Tonight.
He is going to do it tonight.
Sirius gulped as he looked at his reflection on the window. Classes had just ended, and it was the weekend. He should be feeling elated as once again, the seemingly never ending torture of mad teachers on their unsuspecting students, actually halted for forty eight glorious hours, not that he was really complaining.
Actually, right now, he wanted more than anything to have something to do.
"You can always do homework, mate," smirked James, his best friend, or Prongs, as he calls him.
Sirius scowled. "Really, you're hilarious, Prongs, real hilarious."
James smirked again. "You're that nervous, huh?"
Sirius didn't answer him. Yes, he was nervous, but saying it out loud scared him so much that he thought that vomit might come out if he dared to open his mouth again.
"There's nothing to be worried about," said James easily, "Oh hey, Moony."
For Remus Lupin had just joined them, heavily laden with books that James sympathized and took some away from him. "Moony, you do too much."
Remus gave him a look. "I do enough Prongs." He said, and turned to Sirius with a smile in his face, which was clearly replaced with a frown. "Padfoot" – for that was Sirius' nickname – "you're all green."
Sirius nodded. He certainly felt green, and was too scared and nervous to talk. Sirius hadn't realized that he could be both scared and nervous at the same time.
"Moony, he's nervous." Said James.
"Yes, I can certainly see that,"
"He says that he can do it tonight."
Remus raised his eyebrows. "In that condition."
"I can do it!" said an indignant Sirius. They were headed back to the Common Room, for they didn't know where else to go. "I'm just a bit queasy."
"That's a bit queasy?" said Remus.
James sighed. "Come on Padfoot," said James, "It's just three measly words."
Remus nodded. "How hard can it be?" he asked. "Bridgette was able to say it to you."
The memory of this still brought laughter to James' face and cringe into Sirius'. Remus gave them both a disapproving look. "Honestly, Sirius, that was a bad episode."
"I was caught off guard!"
James was panting from laughter. "Yeah, so caught that all you said was thank you!" and he laughed some more.
Sirius scowled at him. "I told you," he started, but whatever he had to say was interrupted by Remus.
"Are you sure you can tell her, Sirius?"
Sirius puffed his chest out. "I'm Sirius Black, world famous Marauder and the most popular guy in school, I can do anything!"
Just then the girl in question, Bridgette, passed their way and bumped into Sirius. Sirius promptly deflated and raised one limp hand a crooked smile in her direction. Bridgette – who hasn't forgotten the incident – glared coldly at him and walked off, leaving Sirius in the middle of James and Remus limp with an odd smile in his face.
This only caused James to laugh even harder.
Remus sighed. "So," he said, "You can do anything?"
Sirius hasn't caught Bridgette's eye ever since their chance meeting at the hallway. And it wasn't for the lack of trying. Every time that he saw her, she was surrounded by a group of girls talking so loudly about their hair, boyfriends, and make up. On the off chance that he did see Bridgette's face, she was scowling. Sirius fought not to laugh. He knew that that wasn't Bridgette's crowd, but her friend, Lily Evans, was busy being head girl so she was stuck in the middle of that ruckus. At the same time, Sirius couldn't help but think that it was the talk of boyfriends that really plants that scowl in her face.
"Just go up to her already," insisted Remus for the umpteenth time.
"I told you," said Sirius, "I'm bidding my moment."
"You're moment's about to pass." Warned Remus.
Sirius turned to Bridgette's direction. She was standing up and looked to be headed to out to the Entrance Hall. Sirius stood up too, so quickly that he knocks pumpkin juice onto Peter's front, causing the boy to curse him loudly, and causing Professor McGonagall to serve him detention.
Without so much as an apology, Sirius ran to head off Bridgette out. He was able to stop her right in the middle of the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw table.
"We need to talk," said Sirius, err, seriously.
Bridgette glared. "We have nothing to talk about."
"Actually we do,"
"No we don't."
"We do."
"We don't"
"Do."
"Don't"
"Do!"
"Don't!"
"Do!"
"Don't!"
"Get on with it!" shouted a frustrated Remus, who was at his wit's end. Sirius looked around. The entire Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table seemed to be listening in, and the Hupplepuff and Slytherin table was in the process of quieting down. It seemed even the staff table had suddenly become eerily quiet. Sirius gulped. This was harder than he thought.
"There is something we need to talk about." Insisted Sirius. "Please, Bridge, three minutes, that's all."
"I've already wasted two minutes here, Black."
"Black?" said Sirius, "So now I'm back to being Black?"
"What do you think?" snarled Bridgette.
"But I worked so hard to be Sirius!" he said. "Come on Bridgette! Let me be Sirius again!"
Sirius wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a small smile in her face quickly disappear. "What do you want?"
"To apologize."
Bridgette laughed. "Like you've ever apologized for anything in your life, Sirius."
Sirius grinned. "So I'm back to Sirius now, am I?"
Bridgette glared.
"All right, all right," said Sirius, "truce, please. Geez Bridge, that glare of yours…it's scary."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"Well, there is this one thing – "
"I am not about to waste my time with you here!" exploded Bridgette suddenly, pushing past him. "I've had it about to here with you! All your antics and pranks and jokes! They're really annoying and hurtful and mean and I've put up with it for 15 years and I'm not about to put up with it any longer!"
Sirius stared for a split second. "Bridge, please –"
"No!" she shouted. "I THOUGHT YOU'D CHANGE! AT LEAST CHANGE ON HOW YOU TREAT ME! I'VE BEEN YOUR FRIEND THE LONGEST HERE AND I THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD TREAT ME DIFFERENTLY! BUT NOO! YOU ACTUALLY TREATED ME LIKE I'M JUST A GIRL WHO MEANT NOTHING TO YOU AND YOU CAN JUST DATE AND THEN THROW AWAY!"
"It's not like that –"
"AND HERE I WAS THINKING THAT YOU'D ACTUALLY CHANGE FOR ONCE IN YOU ENTIRE FREAKING LIFE AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT I LOVE YOU? I MUST'VE LOOKED STUPID HUH?"
Sirius was starting to get angry. "Bridgette it wasn't –"
"YES IT WAS! I LOVE YOU! I STILL DO! AND ALL YOU CAN TELL ME IS THANK YOU? THANK YOU?! I NEVER THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO STOOP –"
"I LOVE YOU ALL RIGHT!" shouted Sirius right back. "THERE I SAID IT! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU THE MINUTE – NO, SECOND – I LAID EYES ON YOU! I LOVED YOU THE MOMENT THAT I HEARD YOUR VOICE! I LOVED YOU THE MOMENT YOU SMILED AT ME, THE MOMENT YOU HUGGED ME, AND THE MOMENT WE KISSED! I LOVE YOU EVERY SECOND OF MY LIFE! YOU'RE THE ONLY GIRL I CARE ABOUT, THE ONLY GIRL IN MY DREAMS, THE ONLY GIRL I LOVE AND WILL EVER LOVE! THERE! I SAID IT! HAPPY!"
From the way Sirius saw it, Bridgette looked like she had just been stunned. The whispers of the entire Great Hall had started pounding in his ears, and he realized the magnitude of what he had just done.
Bridgette looked frozen, save from the small smile that was playing on her lips. A few seconds more, and she blinked rapidly, like she had just been woken up. Sirius smiled. She was so cute.
Sirius took a few small steps towards her and grabbed her hand. "I love you," he said softly, "I know it took a long time for me to say it, but I did now. I love you." He smiled, "I already shouted it out loud here in the Hall, want me to shout it all over Hogsmeade? I can, you know, wait here –"
But as he was about to walk off towards Hogsmeade, with every intention of shouting to the entire village that he loved Bridgette Waters, she held him back. "I don't think there's any need for that," she said softly, smiling at him.
Sirius grinned back. Inwardly he sighed. The knot had loosened, finally.
"Way to go Padfoot!" shouted Prongs from the doors of the Great Hall, his arm, resting on Lily's shoulder. "See that Lily? Told you they'd work things out, and you thought I was crazy."
Lily smiled at him. "I still think you're crazy, James."
Sirius grinned at the pair, as Bridgette hugged him tightly and rested her head on his chest. Behind him, he can hear Remus sigh, and mutter, "finally". Sirius grinned high above the heavens. Thanking the gods that made this evening happen, he made a mental note that the next time he was at Hogsmeade, he'll shout out "I love Bridgette Waters" at the top of his lungs.