Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own any of Harry Potter, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Note: I apologize that this story took so long to update. I hit a bit of a roadblock as to where I wanted the story to go. Don't worry though! > I already have an idea for the next chapter, so there should be a fairly quick update after this.

Chapter 2: Rivalry Revealed

When Ginny woke up the next morning, she was slightly surprised to find the bed next to her empty. Shrugging her shoulders, she stretched her tiny arms up and her legs out. She briefly wondered what time it was before swinging her legs over the edge and getting out of bed.

Stumbling, Ginny headed towards the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom. After showering and drying her hair, she went back into the bedroom to get dressed. She pondered what to wear, what would be suitable. She decided on a pair of dark blue jean shorts and a light yellow tank top. Ginny pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

Deciding that she looked presentable enough, Ginny headed down the stairs towards the kitchen. She was surprised to see Remus Lupin, her former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea.

Smiling, Ginny cheerfully said, "Good morning, Professor Lupin."

Remus chuckled slightly, "Good morning, Ginny. Please call me, Remus. I'm not your professor anymore, and this isn't class."

"Yes…Remus," the name sounding foreign on her tongue as it sent shivers down her spine and tickled her senses.

Remus watched Ginny as she poured herself a glass of milk and grabbed a piece of leftover toast, then sat down across from him. She really was exquisite with her doll-like face and dusting of freckles. Remus allowed himself to breathe in her scent mixed with the scents of vanilla and cinnamon.

'Bad idea,' he chastised himself. He could feel his body reacting to her scent.

"Excuse, me," Remus said to Ginny as he left the table, thankful for his flowing robes.

Sirius had been watching the scene between Remus and Ginny from afar. Due to his animagus status as a dog, his senses were heightened; he could smell Remus' arousal. He growled slightly. He didn't like the thought of someone else being after Ginny.

Pulling himself together, Sirius sauntered into the kitchen and sat next to Ginny, giving her a smirk, "Morning, Gin."

"Hi, Sirius," she replied nervously.

Of course, this was not lost on Sirius as he smirked more. He leaned over close to her and pulled out the rubber band that was holding her hair up.

"I like it better down," he whispered.

Ginny's breath hitched, 'Is he flirting with me?'

As if to answer her question, his warm breath on her ear, "Your mother has us cleaning today, do you want to work with me?"

Ginny answered slightly breathless, "Y-Yes."

'I wonder what it would be like to have her breathless under me,' he thought. 'Sirius! Stop this!'

Turning towards Ginny, he gave her a half-smile before standing up and offering his hand to her.

Two hours later, found Sirius and Ginny working side by side in the room with Buckbeek, the hippogriff, getting rid of various items, when Ginny spotted a box that she couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of. It was made of rich, mahogany inlaid with what looked to be various gems – emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds – set in an intricate design. She was about to open the box...

"NO!" Sirius shouted at her, grabbing the box.

Ginny looked at him in shock, trembling slightly. She could tell just by this incident that this man, this gorgeous man, was paired with a temper.

'Shit!' Sirius didn't fail to notice her shocked expression, the hurt in her eyes, nor the trembling of her small body.

He inched his way over to her after putting the box back down. Once he reached the young girl, he wrapped his arms around her and began to make soothing noises to comfort her.

"I didn't mean to scare you, but that box is very dangerous. It contains very powerful magic and can only be opened by a blood-member of the Black family. Otherwise, the person will suffer a fatal illness," he said finishing, looking over at her. " I don't want anything to every happen to you."

Ginny looked up at him with trusting eyes, her lips slightly parted. He could feel the beating of her heart against his chest. Her scent was intoxicating. Sirius was about to move away from her when she held onto him tighter. Losing all resolve, he leaned forward, closing the gap between them, and captured her mouth with his. He ran his tongue across her lower lip, asking for entrance. She parted her sweet lips for him and allowed him to probe her mouth with his tongue. He teased her smaller tongue with his, making her moan into his mouth. Slowly, he ended the kiss and looked at her. She looked absolutely beautiful, there was a slight blush in her cheeks and her lips were a deeper swollen red. He felt his pride rise knowing that he had such an effect on the perfect creature.

Sirius leaned over, intent on capturing her mouth again when a voice forced them apart, "Dinner! Kids! Sirius! Remus! Dinner!"

Sirius and Ginny simultaneously groaned when they heard her mother's voice. Ginny looked hesitatingly at him before getting up to head out the door.

"Ginny?"

"Yeah?" She asked, turning around.

"I'll be up here after dinner…" he trailed off, letting her think what she wanted.

Ginny blushed and nodded her head, allowing her hair to cover her face, before walking out the door.

Remus was sitting at the kitchen table along with the rest of the Weasley clan when he smelled her. Looking over, he watched her sit down. He could see that her lips were slightly swollen and her face was flushed. Taking a deeper whiff, Remus smelled not only her scent, but also Sirius'. This was not good, not good at all. He made a decision to confront Sirius, alone, after dinner.

Dinner went rather smoothly, except for the secretive exchanges, Remus noticed, between Ginny and Sirius. As Sirius was leaving, he took this as his clue to talk to him. He quickly thanked Molly for dinner and headed up the stairs.

Remus found him in the room containing the hippogriff, "I need to talk to you."

Turning around, Sirius grinned at him, "What's new?"

One word answered all questions Sirius had about Remus' demeanor, "Ginny."

Remus watched the other man's face fall slightly, losing its grin. He closed the door behind him and placed a silencing charm, so that the two could talk without anyone else overhearing.

"What about her?"

"I could smell you all over her. I also noticed that her lips were swollen and her face flushed. What were you doing? She's only fourteen years old!"

Sirius could feel himself growing angry. He knew that the age was a bit of a problem, but in a couple years, they could be together, if that's where it lead.

"I know how old she is."

"Then, why did you kiss her? What else have you done?!"

"Nothing. We kissed, but I won't apologize. It was mutual," he asserted with a forced calm.

Remus growled lowly, the werewolf tendencies coming out, "She doesn't love you and this can only in disaster."

"You never had a problem with any other girl I shagged!"

Remus lost control at that moment, he walked over to where Sirius was and punched him, square in the jaw. Sirius unconsciously rubbed his jaw while staring wide-eyed at Remus, before speaking.

"You're jealous," he said in a whisper as the realization dawned on him.