I got absolutely no reviews for the last chapter! I am so appalled! Was chapter 15 really that horrible? Or did everybody just forget about me?

Well, I'm not giving up hope! I still updated, didn't I? Hehe. I know somebody out there is still reading this story. (A/N: actually I just got one review for ch. 15 yesterday. So nvm.)

Chapter 16

That Friday, Mina and Snape had detention with Slughorn. After class, they made their way down to Slughorn's office, where the potions teacher was waiting patiently.

"Miss Gray, Mr. Snape. Please have a seat," he said, motioning for them to sit down. Mina stole a quick glance at Snape before sitting in a rather comfortable chair in front of Slughorn's desk. Snape sat down next to her.

"Now, if you look behind me, you'll notice a rather untidy bookshelf," Slughorn began. Mina studied the bookshelf behind him; there was nothing untidy about it.

"That is to say," Slughorn continued, "that I need my books to be alphabetized. Miss Gray, if you would be so kind. You will, of course, not be needing your wand." He took her wand and placed it on his desk.

"Mr. Snape," Slughorn said next, turning to Snape, "I'd like you to organize my desk and dust my shelves. And I'll take your wand as well." Snape groaned, but handed his wand to the head of Slytherin house. Slughorn placed it on his desk.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have somewhere to be," he said, getting up to leave the room. "I'll be back in two hours to check in on your progress." He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.'

"Well," said Mina, turning to Snape, "this should be fun." Snape smirked.

"Loads," he said. "But hey, at least you've got the easy job. I mean, look at this desk! It's loaded with papers and boxes of pineapple!" Mina laughed.

"Yeah, I'd say the Slug's taken a liking to me, wouldn't you? Otherwise it'd be me clearing up that lousy excuse for a desk," she said.

"I doubt it. I'm his favorite student, you know," he said. Mina smirked.

"Yeah, and all because you're a talented potion maker. Huh. And to think that I'm your only friend!"

"I'd prefer to have as little friends as possible," he muttered.

"So you've said. Hey, do you think that's why everyone makes fun of you? Or maybe it's just your greasy hair…"

"All right, I get it! Now please leave me alone," he said angrily. Mina knew when to back off.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she apologized. Snape just shook his head, smiling inwardly. Nobody in the entire world could insult him and at the same time be so nice to him…

Mina tied her hair back, letting a few strands fall in her face. She walked over to the bookshelf and began taking out books. The bookshelf was huge; there had to be at least 300 books.

Snape began working on the desk, moving various objects around. He could think of a million other places he'd rather be, but was happy, at least, to be alone with Mina.

"So what's the deal with Sprint?" he asked, striking up a conversation.

"What do you mean?" Mina said while putting Advanced Potion Making in front of Antidotes and Remedies.

"Come on now, don't play dumb," Snape said, "I saw the two of you, arm in arm, all smiling and giggling and stuff." Mina laughed.

"Are you jealous… again?"

"No," Snape replied rather quickly.

"Look, there's nothing going on between Jesse and I. And I suggest you drop the subject," she said. Snape would not give up, though.

"What about Lupin? You still like him, don't you?" Mina sighed.

"Yes I do. Why?"

"I don't know. But I think you're better off with Sprint. At least he's Slytherin," Snape said. Mina did not reply. She shoved the already alphabetized books to one side of the shelf.

Suddenly the door of the office opened. Jesse Sprint walked in, followed by the two Slytherin beaters.

"Jesse…" Mina put down Cauldrons and Kettles and stared blankly at her captain.

"Alphabetizing Slughorn's books? No problem. Flynn, Merrick, take care of this. What time will Slughorn get back?"

"Hour and a half from now," Mina replied.

"That doesn't give us much time, then," Sprint said.

"Time for what?" Mina asked.

"One last practice before the game. Come on, the rest of the team's waiting out on the pitch! This'll be our little secret…"

"I can't, Jesse…" Mina said.

"Don't worry about it," he said, grinning. God, he was so gorgeous when he smiled…

"O-okay. But what about Flynn and Merrick?"

"They're fine. It's the least they could do for hitting you with that bludger. Now come on!" Sprint grabbed Mina's arm and led her out into the hallway.

"This is the second time I'm breaking the rules! And I'm a prefect, too! If the Slug finds out…"

"He won't, Mina. I promise," Sprint said, looking down at her seriously. Mina looked up into his blue eyes. She never realized how tall he was before, and she was wearing heels today. She shook her head.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming," she said. A wide grin broke out on his face.

"Good." They walked outside and towards the pitch.

"Wait," Mina said, stopping in her tracks, "what about my broom?"

"I have an extra broom for you," he explained.

"Oh good," she sighed in relief. Sprint just stared at her. "What?"

"Hmm… do you want to race me to the pitch?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I want to see how fast you can run," he said.

"Liar," Mina muttered, not loud enough for him to hear. "Why would you want to see how fast I can run?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "but… you don't think you can beat me?"

"I probably could," she said. Sprint laughed.

"I doubt that. I'm the best of the best," he said. And with that, he took off towards the pitch.

"Jesse! I never said I wanted to… Dammit! I'm wearing bloody heels!" she shouted as she chased after him. She couldn't catch up to him in heels, but got a brilliant idea just then. She took off one of her shoes and threw it at him.

"OW!" he stopped, rubbing his back, "That's some aim. You should be a chaser." She caught up to him, her other shoe in her hand.

"No thanks. I'll stick with keeper," she said. He picked up her other shoe and went to hand it to her.

"Holy crap! That's gotta be a 3-inch heel!" he said, observing it.

"Yeah? And?"

"So you're like, a midget!" Mina threw her other shoe at him.

"OW! That hurts, you know!" he said angrily, but could not help letting out a chuckle. Mina laughed, too.

"I'm 5'1"," she informed him.

"Ah, I see. A midget." She punched him in the arm having no shoes left.

"Where's your wand?" he asked.

"Slughorn's office," she said.

"Oh. Hey, you have really big feet."

"Why thank you, Mr. Obvious! Yes, I have big feet and I'm short, okay? I'm secretly a hobbit," she said.

"I knew it!"

She shot him a death glare.

"Sorry… Frodo." She punched him again.

"What is it with you and people's flaws? Don't you have something that you don't like about yourself?"

"Hmm… I never thought about it. But, me being a quidditch captain… I always saw myself as physically flawless, I guess." Mina just stared at him.

"You really are big-headed."

"Nah, I'm just so overly competitive that it scares people," he said.

"So that's why you wanted to race me?" she asked. He shrugged.

Mina put her shoes back on and they walked the rest of the way to the pitch, got on their brooms, and joined the team. After a little more than an hour, Sprint checked his watch.

"Crap, you gotta get back!" he said to Mina.

"Already? Dammit, I was doing so good today," she said.

"It doesn't matter, as long as you do good tomorrow. And if you don't, I'll…"

"You'll what?" she asked, flying closer to him.

"I'll have to kiss you until you do better," he said, grinning at her. Mina leaned back on her broom.

"Oh? You think a kiss from you will make me do better?"

"Humph. Of course. I can do anything,' he said confidently. Mina laughed.

"I like you, Jesse. You're funny," she said.

"I was being serious," he said.

"So was I. I really do like you, Jesse," she said with a slight hint of seductiveness.

"Of course you do," he said. She flew past him, slapping him on the bum.

"See ya tomorrow."

When Mina got back, she found Snape finishing the last touch on Slughorn's shelves.

"Where're Flynn and Merrick?" she asked.

"They finished early," he said, a slight annoyed tone in his voice.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him, concerned.

"Mina, how can you ask that? You snuck out to go practice bloody quidditch, and I got stuck here cleaning Slughorn's mess!" he bellowed.

"Oh. I… I'm sorry. I didn't think it would bother you that much," she said. He sighed.

"That's okay. Just next time, think things over."

"I didn't have much time to, okay? Jesse just came in here and grabbed me, and-"

"Mina! It's okay. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have yelled at you." Just then, the office door opened, and in stepped Slughorn.

"Ah, you're both finished?" he said, studying the condition of the room.

"Yes sir," Snape said.

"Excellent! Good job, both of you. You may go now," he said. They took their wands and left the office.

On Saturday, Mina was at the quidditch pitch early. She found Sprint on his broom, flying around the goalposts, the snitch in his hands. She mounted her broom and flew up by him.

"You really love quidditch, don't you?" she asked. He just laughed.

"Who, me? I live for quidditch!" he said, letting go of the snitch and catching it just in time. Mina could not help but laugh, too.

"What?" Sprint raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing. It's just… you are the most competitive person I know. Which, of course, makes you a little conceited and critical. But I just can't bring myself to hate you!" she said truthfully.

"Well, that's because I'm a Slytherin, so I'm allowed to be a little conceited and critical. And you, you're a Slytherin too, so you can't help but be attracted to that sort of thing," he said. Mina shook her head.

"I don't think that's it," she said, "I think it's the fact that while you're so-overly-competitive-that-it-scares-people, you're still very charming, and very hot."

"You think I'm hot?" he said, not looking at her, but paying attention to the snitch.

"Yes," Mina said. How could I not?

"Well of course you do! Everyone thinks I'm hot! Even the guys…" he said.

"And this is just a small example of how conceited you are," Mina said, keeping a straight face.

"But I'm still hot!" Sprint said.

"Yes. Still hot, of course. And charming, right? I said charming, too, didn't I?" Mina grinned

"Oh, I almost forgot about that one. I have to be charming, now don't I?" He grinned back.

"Yes you do."

"Well, then, I'd like to tell you that you're the most beautiful Slytherin 5th year girl I know," he said.

"Well you've certainly narrowed it down, haven't you? Considering there are only two other Slytherin 5th year girls…" Mina laughed.

"I know; I'm just that generous. But really, Mina, you are pretty, even though you're a hobbit," he said.

"Why thank you. I'll take that as a compliment, seeing as you don't do that very often," she replied.

"Well, the game is about to start. We'd better head down to the locker rooms and get our quidditch robes on…" Sprint said. Mina nodded. They made their way down to the locker rooms and went their separate ways.

When Mina was fully dressed and ready to play, she got onto the pitch, and looked around to see the stands almost fully occupied. She smiled at this and her eyes wandered over towards the Gryffindors. There was Remus, along with Sirius and Peter. Lily was sitting a few seats away.

Mina got on her broom and headed out towards the goalposts, ready for the game to begin. Madam Wheeler, the flying teacher, blew a very loud whistle, indicating for the game to begin. She released the quaffle and then the bludgers, and then finally, the golden snitch.

Mina steadied herself on her broom and hovered around the goalposts slowly, keeping a close watch on the quaffle. The red ball was being tossed around by Sprint, Jessica, and Trevor, on the other side of the pitch. Finally, Trevor managed to toss the quaffle in towards the left goal… he made it! Trevor was so excited; he almost lost himself for a moment as the quaffle was thrown back in. James Potter caught the quaffle and headed towards the other side. He dodged a bludger, receiving some cheers from the Gryffindors, and then he made his way towards Mina. He had a sly smile on his face as he dodged another bludger and threw the quaffle in. Mina just missed and it went in, much to her dismay. The Gryffindors cheered again, and James smirked. Mina stuck her tongue out at him and tossed the quaffle to Sprint.

This went on for the first part of the game. Mina would make a save and every so often, and usually when it was James with the quaffle, she'd miss the ball. Sprint and Jessica managed to make a few goals themselves. Regulus was flying around, looking for the snitch, but still paying attention to the rest of the game.

Just when Sprint was going for another goal, Regulus caught sight of the snitch. Whether or not Sprint made that goal no longer mattered, as all eyes were on Regulus and the Gryffindor seeker, who was following close behind him.

The Gryffindor seeker managed to catch up with Regulus, but only for a moment, as Regulus lunged forward and caught the snitch. The Slytherins cheered, and Sprint looked happy. He flew over to Mina and threw his arms around her, screaming, "I won! I won!"

"Hold it there, Jesse," Mina said, laughing, "We all won, not just you." He laughed.

"I know. We all did a good job. Except for you! You were a disgrace! I guess I'm going to have to give you that kiss now," he said, grinning. And then he kissed her.

Mina kissed him back, if only for a moment, before pulling back. He was still wearing that silly grin on his face. She sighed. Kissing Jesse Sprint was not what she expected it to be. No fireworks, nothing. He was no Remus Lupin…

"Hey everyone!" Sprint turned and shouted at his team, "Good job you guys! Party in the common room after dinner!" Then he turned back to Mina and said, "You're coming, right?" Mina hesitated. She looked around and saw the Gryffindors leaving the stands. She saw Remus. She wanted to talk to him…

"I don't know, Jesse," she said.

"Come on! You have to come, even if it's just for a little while! They'll be firewhiskey…" he grinned at this and Mina shook her head.

"Okay, okay. I'll come for a little while," she said. (A/N: she's really just going for the firewhiskey. o.O lol, kidding)

"Great," Sprint said, satisfied.

They left the quidditch pitch, had an hour to clean up, and then it was time for dinner. Mina went down to dinner on time to find Lily sitting by herself at the Gryffindor table. She walked over towards her.

"Hey Lily," she said, sitting down next to her.

"Hey." Lily smiled at her friend.

"Where's Phoebe?" Mina looked up and down the Ravenclaw table but did not spot her Asian friend.

"Uh, Mina, she's right over there," Lily pointed across the Gryffindor table where Phoebe was snogging with one Sirius Black. Mina groaned.

"Well, at least she's having fun," she said with a slight look of disgust on her face as she watched the two, "so what's up, Lil?"

"Um, not much… how about you? Your team won today. Aren't you glad?"

"Yeah, I am," Mina said, glancing over at the Slytherin table to see Sprint talking with his friends, "But it's like all of a sudden, I'm very popular. Jesse warmed up to me, and I mean, he's a nice guy, albeit a little conceited. But he invited me to come to the party in the common room and everything. And although the party's open to all Slytherins, it feels strange that I'd be invited."

"Why?" Lily queried.

"I don't know. I was always a loner, wasn't I?" Mina said.

"No way! You have me and Phoebe."

"But no Slytherins," Mina said with a sigh. Lily shrugged.

"What about Snape?"

"…He's more of a loner than I am. And I'm his only friend. So there you go. People like Jesse Sprint, the popular Slytherin quidditch captain, don't usually acknowledge me," Mina said.

"So? Isn't this a good thing, then?" Lily asked.

"I don't know. The thing is, I really like Jesse, but… after the game, he kissed me," Mina explained.

"Really? How was it?" Lily asked.

"Terrible. I mean, he's a good kisser and all, but when he kissed me, I didn't feel anything. I just don't think we belong together," Mina explained. Lily squealed.

"Do you know what this means, then?" she asked excitedly.

"Um… I'm not cut out to be a Slytherin?"

"Don't be silly! Of course you're… oh, never mind. This means that…" Lily looked around, to make sure nobody would hear, then whispered into Mina's ear, "You're meant to be with Remus!" Mina backed away.

"That's stupid, Lily! Don't get my hopes up," she said.

"Well I believe it, anyway. Hey, look! Remus is sitting by the Marauders, looking bored out of his skull! Go talk to him," Lily encouraged.

"No."

"Come on!"

"No."

"Mina."

"Lily."

"Go!" Lily shoved her friend up out of her seat and towards where the Marauders were sitting. Mina stood up straight, glared back at Lily, and then slowly walked forward. James was talking to Peter about something, Sirius was busy with Phoebe, and Remus was all by himself. Mina sat down in the empty seat next to him, opposite Sirius and Phoebe.

"Hey Remus," she said, a slight smile on her face.

"Oh, um… hi, Mina. Congratulations on winning the game," he said.

"Thanks." They sat in silence for a moment, and Mina felt very awkward. Remus was looking down at his food, but not touching it.

"So… How have things been?" She asked, striking up a conversation. He looked directly at her.

"Oh… Good, I suppose. Is there something you wanted, Mina?" he asked, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Well, no. Not really, Remus. Just trying to be friendly. Is that a crime?" she asked casually. Remus' brow furrowed.

"No, not that I know of." He said.

"Remus, what the hell is the matter with you?" she asked.

"What? What are you talking about?" He looked confused.

"You know what I'm talking about! Why are you acting so distant towards me? What did I do to deserve this? And why is it that you never smile when you're around me any more? Why?"

"Mina, I… Something's happened," he said, softly.

"What happened?" Mina asked, bemused.

"I… didn't realize it before it was too late…"

"Didn't realize what before what was too late?"

"Didn't realize that we could never be together, because… Mina, I need you to go. I'm sorry if I've been distant, but it has to be this way. I can't even look at you," he said, turning away. Mina went to put her hand on his shoulder, thought better of it, and then stood up to walk away. She glanced over her shoulder to see Potter looking back at her consolingly, as if he'd been listening to their conversation the whole time.

Mina sat back down by Lily and explained what happened. Then, declaring that she had lost her appetite, she went back to her common room.

When she got there, there were a few younger Slytherin girls helping to set up for the victory party. Among them was Carly Davids, Mina's roommate.

"Hey Carly," Mina greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, Mina. Wanna help set up?" she asked. Mina smiled but shook her head.

"I'll just get in the way." She watched as the younger Slytherins decorated the room in green and silver. Carly was setting up a small table, which would undoubtedly be used for refreshments. Mina strolled over towards her.

"So, um, Carly… Jesse said there'd be firewhiskey tonight?" Carly studied her.

"Yeah, and?"

"So it's true? How are we getting firewhiskey?" she asked.

"The 7th years got some at Hogsmeade last weekend and smuggled it in. You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Mina said, "It's just… I've never had any before. I'm curious."

"Well, you're in for a real treat. Just don't drink too much. You never know what could happen," she said with an awkward laugh. Mina shook her head.

"I'm smarter than that, I think," she said, grinning. The other girls walked over towards them now, obviously done with their decorating.

"Hey, Mina," one of them, a 3rd year greeted. She had curly blond hair and thick glasses, shielding her brown eyes. "We wanted to know what's going on between you and Jesse Sprint." So that was what they were up to. Mina smiled politely at the three girls, and they giggled.

"I'm not going to tell," she said, trying to mess with their minds. They all looked at each other in shock.

"But… we wanted to know at least… if he's single?" Another one said. She had thick, black hair and a pair of huge, black eyes.

"Um… I wouldn't be worried if I were you. I think you're a little too young for Jesse, anyway," Mina said, grinning inwardly.

"I'm 14," said the third girl, a red-head and the oldest of the bunch, "and Jesse's only 17. That's a three year difference."

"Well, aren't you a confident one?" Mina said with a fake smile. The red head scowled.

"Well, you know, you don't deserve Jesse!" she said before turning around and storming off. The other two girls followed her.

"Um… are those your friends?" Mina asked Carly. Carly laughed.

"As if! But… the shy looking one with the dark hair and eyes… she's my little sister. They're all 3rd years, and they're all hopefully in love with the quidditch captain. But don't let them get to you," Carly said.

"I didn't," Mina said. She looked around at the room now that it was finished, and saw that the trio had put up a huge sign that was above the door, reading: Congratulations, Jesse! She sighed, and found a seat to sit down on by the fireplace. Dinner was just about over, and the room would be crowded with partying Slytherins any minute.

So I updated! And it was a long update! Which means that if nobody review, I'll be devastated! Lol. But seriously, even though this chapter had only one Remus scene, and even if that scene sucked, next chapter will be good! Okay? So review, review, review!