If you want to
I can save you
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
was somebody who cares

-All You Wanted- Michelle Branch

-------

"Way to go, Sirius," Rayven said with fake cheerfulness as she watched Gari shove open the doors of the Great Hall. "That really couldn't have gone any better."

Underneath the table, she kicked him, hard.

"Ow!" Sirius put a hand to his shin. "Bloody hell, woman! It wasn't my fault!"

"Wasn't your fault?" Rayven laughed. "Sirius, you pretty much admitted to her that all you want is to lock yourself with her in Filch's closet for an hour."

"Filch's closet?" Sirius made a face. "Please, I use the Room of Requirement."

"Sirius, for the love of Merlin, focus!" Rayven sighed and took a sip from her orange juice. She gave Sirius a once over. "Lord, you really are a prat."

"I could have told you that," Remus said without sarcasm. Sirius looked at him in surprise, and he continued, "You don't expect me to support you after what you just did."

Sirius sighed and put his face in his hands.

"I guess not," was his muffled reply.

"Sirius?"

"Oh, piss it," Rayven threw her fork down at the all-too-familiar voice and got up to follow where Gari had left.

Lynn Carrol looked at Rayven in amusement as Rae shoved passed her.

"What do you want, Lynn?" Sirius asked. He was in no mood for this.

"Well, I saw the way Gari just treated you," Lynn replied, moving to straddle the bench so that she was facing him directly. She added sympathetically, "She was so awful to you."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. Ignoring Remus' and James' warning looks, Sirius plunged on like he would have done the year before. "Listen, do you have any late classes tonight?"

Lynn shook her head and smiled. "No, my last class ends at five."

"Right," Sirius nodded and smiled. He ignored the part of his heart and brain that were screaming that this was wrong and that he should try and find Gari. "Well, I know that I'll be in the astronomy tower late tonight." Lynn caught his hint and smiled even wider.

"I'll see you later, Lynn," Sirius took his bag, stood, and walked slowly out of the Great Hall.

James' eyes followed him as he left, and Lily noticed.

"You can go after him if you want," Lily told him. "I think we're done here." She motioned to the list of rules and duties Professor McGonagall had given them.

James smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Lily."

He ran out of the Hall and looked around for Sirius as he exited. James caught sight of him going up the stairs, and James ran after him.

"Sirius!"

Sirius turned around with a sort of amused look on his face at the sight of James panting and sweating to cover the amount of distance between him and the Great Hall.

"You're really out of shape," Sirius commented as James came up next to him on the stairs. "How is it you're a Quidditch player again?"

"Well, I'm not exactly running after the snitch, now am I?" James finally caught his breath. "Look, Sirius, you should talk to Gari."

Sirius sighed in an annoyed fashion. "You know what? I don't think I should."

His cold tone threw James off balance for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Sirius, stop being a prat!"

Sirius regarded his best friend in surprise. "What?"

"If I'm willing to tone down a bit for Lily, I think that you can do the same for Gari," James told him. "It won't kill you to stop snogging every girl in sight."

Sirius smirked at him. "So you're going to 'tone down a bit for Lily'? Well, this just in, mate, wouldn't you rather have her like you for you?"

James sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "It's not like I'm completely changing, Sirius, I'm just going to stop being a jerk." Off of Sirius' look, he added, "We've both been jerks the past few years, Sirius, and we both know it."

"Contrary to what you seem to believe, I've got nothing on you, James," Sirius added as he walked up the stairs to the fourth floor. "You have been much worse than me these past few glorious years."

James threw up his hands in defense. "Look, Sirius, I don't want to fight. I just want you to know that I'm going to change. And if you're not alright with that, then…I don't know." James looked away.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, you can change all you like. We'll still be friends."

James sighed in relief. "Well, you had me worried there for a second." Sirius smiled and started to walk away, but James yelled after him, "You know you're mad about her! Just go talk to her!"

Sirius just threw up a hand to acknowledge him and continued walking.

"Gah!" James exclaimed in frustration.

"James?" Gari's hesitant voice came from behind him.

James turned around slowly and managed a friendly smile. "Hi, Gari."

"Er…look, I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn't bother yourself over me and Sirius," Gari looked down at the ground. "It wouldn't work out between us."

"Why not?" James grasped her arms in exasperation. "You're perfect for each other!"

"Would you care to tell me why everyone thinks that?" Gari's voice was rising with annoyance.

"You're both insanely stubborn," James counted the traits off on his fingers as he continued. "Both taking all the same classes, both want to be aurors, both adore Quidditch, both love astronomy-"

"James, that's all well and good, but-" Gari paused. "Sirius likes astronomy?"

James nodded. "Yeah, you know, Sirius is the name of a bright star."

Gari frowned. "Right…well, right." She tried to collect her thoughts. "James, Sirius loses interest in girls within a week. The longest he had a girlfriend was two weeks, in fact." She paused again. "Do you know that said girlfriend was Alicia Marthers in our year? She came crying into the common room last year, sobbing about how Sirius dumped her for a fifth year Ravenclaw girl."

James nodded. "I know Sirius has had his problems, Gari, don't get me wrong. But, maybe, if you gave him a chance, it would be good for him."

Gari sighed and started to walk away, but James caught her arm.

"Gari, please consider it," He pleaded. "Sirius really needs something good in his life." He paused and flushed. "In case you hadn't noticed, I've been a bit of a prat myself while at Hogwarts." James then lowered his voice, and added as a final note, "He's been through a lot. I think you could give him a reason to keep living this life."

Gari was genuinely touched by James' words. She sighed and looked at the sincerity in James' hazel eyes. Finally, she nodded.

"Alright, James, you win."

"Really? You'll give him a chance?" James looked thoroughly shocked.

"Yes, but on one condition," Gari added.

"What's that?"

"This has to go slow, James," Gari told him. "And he needs to know that. I need to be friends with him before anything else."

James nodded. "Of course. I'll go talk to him, and ask him to go and see you, alright?"

"Okay," Gari nodded and smiled.

James ran off in Sirius' direction, leaving Gari there to contemplate her future friendship with Sirius Black.

------

Next – Gari and Sirius talk about their relationship, and some Lily and James.