Chapter Three

Raine and Sara had apparently forgotten about their disagreement from the night before. Sara did not want to confirm Raine's already justified suspicions concerning one of the popular pranksters who were sitting further up the Gryffindor table. Though Lorraine did perceive that every time Sara turned round to look at her, her eyes seem to wander off to a spot far behind where a barking laughter echoed and a huddle of girls permanently attach themselves to Sirius.

Come off it, he really is just like any other guy, fumed Raine. So what if he is drop-dead gorgeous, intelligent and practically good at everything from academics to sports? He will never consider someone like...like...me!

As Sara sighed for the fifth time since Black had entered the Great Hall for breakfast, Raine issued a low growl of irritation. Sara blushed also for the fifth time at being caught at it. Ok, that's it! I will set them up. Sara is pretty enough for Sirius' taste, and I will finally get peace in the morning! But how?

Raine came back to reality as she noticed that Sara's babble about Gryffindor's up and coming quidditch game came to a sudden stop.

"What?" asked Raine quizzingly. "Jam on my face again?"

A low bark of laughter near her right ear caused Raine to jolt up on the bench, and that itching feeling of wanting to flush Black's head down the nearest toilet came forcefully back again after last night.

"Tell me it's not him," begged Raine to a gaping Sara.

As it became evident that Sara had lost all control of her vocal cords, it was up to Raine to face her tutor with a slight annoyance.

Sirius laughed silently at the usual reaction to his presence from Raine's friend, who was really quite pretty and had that cute naïve angelic look with her curling blonde hair. He pondered if this task was going to be so boring after all.

Okay this looks promising, mused Lorraine to herself, as the two plainly forgot about her when they stared at one another. I don't need to do anything with Sirius one step ahead of me! Go me for a great plan!

"Well," she interrupted the silence. "Since you two seem to be occupied," Sirius smirked at her observation, "then I will be heading to the library to, hmm, catch up on that, eh...essay." She grabbed her schoolbag and swung it onto her shoulder, nearly whacking Black fully in the face and got up from the table.

"What essay?" Sara said coming out of her daze at the wrong time.

"Oh, you know, the one I was working on."

Sara shook her head and replied, "But you did all the essays for this week on Sunday."

Sirius grinned despite himself at Raine's failed attempt to run and leave her friend with him. "The regular bookworm I see."

Raine just scowled at him since it was plain as day that he saw through her tactic. If only Sara had that gift. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! The first time the guy of Sara's dreams comes up and starts talking to us voluntarily, and she doesn't have enough of a brain to figure out the age old custom of getting to know eachother!

"What I meant was that I...left it in the common room," Raine said, slapping her head to emphasis how comical she was at forgetting. Before either could argue, she darted out of the hall before the two of them had as much as a chance to mention Merlin's beard.

In the corridor, Raine started racking through her bag and therefore did not see the oncoming person. With a heavy crash into one another, both students saw their contents of their overflowing bags spill to the floor. Raine began to apologise to the girl, and quickly realised it was Lily Evans, the Head Girl of Gryffindor House.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lily," commented Raine as she handed Lily her quills. "I was trying to escape from of the hall and wasn't paying attention."

"Who were you running from?" enquired Lily. Lily liked Raine since she had gotten to know her by seeing her as a constant user of the library.

"Not really running, more like trying to leave Black to fall in love with Sara," explained Raine. "But he caught on to my plan." At that moment both girls glanced into the Great Hall and saw the tall figure of Sirius chatting quite happily to Sara, who resembled a burnt tomato. "I think it's going well. I think Sara is actually flirting with him." Raine tried to kid herself, but Lily's unbelieving face told the truth, and in that second the two girls laughed at the whole situation.

"What's so funny," came the familiar sound of Black's voice. "Tell me?" He pouted at them, as he got comfortable leaning against the cold, stone wall while they shared a sceptical look. It was the second time that this girl had disappeared from Black, and luckily he managed to break away from her friend long enough to spot that Raine had been held up outside the door with none other than Lily Evans.

"I don't think you would understand it, when it is about you," said Lily sadly.

"Shame," agreed Raine. "It was really funny as well."

The girls nodded in unison, which really rankled Sirius' pride. He didn't want to be here, but this was his duty and he was going to fulfill it. Raine was just being difficult.

"Though I love to be the centre of attention in any girl's mind, I really happen to only care about a particular one," said Sirius flashing Raine one of his dazzling smiles. Lily rolled her eyes at the action while Raine looked at him questioningly.

"What is it that you want Sirius?" said Raine in her sweetest voice, which really meant to watch your step.

"It's about the lessons I have to give you," replied Black.

Lily's eyes were nearly popping out of her sockets. Black and Raine! Together? No! "Don't go out with him Raine!" Lily words came in an outburst. "You can do so much better...and he will only break your heart. The amount of flirting he does would make a saint hex him!"

Raine looked at Lily in confusion and then it dawned on her. "Ah. Oh. No!" Raine started to deny, "NO! It's nothing like that! What do you take me for? Going out with that?" She exclaimed, pointing at Black who defended himself with a "Hey!"

"I have to pull up my marks in transfigurations so McGonagall, in her madness, made Sirius my tutor," explained Raine. "Pity me?" she asked Lily.

Lily laughter was one of relief. "Thank Merlin. I thought I would need to hex you for a moment there!"

"Hello, girls," interrupted Sirius. "I'm still here, thanks, and frankly, your little discussion only proves that you think of me constantly, which, as we all know, leads to love."

Again Lily rolled her eyes at the huge ego of Black and made her excuse to go and talk to James about the decorations.

"And that's all is it?" smirked Black, raising an eyebrow as Lily blushed slightly and hurried into the Hall.

"Leave her alone, you ogre," said Raine, breaking into Black's dirty thoughts.

"Well thank you," declared Sirius, giving Raine a flourishing bow. "Now," he said more serious as he grabbed Raine's arm, dragging her to the stairs and pulling her down with him to sit. "I have been trying to talk to you about this tutoring thing. Last night you ran off, and then you did the same thing today!" he exclaimed, gesturing to the hall. "But I must say, your friend is quite pretty," pondered Black for a moment. "Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you that as since we have a quidditch match this Saturday, then we'll have our first lesson tonight instead of Thursday. Is that ok?"

"I suppose so," Raine answered, trying to keep the nervous butterflies in her stomach calm. She thought she had all week to squat up on transfigurations, but secretly she knew that it wouldn't make a difference. Just be thankful that it is only one person you are going to make a fool of yourself in front of, said her brain.

"Great!" voiced Sirius enthusiastically. "Meet you here, at bottom of the stairs, say eight?"

"Great," mimicked Raine.

xxxxxx

The rest of Sirius' day was quite uneventful. Professor Gronge in Potions kept a sharp eye on the Marauders for any funny business, which meant there was no time to hex Snape. In a contemplative mood during class, Black wondered why he found it so enjoyable about annoying curtain-hair Snivellus. He couldn't pinpoint the moment when it became clear they were enemies, and would agree to disagree. Sirius shrugged off the thought and simply remarked Why bother to understand what fate has decided?

But now, relaxing in the boys' dorms, which he shared with Remus and Peter, the question filtered back into his mind.

"Padfoot, will you snap out of it?" said an impatient James. "We have to plan before I leave to do the rounds with Lily, and believe me, she will kick my arse if I am late."

"Aww, scared of ickle red hair petite?" teased Sirius.

"Definitely." James nodded his head to show he was really scared but then his face spilt into a boyish grin. "But she looks so beautiful when she is angry, that I really should be late".

"What time is it that you start patrols?" enquired Remus.

"Eight thirty outside the Great Hall," smiled James. "And maybe we'll head towards the Sytherin dorm first, since I know a few broom cupboards on the way there."

"Dirty, foul mind you have, James Potter," commented Sirius in his attempt to act mature. Everyone laughed as James threw a pillow in the direction of Black, who ducked letting it end up hitting Peter full in the face. The four guys were giggling themselves hoarse and rolling around on the floor.

"So," said Moony, "you'll be meeting her in half an hour then?"

"Yup," confirmed James. "The love of my life, who is slowly coming round to the fact that I might actually be a nice guy...."

Sirius' sudden flurry of action caused the conversation to stop as he rushed around the room, finding his wand, grabbing a few books and borrowing a quill or two from Peter's table. Before he opened the door to make a run for the marble stairs, a polite cough stopped him.

"What!" growled out Sirius.

"Where you going, mate?" Peter piped up. "You don't have a date tonight, remember? Jenny is tomorrow."

"Thanks, I nearly forgot about that," he said, smiling at Wormtongue. "But I do have to tutor Raine tonight. and it won't be responsible of me to turn up late for the first lesson. Anyway, I have sneaking suspicion that McGonagall is going to check up on me!" With a quick smile to say sorry, Black pelted out of the dorms and the common room before the rest of the house could realise what it was that ran past them.

Reaching his destination faster than he had ever run away from Filch, Sirius promptly collapsed on the stairs trying to get some air into his lungs.

"You're late."

Sirius lifted his head from his hands and stared at Raine's composed features. Not once have I seen you smile or laugh, thought Black. She stared coolly back at him as he seemed to be absorbed in his calculation. "Sorry," gasped Black in between catching his bearth.

"No matter," Raine's mouth twitched at the sides like she was having a private joke. "Here let me help you, oldie." With that she reached for some of the books Sirius had dropped at his side.

Insulted, Sirius stood up quickly, collected the rest of his things, and followed Raine down the hall. "I'm not old," he cried behind Raine.

"Sure you're not, grandpa," answered Raine sweetly. "Come along, before the next year has arrived."