Sadie stared at the textbook in her lap, eyes moving over the same sentence over and over again but not registering what she was reading. Finally, she let out a groan and shut the book with a thud. As much as she knew she needed to study, this was getting her nowhere. She sighed and leaned her head on the window she was seated next to.

It had been a rough few weeks since her birthday. O.W.L.s were fast approaching, and she was definitely feeling the pressure, spending every spare moment studying. Most of that time she spent up in her dorm, avoiding Gideon. Their relationship had become extremely rocky after his accusations that she'd been seeing Sirius behind his back, and they spent most of their time together arguing or sitting in tense silence. It was clear that things were coming to an end, but Sadie refused to be the one to break it off. She would feel much better about Caroline's death if it was Gideon who decided that they were finished.

The rumors Gideon had mentioned had become stronger as well. Sadie could barely walk through the corridors without having to brush off whispers and pointed looks in her direction. Cynthia was apparently feeling vengeful about her breakup with Sirius, and she was more than happy to play the victim while watching Sadie get labeled all sorts of unsavory things. The Easter holidays had been a nice break from all of it, but now they were back, and things were as stressful as they had been before the holiday.

Sadie's stomach rumbled, and she glanced at the time in exasperation. She had studied through dinner, which was not an uncommon occurrence of late. A soft whine escaped her throat as she stood up and stretched. Making her way downstairs, she was relieved to see that Gideon was not in the common room. James and Sirius were lounging in front of the fire, and both raised their hands in greeting as she passed.

"Where are you headed?" James yawned.

Sadie grinned sheepishly. "Kitchens. I forgot to eat dinner again."

Sirius laughed and sat up. "Want company?"

"No, that's alright," she told him with a regretful smile. "I don't much fancy adding fuel to all of these stupid rumors. I won't be long though, and then I could really use a study partner for Defense."

He gave her a thumbs up and stretched back out, the bottom of his shirt riding up just enough to give Sadie a glimpse of his bare hips. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she looked away and hurried through the portrait hole, shaking her head furiously in an effort to rid herself of some not-so-innocent imaginings involving her best friend.

Those thoughts were immediately banished from her mind as she ducked behind the tapestry leading to one of her favorite secret passageways. All the air left her lungs in a whoosh as she took in the sight of Gideon in an extremely compromising position with a girl Sadie didn't know. The girl's eyes flew open, and she let out a gasp.

"Gideon!" She exclaimed, face turning red rapidly as she pushed him and squirmed away, hastily pulling her robes down to cover herself. Gideon looked at her in confusion before following her gaze. He blanched, and his face paled as his eyes landed on Sadie. He swore quietly and quickly adjusted himself, zipping up his trousers before turning to face her full-on.

For several tense moments, the three students simply stared at each other, none of them quite sure what to say. Finally, Sadie cleared her throat and gave them a cold smile.

"Well. Apologies. By all means, carry on." And with that, she turned and marched out of the passage, head held high. Suddenly finding that she had quite lost her appetite, she changed course and began walking toward the Astronomy Tower.

"Sadie!" Gideon's voice shouted from behind her. Her fists clenched, but she gave no other sign that she had heard him. "Sadie, come on! Wait up! Just let me explain!" He jogged to catch up with her and grabbed her elbow. "Sadie, please, just hear me out."

"Let go of me," Sadie ordered calmly. "You should get back to your new plaything. Wouldn't want to leave her unsatisfied, would you?"

He let out a growl of frustration and spun her around to face him, gripping her upper arms and pushing her back roughly against the wall. "Damnit, Sadie, just listen to me, would you?!" Sadie's heart hammered nervously, but she refused to let her anxiety show, instead staring at him with her jaw set in defiance. "Look, I never meant for this to happen."

Sadie laughed incredulously. "Oh, no? What, were you just walking around with your tool out, and she was wandering about trying to air things out down there, and you just...accidentally crashed into each other?"

Gideon's eyes flashed dangerously. "This isn't a joke, Sadie!"

"Really? Because it feels like our whole relationship is a bit of a joke at this point, Gideon." She shifted slightly and managed to wrap her fingers around her wand. "Now, once again. Let. Go. Of. Me."

He ignored her request, instead tightening his hold painfully. "I never would have done it if you had been willing to give me what I needed yourself!"

There was a loud blast and a flash of light, and Gideon reeled back, howling in pain. Sadie fingered her wand and admired the work of her stinging hex in cold satisfaction. "Well, you can continue to get whatever you feel like you need from someone other than me. We're through." And, trusting that he wouldn't be able to follow her in his current state, she spun around and made her way briskly up to the Astronomy Tower.

She stood gazing over the Black Lake, mind reeling as she struggled to sort through her feelings. She wasn't heartbroken, as she imagined she would be after a messy breakup. No, she was almost relieved that it was finally over, though there was also a part of her that was mourning what she once thought they could have been. They had been so happy in those first few months, and she sighed wistfully as those memories flashed through her mind. Then feelings of hurt and anger coursed through her, and her jaw clenched. Regardless of how long they had been on the rocks, it was a low blow for him to cheat on her like that, especially after his accusations about her and Sirius.

Her thoughts shifted to her best friend, and she inhaled deeply. Maybe she could try to feel things out with Sirius now. Was there even the smallest chance that he had feelings for her too? Or that he would be willing to give it a shot if he knew how she felt?

An unexpected pool of heat formed in her lower stomach as she found herself imagining Sirius's perfectly shaped lips against hers. Godric, she adored him. From the tender way that he looked at her to his loud, barking laugh to the feeling of his toned chest rising and falling as they fell asleep together...

"Sadie Mae?"

Sadie jumped and turned with wide eyes to see Sirius watching her. His hands were in his pockets, and he shifted his gaze from her face to the horizon as he came to stand next to her. She realized with a start that the sun had almost completely set; she hadn't realized how long she had been up there.

Sirius breathed out a soft chuckle. "We wondered why you hadn't come straight back to the common room, but I certainly don't blame you now. This is beautiful."

"Oh...yeah..." Sadie blushed, not wanting to admit that she hadn't even noticed the sunset until now.

They continued to stand in silence for a moment before Sirius yawned. "Anyway, Prewett's looking for you. I think he might be wanting you to work some healing magic." He shrugged. "Not sure what exactly happened, but it looks like he's been hit by a nasty stinging hex or something." Sadie let out a snort, and Sirius looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You alright? Are you guys fighting again?"

"In a manner of speaking," Sadie muttered stiffly. Feeling his continued gaze, she sighed and turned to face him. His eyes held a familiar intensity that made her breath catch in her throat. He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, hand coming to rest against the side of her neck.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly "You seem off lately. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine..." was all she could manage to breathe out. When had they stepped closer together? Unbidden, her eyes drifted briefly down to his lips before quickly darting back up to his eyes. The slight quirk of his brow told her that he had definitely noticed. She swallowed thickly and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, unable to tear her gaze away from his.

"I wish you wouldn't look at me like that..." she mumbled, feeling her cheeks heat up. His free hand slid around her waist and settled hesitantly on the small of her back.

"Like what?" He murmured. She could hear the smirk in his voice. Her hands were resting on his chest, fingers toying nervously with the fabric of his shirt, and she could feel his heart racing. His eyes were dark, and they were close enough that she could feel his breath ghosting across her face.

"Like..." she breathed, eyes fluttering shut. "Like you..."

And then her lips met his, and every coherent thought fled her mind. All she knew was that she was kissing Sirius, and he was kissing her back, and his lips were even softer than she had imagined. She felt her knees go weak, but his arm wrapped securely around her waist, supporting her as she melted into him. His other hand buried itself in her hair, tugging her head back slightly so that he could deepen the kiss. Sadie felt a soft moan escape her throat as he explored her mouth. She suddenly realized that they weren't nearly close enough, so she slid one hand to the back of his neck and the other arm around his waist to pull his body more tightly against hers.

Sirius broke away for the smallest moment to let out a low hiss as she unintentionally ground their hips together. "Merlin, Sadie..." he groaned before capturing her lips once again. His hands shook as they moved to run up and down her sides and hips. An unfamiliar aching need spread throughout her body, and she whimpered quietly into his mouth. Gideon had never made her feel like this...

Suddenly, Sirius tensed and broke away with a strangled noise of regret. He released her and stumbled backward as though he'd been burned, leaving Sadie to stare at him in confusion, panting heavily. A feeling of apprehension rose in her chest. Had she done something wrong? Sirius ran his hands through his hair, looking more agitated than she had ever seen him.

"Sirius..." she began breathlessly. "What..."

"I'm sorry..." he choked out. "I never should have...I didn't mean...you're not..." He swore quietly, looking anywhere but at her, and Sadie felt her heart sink. He hadn't meant it. "Please just...forget this ever happened. I'm so sorry." He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. "I should go. I'm sorry."

And just like that, he was gone. Sadie stared at the spot where she'd last seen him, feeling numb from shock. She slowly sat down, wrapping her arms around her knees, and let a single tear of heartache and mortification slide down her cheek.

A/N: Sorry, I know I'm a little on the late side with this one, but school has been a little stressful, and this was a big chapter! I wanted to be able to give it my full attention. Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed! Ya'll keep me motivated!

WindSongEnchantment: A change in the winds indeed! I do think they are pretty cute, if not a little oblivious and infuriating. Thank you for your continued support!

bluehairedraven: Hurray! I love hearing that! All the feelings, that's the goal, right? Thank you so much, as always!