Chapter Two: This Will Prove Interesting

The next morning, Sirius, James and Remus looked for Taryn to come to breakfast. Peter was running late again. It was only the third week of classes and he managed to be late for everything. Lily and Colleen went straight to the Gryffindor table when they walked into the Great Hall, both were grinning. "Ooh, Sirius," Colleen said. "She's mad. Really mad. I'd watch it."

"Why?" he asked, craning his neck to see the doors of the Hall. "What happened?"

Lily giggled a little and said, "She did hit Severus through the door. How she did it is beyond me." She covered her mouth as fresh giggles surfaced. "I don't know what he asked her, but she's royally ticked."

"Sirius Black!" The Great Hall fell silent as the shout echoed away. The teachers eating breakfast ignored it; they heard it a lot. Lily and Colleen backed away from the Gryffindor table and joined their own House as Taryn stormed over. She grabbed the collar of Sirius' school robes and nearly yanked him off his seat. When his face was level with hers, all his weight being supported by his robes in her clutches, she said, "You will die. Very soon." She tossed him back onto his seat and walked out of the Great Hall very quickly.

Those who were watching the exchange laughed, then returned to their breakfast. Remus shook his head. "I knew it was a bad idea," he muttered, returning to his toast. "I knew it was a bad idea to dare her to that, Sirius."

Sirius rubbed his neck and adjusted his robes. "Really," he replied dryly. "And why was it a bad idea?"

"Didn't you know Severus has had a crush on her for years?" Remus asked lowly, leaning across the table. "He's asked her out at least once a week for the past three years, hoping that by some miracle, she would change her mind." He leaned back into his chair and munched on his toast. "So, apparently, we will have a very happy Severus Snape and a very furious Taryn to deal with today."

"If he lets her anywhere near us, that is," James said, pouring syrup over his tall stack of waffles. "You know how he gets about her skiving off tutoring to hang with us. He gets all pale and angry. As though he would love nothing more than to finish us off so he can have her company to himself."

"It wouldn't surprise me if that were true," Remus said lightly as Peter finally got to the table and plunked down next to him. "Awfully early in the year to be running late, Peter. You should probably invest in an alarm clock. I'm not going to wake you this year. Or next year."

"It figures you wouldn't," Peter muttered, grabbing a biscuit and spreading a thick layer of butter on it. "By the way, have you seen Snape today? It's almost like he's suffering from Split-Personality Disorder or something. One second, he'll be extremely happy and almost smiling. And the next, he's scowling and throwing things and cursing passers by. D'you suppose she got him with her curse?"

"Yes, Peter," the other three muttered.

He looked surprised. "Oh," he said. "Then, that explains why he was trying to kiss her in the corridor on my way down here."

James, Sirius and Remus dropped whatever was in their hands. "What?"

Peter nodded, his mouth full. "Yep," he said, spraying crumbs everywhere. "He tried to kiss her and then she shoved him into a wall." He swallowed a bit of pumpkin juice. "At least I think she shoved him. I didn't actually see her touch him. She said something like, 'back off.' And he flew into the wall."

Remus wiped his hands on his napkin. "So she's agreeing to something, but she's definitely not happy about it," he said. "I wonder if she's agreeing to a certain something, and not allowing him the full benefit of it…"

"If you could possibly make sense for once, it would be appreciated, Moony," James said.

Remus stared into space as he muttered to himself. After a minute, he stood and said, "I need to talk to her." Then, he left the Great Hall.

"Nutter, that one," Sirius muttered, taking a large bite out of his pancakes.

Remus found Taryn pacing angrily in the third floor corridor while Snape tried to convince her of something. "Taryn, don't be like this," he was saying as Remus approached. "You don't have to be so angry about it. I'm sorry."

"But I told you before," she said. "And you didn't listen to a word I said, did you?" Snape didn't answer. "Did you?" He shook his head. "I didn't think so. So, let me repeat myself: I will not kiss any man—wizard or not—until I feel I may be ready to possibly marry him. So, stop trying to force me into it!" She sighed and saw Remus. "Remus! I didn't see you there!" She looked happy to see him, which seemed a promising sign of her mental stability.

"You looked rather upset when I saw you earlier," Remus said as she walked over to him. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Are you?"

"Um, Severus, would you excuse us, please?" she said over her shoulder. When he started to protest, she said, "I won't be long. Just let me talk to my cousin. I'll see you in class." Snape grumbled as he walked away. Taryn pulled Remus over to a staircase and they sat down. "Remus, you need to tell Sirius that he has to choose the day I can end my suffering. Otherwise, I'll end this within the week."

"So did he ask you out again?" Remus asked softly. She nodded. "Hoo-boy… This will prove interesting…"

"I'm beginning to understand why Moony said it was a bad idea to dare her," Sirius said one Wednesday night after a few weeks of lacking Taryn's company. "We haven't seen her in weeks."

"I know," Lily said, defeating James soundly at their third game of Wizard's Chess that evening. "Her Cheering Charms is wearing off, too. Have you seen how grumpy she's been during Transfiguration? Not fun."

James returned his pieces on the board and said, "It's all Snivellus' doing; I swear it is. He's a bad influence on her." He looked at Lily. "Rematch?"

"Face it, Potter," she sighed. "You've lost three times tonight. Don't make it four."

"Well, I think," Peter started, "that she's suffered enough. Don't you, Sirius?"

Sirius ignored Peter. "You've been quiet, Colleen," he said. "What do you think?"

Colleen had been sitting in a dark blue armchair by the window and was staring through the glass. "I miss her," she said lowly. "So I think one of you—James or Sirius—ought to knock her off her broom at the match on Saturday. Maybe she'll come to see the light."

James and Sirius stared at her. "You know she hates that," James said. "I don't want to suffer through one of her Complex Curses again."

"Then what would you suggest?" Colleen countered. "If you don't give her a reason to pay attention to you, she won't."

A grin spread across Sirius' face. "I might have an idea," he said. "Col, she's rather over-protective of you, isn't she?"

"Yes," the Ravenclaw witch nodded. Then she understood what he was talking about. "Sirius, if we do that, she'll kill you!"

"I'm willing to risk it," he replied.

The next morning as Taryn walked to breakfast, Dedalus Diggle, a Hufflepuff, ran over to her and said, "Have you heard, Taryn? Sirius Black finally asked your sister out and she said yes!"

"Oh, I honestly doubt it," Taryn replied. But then she saw Colleen and Sirius walking down the stairs, laughing and joking, hand in hand. "Oh, I don't think so!" she muttered and walked over. Arms crossed and foot tapping, she stopped Colleen and Sirius and said, "What's going on here?"

Colleen didn't make eye contact with her sister. "Nothing," Sirius said. "You must have known it would happen eventually. You can't protect her form life forever."

His comments struck a chord. "Listen to me, Black," she said lowly. "When the Death Eaters murdered our parents, I became her guardian. Yes, I know I can't protect her from life, but I can at least make sure you don't make her miserable! So, I'll be watching you. Just see if I don't!"

……