"Get away from me!" Sirius yelled hoarsely.

Noelle stopped in her tracks. He was sobbing roughly.

"Sirius, I never meant for this to happen...please...you have to believe me!" she begged.

He laughed bitterly. "Believe you? Noelle, I can't even look at you right now! How could you do this to me? With him, of all people!" Sirius screamed.

Students that had come outside to enjoy the late spring day curiously turned around when they heard the volume and tone of his voice. She lowered her head in humiliation and studied the grass at her feet. He grabbed her arm and shook her roughly.

"Look at me, dammit!" he yelled.

She raised her eyes to meet his and winced at the pain she saw there, hidden deep under the anger. He dropped her arm and wiped his hand over his eyes.

"Sirius, please, it was a mistake. I don't love him...I love you." She pleaded breathlessly. She felt her chest begin to tighten.

"You love me? You've got a great way of showing it, Noelle."

Even as the fury inside him raged, he was still mesmerized by her beauty. He wanted to pull her down to the ground and kiss her until she couldn't remember who she was, never mind who Severus Snape was. As she gazed straight into his grey eyes, he could see that she was telling the truth. He opened his mouth, about to forgive her everything, anything, just as long as she still loved him. Over her shoulder he spotted the last person he wanted to see now, and forever.

Sirius pushed past Noelle and stormed across the grass, darkness clouding his mind. He didn't say anything, just pulled back his right fist and swung with all of his might. He connected with Snape's nose, causing it to shatter and bleed almost instantly.

Noelle screamed and grabbed hold of Sirius' arm. He yanked away, shaking her off and rushing forward again. He managed to get in three or four swings before someone finally lifted him off of Snape's inert body. A small crowd had formed and as the darkness finally cleared, he realized that something was terribly wrong.

Instead of one person lying on the ground, there were two. Lily was crouched by the side of the smaller figure, her features distorted with anger.

No, he thought. Please, no!

Sirius sank to the ground and crawled to Noelle's body, reaching out to touch her. She was crumpled on the ground, curled into a tight ball, sobbing uncontrollably with her hands over her face. Slowly, Lily managed to pull one hand away, revealing a vicious shiner and a deep gash under her eye. Tears were pouring down Noelle's face, leaving streaks in the blood.

Sirius gasped and yanked his hand as if she were on fire. He stared at his own hands as if they didn't belong to him. Shakily, he got to his feet, still in shock over what he had done. He began to back away slowly, then turned and fled, escaping the accusing stares of his classmates.

Bending over, James carefully gathered Noelle's shaking body in his arms. He lifted her weight easily and headed towards the castle. Lily hurried along beside him, occasionally glancing over her shoulder at Sirius' retreating back. He doesn't deserve to be comforted, she thought with disgust, and quickly caught up to James.

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was already bustling around, fixing Severus' broken nose. He lay unconscious, still bleeding profusely. Upon hearing the three Gryffindors enter, she turned to face them. She gasped slightly when she saw Noelle's black eye, but she covered it well.

"Thank you Mr. Potter, Miss Evans. I can take it from here." She said.

James and Lily both hesitated, but a stern look from Madam Pomfrey sent them both towards the door.

"We'll be in the tower Noelle." Lily called over her shoulder.

Noelle nodded and sat on the edge of a cot, her shoulders quivering slightly with her sobs. Taking Noelle's face carefully in her hands, she tilted her chin up so she could better see the damage. Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips slightly and shook her head as she healed the cut under her eye. She then smeared a gooey potion over the swollen area.

"This will take the swelling away, but I'm afraid the bruise will be there awhile." She said apologetically.

Noelle sniffed and nodded, patting her good eye with a tissue. The pain slowly subsided as the swelling went down.

"Can I go back to my room?" she asked.

Madam Pomfrey nodded and Noelle slowly slid off the cot and made her way to Gryffindor tower.

As she climbed through the portrait hole, she heard James' voice raised in anger. Hoping Sirius was not in the common room, she slowly entered. She peered around the corner just enough to see James gesticulating forcefully from the armchair closest to the fire. She strained her ears to hear his words.

"Moony, I swear, I thought Padfoot was going to pound Snape right into the ground. I've always known that they don't get along, I mean, seriously. Noelle's the only one who can stand the greasy git."

James paused slightly. "But even he didn't deserve a beating this bad."

She heard silence again before James spoke in a hushed voice.

"Well, actually, I guess I can believe it. Remember what happened last year?"

Remus snorted. "You mean after Christmas? How could I forget, it did involve me."

Noelle crept around the corner so she could see both boys.

James nodded. "He was so mad. He thought that Noelle had come back here to be with Snape."

Remus looked slightly surprised. "Is that why he did it? I never knew, and I really didn't care to either."

James nodded again and opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it when he spotted Noelle lurking in the shadows.

"How's your eye, Noelle?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Remus' jaw dropped when she moved into the light. "Sirius did that?" he asked incredulously.

She waved her hand impatiently. "What were you just talking about?"

James shook his head. "Nothing." He lied.

She glared at him. "Enough. Tell me." She demanded, fixing her navy eyes on him.

He shook his head again, glancing nervously at Remus.

He sighed in exasperation. "For Merlin's sake, just tell her Prongs. She already knows I'm a werewolf."

"She knows?"

"Yes. Now tell her. She deserves to know."

James sighed and bowed his head. Reluctantly he began to speak.

"Sirius lured Snape into a tunnel under the Whomping Willow, which leads to where Remus hides when he transforms. I felt guilty and stopped him just in time." He said, all in one breath.

"In time for what?" Noelle asked, already knowing the answer.

James looked her straight in the eye. "In time for him to get out alive."

Noelle gasped. "Sirius tried to kill him?" she whispered.

"Well, yes, I suppose you could look at it that way." James said lightly.

"How could he?" she stammered.

"Noelle, he was angry and not thinking clearly. He didn't really want to kill him. Just scare him a bit."

Noelle stared at him in disbelief. "A bit? Are you mad?" she said between clenched teeth. "I cannot believe this. I barely know him then."

She rose unsteadily.

"Where are you going? You should be resting." James warned.

"I do not need rest. I need answers." She said sharply, and strode out of the room.

Sirius sat on his favorite rock by the lake, his mind reeling at what had just happened. The image of a battered Noelle was glued to the back of his eyelids. How could he have let that happen? How could he have lost control like that?

Angrily, he stared at his hands, the hands that had done so much damage to the face of the girl he loved. And to the face of the bastard that kissed her, a little voice in his head said. He grimaced. The thought of someone else, especially that greasy git, touching Noelle made him ill. His fists clenched tightly. I should have killed him, he thought darkly.

"Would that really make you feel better?"

Her voice took him by surprise. He spun around.

"Noelle...I..." Had he spoken out loud?

"I asked you a question, Sirius." She said clearly.

Her eye was only slightly swollen, but the riot of colors surrounding it was horrific. She sat gracefully on a rock next to his, waiting for an answer.

"Yes...well..no...I don't know." He said with frustration.

She raised a thin eyebrow as best as she could. "Really? Haven't you tried to already?" she asked innocently.

His eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about?" he stuttered.

She grabbed him by the front of his robes and shook him roughly. "You know exactly what I am talking about." She snarled, dropping her calm demeanor. "You tried to kill him last year, after I left James' at Christmas."

She shook him roughly. "All because you thought I was running to him? Or was it something else?" Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face.

"Did he find out your little secret? Well, I know your secret, too. Remus is a werewolf, and you and James are Animagus. You are not as sneaky as you think you are." She said caustically. "But James had a pang of conscious and stopped him. But you...you would have seen him die! What the hell is wrong with you!" Noelle screamed, angrily pushing him away.

He stumbled back, trying desperately to keep his footing on the slippery ground. She stood over him, glaring at him, the fury making her dark blue eyes even darker.

"And no, he did not tell me. James told me. Severus is still unconscious." She said, her voice cracking slightly.

She turned away from his stunned expression to head back to the castle.

"Wait, Noelle!" he called.

She turned back.

"I didn't mean to hurt him so badly." He started.

She laughed incredulously. "Hurt him? You destroyed his face, and his teeth." She paused.

"Why did you hit him in the mouth so many times? Because I kissed him?" she asked.

The blood drained from his face and a knowing smile spread slowly over her face.

"That is why, isn't it? Oui, I kissed him first. So you have no one to blame but me."

His grey eyes narrowed with anger, and she went too far.

"You make me sick at my stomach, Sirius Black." She hissed, and stalked away.

He watched her go, the bile rising in his own throat. He heaved once and let out an anguished wail. He had never felt the pain of a loss such as this. She was right, every word she spoke was the truth. He had indeed tried to trick Snape last year. Clutching his head in his hands, he sobbed brokenheartedly. She was gone; he had lost her.

Noelle stormed towards the castle. Her black eye didn't bother her nearly as much as the fact that Sirius had tried to kill Severus. How could he have done that? She asked herself. A sob caught in her throat. For all that huge display of strength was worth, she felt miserable. She knew that she still loved him, because it was taking every ounce of self control that she had not to turn and throw herself into his arms, and beg him to forgive her. She cursed her weak heart.

How could she love a man like that? Olivier had been dishonest and had betrayed her, but she was sure that he would never have tried to kill anyone. She rubbed her temples. Enough, Noelle. She told herself. Oblivious to the stares of her classmates, she hurried back to Gryffindor tower.

The common room was empty when she got there. Everyone was in class, she realized. It was amazing that only a few hours had passed since breakfast. There was no way she could concentrate on class right now. Deciding to take advantage of the empty dormitory, she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

Before she could push the door open, the grief became too much to bear. She leaned her head against the wall. She kept hearing that awful howl that Sirius had made as she fled from him. Even as she tried to keep them inside, the tears kept pooling under her eyelids. It was useless to even try to stop them. Leaning all of her weight against the wall, she cried until the door creaked open.

Lily stood at the jamb, and reached for her best friend silently. Noelle fell into her embrace and allowed herself to be carried inside. She collapsed in a heap on her bed and cried even harder. Lily rubbed her back and stared out the window, wondering why her friend's life had to be filled with so much pain.

Later that night, Noelle awoke with a start. The dormitory was quiet and the lights were low. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she had slept right through dinner and well into the night. Slowly, she drew her knees into her chest and rested her chin on them. She listened to the slow, even breathing of her roommates and closed her eyes thoughtfully. Her sleep had not been easy, but full of nightmares. Shaking herself slightly, she eased off of her bed and silently crept out of the room.

She made her way downstairs as quietly as she could; surprised to see the fire was still going strong. Someone was in the armchair closest to the fire, their dark head bowed in deep thought. She took a deep breath and walked to the chair across from his. He turned his head to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, tearstains still visible on his cheeks. She swallowed nervously.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Sirius gave a snort. "You're asking me this? After what I did to you?" his voice was still choked with tears.

"Sirius, I am sorry for what said to you by the lake. I am sorry for what I did. But I cannot take it back. It is over and done." She stared at him sorrowfully.

He looked into her eyes, and he could see that she was telling the truth. He reached for her hand, and she gave it to him willingly. When their hands touched, she felt a small jolt go through her hand and into her body. It took her by surprise and she jumped slightly. With a single glance, she could tell that he had felt it too.

"What was that?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "I don't know. But Noelle, all of this made me realize how much you mean to me."

He pulled his chair closer to hers and took her other hand into his. She stared into his eyes.

"I cannot believe how close we came to losing each other." She said breathlessly. "Sirius, I cannot begin to imagine what this life would be like without you. You are everything to me."

He was already shaking his head. "No, Noelle. Over and over, I have been an insensitive prick. You're the only thing in my life that means anything to me at all." He gently touched her face. "I love you so much Noelle. I'm so sorry, so sorry about everything. It's just when I thought of him touching you, kissing you, I lost it. I couldn't even see I was so angry."

She squeezed his hand. "You had every right to be angry. I am guilty, Sirius. I was wrong to do what I did, and I knew it. I don't know what came over me."

She bowed her head.

"Let's put it behind us." He said quietly.

She nodded, her eyes still on the floor. When she lifted her head, she could see the effects of her betrayal lingering in his grey eyes.

"Will we be alright?" she asked haltingly.

He smiled sadly. "We will be."