Disclaimer: How I do love Harry Potter, but Jo created them. The end.

The MWPP Chronicles

Part Two ll Jumping Castle

Summary: As Sirius does some fairly childish things with Arabella at a friend's birthday party, he realises maybe he does have a chance with the Ice Queen after all...

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Sirius Black sat dejectedly at the top of the jumping castle. He managed to keep up his usual-chirpy appearance by kicking and pushing people down the slide as they prepared to slide down. But really, he was a depressed boy.

Alice came running up the inflatable stairs and stood in front of him. She got ready to slide down when -

"Geromino!" Sirius cried out cheerfully, getting up suddenly and shoving her down.

Alice screamed as she fell flat on her bottom and went skidding down the almost four-metre slide.

"Sirius! I'm so going to get you for that!" she screamed, picking herself up from the grass and glaring up at him.

Sirius grinned mischievously.

His grin disappeared as he dully watched some three-year-olds toddle up the stairs and went down the smaller slide. He felt the constant wobble of the castle as the other side was where all the other children were jumping up and down.

He pushed two other girls down afterwards, both who yelled and screamed threats. When he finished, he slumped back down with the same dejected look on his face.

His problem was connected with a girl - Arabella Figg. He wasn't sure what was so special about her, but he sure liked her a lot. He'd liked a couple of girls in the past; all very pretty with silky hair and bright eyes.

Sirius knew it sounded corny, but he liked Arabella for her personality and not for her looks. Sure, she was pretty, but she wasn't beautiful. But when she smiled - she looked like an angel.

Sirius sighed, not even bothering to kick James down the slide as he went headfirst. He was at a birthday party - Bonnie's thirteenth birthday party. Bonnie was a close friend of Arabella's, and a popular one among the Marauders. Bonnie's parents had hired a huge jumping castle that was complete with two inflatable slides. To make it extra slippery, they had poured baby powder all over it.

His eyes lit up as he watched his little angel cross the grass below. She was having a giggling fit with Bonnie near the barbecue.

Why won't she just give me a chance?

Sirius tried not to look too sad - it would look too suspicious. But he couldn't help it. He felt like he was complete and utterly in love with Ara, but she seemed to have made it clear she hadn't the slightest bit of interest in him. He had flirted with her, but she simply dismissed it all. He had made it as obvious as he could've without screaming it out. But either she was completely blind or she had no interest.

He had gone with the latter.

Sirius sighed inwardly. He didn't even notice as Alice sidled past him quickly and went headfirst down the slide.

There had been times when he thought that just maybe she fancied him too. But every time he got hope, he'd get let down again. Merlin, even her friends seemed to notice there was a spark between the two. Bonnie, for one. He had overheard her telling Ara that he fancied her. She had just laughed it off.

Sirius didn't think it was a laughing matter. In truth, he felt like his heart was tearing into two.

He had chased after her for almost two years, but she didn't seem to acknowledge it. Sirius' eyes lingered on her as she looked up briefly and flashed him a quick but sweet smile. His heart froze and he smiled back. But when she looked away he closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Ara's friends had actually told him to get over her. Selena, whom he had known since before Hogwarts, had told him seriously that he should consider giving up on her. But Sirius wasn't about to give up on a girl. He had managed to get plenty before; this one was just a challenge.

But now as he thought about it...

It might be a good idea.

He was broken out of his miserable thoughts as Ara herself and Alice came running up the stairs, laughing. They were obviously having a race.

They both collapsed at the top, laughing. Sirius watched them intently. Their laughing was causing the castle to shake even more. Alice caught her breath and her eyes fell on Sirius. She eyed him evilly.

"Careful Ara, he pushes people down the slide," she warned, before she walked over to the slide and stood at the top. Sirius grinned and pushed her.

Ara was laughing as a screaming Alice plunged down and came skidding onto the grass below.

Sirius waited for Ara to slide down as well, but instead, she plopped down beside him.

"Hello," she said cheerfully.

"Hi," he said distantly, feeling a little light-headed. Ara rarely made the first move at conversation. In fact, whenever he tried to sit beside her and draped an arm around her casually, she'd stiffen up and eventually move away.

She looked at him with concerned brown eyes, "What's the matter?"

"What? Nothing," Sirius said, trying to smile.

Ara made a disbelieving noise.

"Honest!" Sirius said, this time smiling properly.

She just shook her head and smiled, "So what are you doing up here all by yourself? You look lonely."

"I'm not lonely," Sirius grinned, feeling the relieving happiness froth inside of him, "I'm just kicking people down as they go on the slide. It's rather entertaining."

"I'll say," Ara said with a grin.

Sirius remained quite lost for a moment as he stared at her smiling face. Luckily, she was occupied with staring at the wandering people below.

"Want to try?" he finally asked her.

Ara looked back at him uncertainly, "What, push people down?"

"Yeah! C'mon, it's heaps fun! Here, I'll show you -"

James came running up the stairs. He nodded over to them. Sirius nodded back. Ara watched intently as James sat on the top edge of the steep inflatable slide, preparing to go down. Sirius leapt up from behind him and gave him a good-natured push.

"Oh, man!" James yelped, his arms flying wildly in an obscure way as he tumbled down, "PADFOOT!"

Ara was laughing as she watched. Sirius smiled at her, "You ready for your turn?"

She seemed uncertain, "Um, I suppose so..."

"Here's your chance," Sirius murmured, watching as Bonnie climbed up the gigantic inflatable stairs.

Ara immediately grinned.

"Hey Ara, Sirius," Bonnie said smilingly when she reached the top.

"Hi," Ara answered back mischievously.

"Hey," Sirius said innocently.

"You sliding down?" Bonnie asked Ara, who shook her head.

Bonnie stood right at the edge of the slide. Sirius nodded over to Ara, who uncertainly got up. Just as Bonnie was about to go down, Ara gave her a light push.

"AHHH!"

"AHHH!"

Bonnie had grabbed onto Ara's ankle when she got shoved down, so she was pulling Ara down with her. Instinctively, Ara had screamed and grabbed onto the side of the slide to keep herself up.

Sirius, half-laughing, leant over and reached for Ara's hand. She grabbed onto it and Sirius dragged her back up. Bonnie released her before sliding down the rest of the slide on her stomach, yelling up at Ara.

"Ara, you cow! You're gonna pay later!"

Ara was giggling her head off as she righted herself up, leaning against the back of the slide, "Oh, that was so much fun!"

Sirius grinned at her, "I told you so. C'mon, here comes Remus."

An unsuspecting Remus doubled over to slide headfirst. Sirius and Ara both pounced forward and gave him a good shove.

"What the - !"

"Good one!" Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically, high-fiving Ara. She grinned at him, causing his heart to melt right over.

They spent about another ten minutes pushing their friends down, then laughing insanely afterwards as they yelled all sorts of threats at them.

Sirius felt like he had finally bonded with Ara - in the way he had least suspected, but still bonding nonetheless. And he couldn't help but think how pretty she looked whenever she laughed.

"Here comes Jamie-boy for the sixth time," Sirius whispered to her with a grin, "Honestly, hasn't that boy noticed that each time he tries to go down, we push him?"

Ara giggled, "Probably not. Can I get him this time?"

"Go ahead."

James, eyeing them warily, quickly sidled past them and towards the slide. He bent over and -

"DAMMIT YOU TWO! GIVE ME A BREAK!" he bellowed as Ara kicked him gently on the bottom so that he forward-rolled down. But anyone could tell he wasn't really angry. He was grinning as he picked himself up from the grass for the sixth time.

Ara and Sirius were still laughing, both sprawled on the small area where you walked from the top of the stairs towards the slide. James decided to show off in front of Lily and tried to run up the slide instead of walking up the stairs. But Ara stood at the top, smiled at him sweetly, said "Sorry!" and shoved him back down.

But as she pushed him, she slipped and fell. Ara grabbed onto Sirius' ankle to stop her from sliding down, taking him quite by surprise.

"Oi! Let go!" Sirius said, still laughing at James falling down, "Just slide down by yourself and come back up!"

"Oh no," Ara said evilly, clinging onto his ankle, "If I go, you go down with me."

"Ara..."

"Don't 'Ara' me."

So the two remained like that for a few seconds; Ara a quarter down the slide and holding onto Sirius' ankle, who was clinging onto the back of the jumping castle so he wouldn't be dragged down with the girl he had once thought an angel.

"Hey, look everyone! The two little push-offerers are about to fall down!" James yelled gleefully from below. Most of their friends looked up at Sirius and Ara evilly. With a gulp, Sirius noticed that everyone now staring up at them as if they were their dinner had been pushed down by him and Ara at least once.

"Let's drag them down!" Bonnie yelled. They all shouted and cheered in agreement. James ran up the slide and grabbed Ara's ankle, causing them to descend as the weight increased.

"Please James..." Ara begged.

"This is for kicking me down about fifty times!" James said maliciously, clinging onto her ankle tightly.

Sirius just laughed.

Lily also ran up and grabbed James' foot. Alice grabbed Lily's, and Bonnie grabbed her's.

"You people need to lose some weight!" Sirius bellowed from the top. His arms were about to give way as more and more people helped try to pull him down. The line had extended to halfway across the backyard.

"Pull!" someone yelled. Sirius felt the pressure as many people tugged them. But he wasn't going to give up that easily.

Selena and a boy ran up the stairs and went towards him.

"Let go Sirius," Selena teased, placing her hand over his and gently prying his fingers off the back of the jumping castle.

"Don't be slack, Selena," Sirius said mournfully, trying to maintain a firm grip.

"Oh come on, you've got like fifteen people trying to drag you down the slide. The least I can do is help," she said with a grin. She began to tickle him.

"Ahhh!"

Sirius immediately let go and the majority of people screamed as they suddenly slid down the slippery dip. The people who had been standing on the lawn collapsed onto the grass at the sudden release, and the people who had been hanging off the slide all tumbled down into a heap at the bottom, yelping.

"Oh, that was priceless!" Ara was laughing, untangling herself from the tangle of people.

She got to her feet with the help of Bonnie and Alice. Brushing dirt and grass off her jeans, Ara smiled brightly at Sirius.

"That was a lot of fun!" she exclaimed. Sirius was still laughing.

"I'll say."

Bonnie and Alice were smiling knowingly and significantly at the two.

"I thought Ara was never going to let it go to her head," Bonnie muttered to Alice as they brushed past.

"Yeah, that girl was pretty blind not to realise Sirius..."

Remus and James winked a silent good luck when they walked past.

Ara looked at Sirius and smiled again.

"You want to get a bite?" she asked shyly, holding out her hand.

Sirius stared at her, wondering if she was serious. Arabella Figg... the girl who usually acted as an Ice Queen and played hard-to-get was inviting him to eat with her?

"Okay," he said with a stupid grin. Ara smiled back shyly, her brown eyes glowing.

And as Sirius held her hand and led her towards the barbecue with the silly smile still upon his face, he figured he might have a chance after all.

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A/N: Just to clear everything up, these "parts" of this chronicle-story-thing are NOT related to each other in any way, unless it is labelled so. Every chapter is a new one-shot. So those of you expecting a second part to Cat Got Your Tongue?, I'm sorry. :)

And yeah, just pretend Arabella and Sirius are the same age. :) Please? Thank you! Hehe. I wanted to write a Sirius shot because he's cool and I sometimes get sick of writing just Lily/James all the time. (Gasp!) Lol. :) Thank you VERY muchly if you reviewed last time, and if you could find it in the goodness of your heart to drop a review for this one, I will be eternally yours! Well... not really. But it would be nice:P -.-MSQ.