better than the last one." She said.

He chuckled. "Hopefully, it will taste better too."

Noelle crossed her fingers and nodded.

After tossing a few more ingredients into the cauldron, he slapped his hands together.

"Okay, I think it's ready."

He ladled some into a goblet and handed it to her.

Eyeing it suspiciously, she finally nodded.

"Alors, I am ready."

He lifted a large book whose cover was thick with dust and gently blew it at her. She inhaled deeply, and began to hack.

Quickly, she lifted the goblet to her lips and let the contents slide down her throat. Once it was empty, she slapped her hand over her mouth and tried to keep the potion in her stomach. After a few heaves, her stomach settled and she was able to relax. She was still hacking, but at least it was a productive hack.

Embarrassed, she turned away from Severus and spit out a large ball of phlegm. After a few more, the coughing came less and less until it ceased all together.

With her hand still resting on her chest, and her eyes still on the floor, she took a few deep breaths. Her lungs filled with air effortlessly and she felt no need to cough. She felt wonderful, the best she had in years.

Her eyes began to light up as she took deep breaths. The air flowing into her chest felt cleansing. Severus saw the look on her face and began to smile. He smiled so hard that his cheeks hurt.

Just then, her chest seized up completely and she began to hack even worse. He rubbed her back gently until she stopped. Turning her eyes to him, she shook her head. His eyes went bright with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry, Noelle. I really thought I had it this time." He bowed his head so she couldn't see his eyes.

She grasped his hand. "You tried, and you will succeed. You are the best friend I have ever had."

He smiled and embraced her. He tightened his hold on the fragile girl, rubbing her back gently. Slowly, she pulled away and made to kiss him on the cheek, just as he turned his head to kiss hers.

Their lips met. Stunned, Noelle didn't know what to do. True, he didn't have the suaveness of Sirius, but it didn't feel bad. They kissed gently at first, Noelle getting used to kissing someone other than Sirius, and Severus realizing just how passionate Noelle could be.

Their kisses deepened and he felt her tongue slide inside his mouth. He moaned softly and pulled her tighter into his arms. She responded eagerly, her small hand entwining into his black hair. He ran his hand up the side of her body and she sighed gently.

Slowly, he ran his tongue over her lips and she moaned. Her knees went weak, and he had to support her entire weight. She gripped the back of his robes and pulled his head to her shoulder. Not entirely sure what she wanted, he hesitated.

Noelle sensed that he was unsure, so she ran her tongue over her lips and pressed them to his neck. She trailed her tongue over his skin as he stood, absorbed in the sensations. Taking the hint, he placed his own lips on her smooth neck. She moaned again, and sucked gently on his ear. It was almost too much to bear. He groaned at the effort of trying to restrain himself and she laughed slightly.

"I see nothing funny about this, Mr. Snape...Miss Lemieux."

A sharp voice rang through the dungeon, and Noelle and Severus jumped away from each other.

Professor McGonagall advanced on them, with anger in her eyes.

Noelle buried her face in her hands and sobbed in humiliation.

"Mr. Snape, go to Professor Valenti's office. Miss Lemieux, come with me."

McGonagall spun on her heel, and with a heavy heart, Noelle followed her. Severus grabbed her hand.

"Noelle, I'm so sorry...I...I...I never thought anything like this would happen."

Noelle smiled sadly. "I am just as much to blame as you are. I did not stop, even though I probably should have."

She touched his pale face softly, and felt the heat that was still there from their kisses.

"Do not worry, I do not blame you."

Silently Noelle followed Professor McGonagall through the castle. In her office, she sank into the chair in front of the desk. She kept her head down, her fingers tightly clenched together. Finally, Professor McGonagall spoke.

"I am very disappointed, Miss Lemieux. I never expected this sort of behavior from you." She seethed. "In all rights, I should expel you."

Noelle's head came up sharply. "I made a mistake, and I am sorry." She said simply.

Professor McGonagall studied the girl in front of her intently. She did indeed look remorseful, and it would be a shame to expel someone of Noelle's calibre.

"I'm not going to expel you. However, you will serve a week's detention and be placed on full restriction for the remainder of the year."

Silently, Noelle nodded. "Thank you." She murmured.

"Also, I will leave it up to you as to how you explain your punishments to the other students."

Noelle breathed a sigh of relief.

"You are dismissed."

She rose from her chair and made her way back to the tower. What in the world was she going to tell her friends? And Sirius! How could she even begin to tell him what she had done? She wiped a hand over her face as she climbed through the portrait hole.

The next morning, Noelle was still wondering how to talk to Sirius. She knew that her conscious would eat her alive if she didn't confess, but she didn't want to think of what he would do or say. Nervously, she chewed her toast. A hand on her shoulder made her jump.

"You all right?" Sirius questioned.

Noelle recovered quickly. "Oui, of course." She sipped her coffee.

"You sure? You look distracted, or upset, or both." He pursued.

"I said I was fine, Sirius." She said irritably.

His grey eyes widened. "Sorry for asking."

As he pushed his chair back to leave, she grabbed his hand. "Do not go away angry. I'm sorry."

She smiled weakly at him, and he leaned down to kiss her. As his lips brushed hers, guilt flooded her soul. She flinched slightly, but he didn't seem to notice. He straightened just as Professor McGonagall approached the table.

"Miss Lemieux, eight o'clock tonight, Greenhouse three."

Noelle swallowed deeply and noddec. Before Sirius could turn his inquisitive eyes on her, Noelle downed her juice and picked up her bag.

"See you in Charms." She tossed over her shoulder as she fled the hall.

She pushed her way through the hallways, her eyes on the worn stone floor. She couldn't just rush away every time Sirius tried to talk to her. Eventually, she was going to have to tell him, before someone else did. She took her seat in the classroom, steeling herself against the penetrating stares of her classmates.

Surprisingly, there were no unusual instances at all, for the entire day. She finally began to relax. At dinner, she even managed to joke a bit. Just when she thought she was home free, Sirius dropped the second shoe.

"So, Noelle, why do you have detention tonight?"

The blood drained rapidly from her face. Her mouth opened and closed without making any sounds, then

"I was studying for Potions in the dungeons last night and I lost track of time." She said, her voice barely cracking.

"Severus with you?" Sirius questioned, his jealousy thinly veiled.

"Oui, he was there." Noelle answered as nonchalantly as possible.

"Oh."

The single word spoke volumes to her. He was suspicious now, and she knew it was only a matter of time before more questions were asked.

Her detentions were unremarkable. She helped re-pot some mandrake plants, scrubbed some cauldrons for Professor Valenti and helped Hagrid weed his garden. After one long evening at this, she returned to the tower, desperate for a bath.

She climbed out of the tub, feeling like a new person. As she pulled on cotton shorts and a tank top, Lily stumbled sleepily into the room.

"How was detention?" Lily yawned.

Noelle shrugged. "It was easy. Detention with Hagrid hardly work."

Lily laughed. "He's far too nice to punish anyone."

Noelle nodded in agreement and perched on the edge of her bed with a nail file, attempting to repair some damage.

"Noelle?" Lily asked.

"Hmm?" Noelle answered without looking up.

"Why did you really get detention?"

Noelle was silent at first. She just froze without taking her eyes off her nails.

"I told you, I was out of bounds after hours."

Lily still looked skeptical. "Noelle, I'm not stupid. No one has ever gotten a week's worth of detentions and been placed on full restriction for being out of bounds."

Noelle glanced at her friend, then swung her eyes away again, remaining silent.

Lily sighed. "Fine. When you're ready to tell me, I'll be here." she said, looking slightly put out.

She sank back onto her bed and pulled the curtains closed around her. Quickly she yanked them back open.

"You know, I'm your friend Noelle. You don't have to keep secrets from me."

Her green eyes showed how hurt she was. Noelle took a deep breath.

"Severus and I were working on a potion, we kissed and McGonagall walked in." she blurted out.

Lily's chin hit her chest. "You kissed Snape? You're kidding me!" she gasped.

Noelle shook her head, her eyes full of tears. "Please, never mention it!" she begged.

"Of course not. Sirius would kill him."

Noelle blanched. "That's what I'm afraid of and that's why he must never find out."

Lily snorted. "Noelle, he's going to find out, one way or another. You know that, right?"

Noelle swallowed thickly. "Do you really think he will?"

Lily sighed again. "Noelle, for the sake of Severus' life, I hope not."

The next morning, Noelle was downing cup after cup of coffee. She hadn't slept at all the night before. Sirius dropped onto the bench next to her, yawning widely.

"I see you didn't get much sleep either, huh?" he muttered under his breath.

With her eyes down, she shook her head. "Non." She said softly.

He rubbed his temples. "Noelle, I don't know what's going on between us, but I feel as if we're drifting apart."

He tilted her chin up so she was looking into his eyes.

"I feel like you're keeping something from me."

She had to tear her eyes away because the love she saw there was unbearable.

"Noelle, nothing you could tell me would make me love you less."

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself.

"The reason I have detention, is because I kissed Severus the other night and Professor McGonagall caught us."

She quickly glanced around the room before meeting his eyes again. Emotions flew across his face. Shock, pain, and then anger such as she'd never seen before. Instinctively, she drew back.

Sirius' mouth opened and closed. She cautiously placed her hand on his arm. He looked down at it, then snatched his arm away.

"Noelle, how could you...I loved you dammit!" he yelled.

Instantly, the hall fell silent and everyone turned around. He jumped up and she grabbed his robes to make him sit back down. He ripped away from her and ran out of the Great Hall. She jumped to her feet and followed him.

Quickly the talking resumed in the hall. Most of the Gryffindors were quite used to their tumultuous relationship and hardly paid any attention to their spats anymore. The students finished their breakfast and began to trickle out the hall to their classes.

However, one student in particular had been watching the scene unfold with his attention never wavering. After the room had emptied, he also began to leave.

As he scurried by the Gryffindor table, a notebook lying under the bench caught his eye. The name 'Sirius Black' was written in bold letters on the cover. He flipped it open. At first, all he saw were notes from what looked like Charms class.

Towards the back, what he read caused his jaw to drop. His normally slow mind began to race and a wicked gleam lit his eyes. With a twisted grin, Peter Pettigrew snapped the book shut and started out of the hall. This could be his ticket in.