Disclaimer: Anything relating to the Harry Potter stories belongs to J. K. Rowling. She can have my characters and ideas as well.

CHAPTER 10

The trees on the grounds outside of the school were filled with brightly colored leaves of orange, red, and yellow. It was a week before Halloween, and the seventh year students at Hogwarts had never been busier. Time seemed to have flown away, like the leaves now falling off the trees.

It was late one afternoon when Nina, Sara and Sirius found themselves in the library again, working on a report for their project. A few tables away from them, Lily, Anthony Chang and Amos Diggory were also working on their assignment.

"So why aren't James, Remus, and Peter working in the library? It looks like everyone in our class is here except for them." Sara asked Sirius while scanning the library.

"They're done their report already." Sirius answered while taking some notes.

"Already?" Nina asked with surprise.

"Yep." he said still taking notes diligently. "They were done a few days ago."

"So what were they working on yesterday in the common room?" Sara asked skeptically.

Sirius looked up at Sara and smirked, "Extra-curricular assignment," he said and went back to his notes.

Nina looked confused and was about to ask him, "What ex—", when Sirius put his finger to his lips and said, "Shh. Don't ask me any annoying questions, Nina. You've already bugged me enough today."

"Hey!" she said to him indignantly, "It wasn't my fault that you decided to do my part of the report instead of your own."

"Yes, it is." he responded.

"How?" Nina asked him. "I wrote down everything that everyone needed to do. You should've paid more attention."

"I don't care. I know you must've done something stupid. You always do. Like last week, when you almost handed in your Transfiguration report for our group project. " Nina could tell that he was just bugging her on purpose now. He continued talking, "You know Nina, I always thought you were smart. But ever since we started working together, I've come to realize that you're actually quite thick."

"Mmhmm," she said dryly while writing, "you told me that yesterday, along with the fact that I am too naïve and innocent." Over the few weeks that they had been working on the project, Sirius developed a penchant for teasing Nina. At first, she used to get very embarrassed by the attention and not say anything back. Sirius had found her shyness very amusing and persisted in taunting her. But now, Nina had gotten used to him, and wondered why she had been so shy to talk to him in the first place.

"Well, that I was serious about. You are very naïve and innocent. If I wasn't here to look after you, I don't know how you would've survived these past few weeks." he said in a very authoritative tone.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nina asked him bemusedly.

"Don't you remember what happened last week?" he tried to say seriously. Nina started to laugh.

"Oh my God." She was still laughing. "That was just you being paranoid for nothing."

"What happened last week?" Sara asked, joining the conversation again.

"Oh nothing." Nina said exasperatedly. "Sirius caught me talking to Severus Snape and he got all crazy."

"Why?" Sara asked, "What's wrong with Snape?"

"He's a greasy git, that's what," Sirius said angrily, "and he's dangerous. There's no reason for you to be talking to him."

"Okay, okay. I don't want to have this argument again." Nina said rolling her eyes. "I was only asking him something about a Potions lesson anyways."

"You can ask me next time." he scolded her.

"Oh shut up, Sirius." Sara said with a smile. "You sound like an over-protective big brother." For a second that thought seemed to disgust Sirius, but then he smiled.

"Good." he said in an authoritative voice. "You stupid girls need one. You don't know what's happening out in the real world."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Nina said getting irritated by his preaching. "Be quiet and finish the stupid report, I wanna get outta here."

A short time later, Sara was lazily gazing over at Lily's table and said, "You know, Anthony Chang is kinda cute."

Sirius looked at Anthony as if checking him out. "Oh yeah," he said, "he's hot."

"No, seriously." Sara went on, "If he asked me out, I think I'd say yes."

"Hell, why wait for him to ask you? Why don't you just do it?" Sirius asked her.

"You think I should?" Sara asked him back.

"Yeah, go for it. I dare you." he answered with a smirk.

"Sara, don't be stupid." Nina butted into the conversation. "You don't like Anthony."

"How do you know?" Sara asked her sounding affronted.

Nina answered her sternly, "Because you like Remus."

Sara scoffed and said, "Well that doesn't matter. Remus obviously doesn't like me enough to ask me out so I'm just going to have to explore other options."

Nina was about to protest what she had just said when Sirius said earnestly, "He likes you a lot, Sara. You know why he doesn't ask you out."

"Yeah well, that just means he doesn't trust me." Sara said with a frown.

"Maybe he's just scared." Sirius said rationally.

"Scared of what? Of me?" Sara asked fiercely. "Why would anyone be scared of me?"

"Er—well," Sirius started to say hesitatingly, "you can be a little frightening at times."

"What!" Sara was almost yelling by now, "Have you lost your mind? I'm so bloody nice to everyone!"

"Yes, of course you are." Sirius said quickly looking a little frightened himself, and then muttered quietly to Nina in a sarcastic tone, "Nicest person I know."

"Hey guys, what's up?" came James's voice behind them unexpectedly. Remus and Peter were with him and they took a seat at the table. "Still working on your report?"

"Trying to." Nina said glaring at Sara and Sirius.

"Yeah we were just taking a little break." Sirius added. "We were talking about how gorgeous Chang is."

"Anthony?" Remus asked.

"Yep. Sara was just telling us how attractive she finds him." Sirius answered, giving Sara an evil grin.

"Really." Remus said dryly, looking over at Anthony, and then at Sara.

"Mmhmm." Sara nodded in agreement.

"Well then," Remus said in a low tone, his face slightly pink, "why don't you go and tell Anthony how you feel?"

"Maybe I will." Sara said seriously.

"Well go quickly," James said urgently while peering over at Lily's table, "I think Chang is getting sweet on Lily!" Everyone at the table looked over at Lily's table and saw her and Anthony laughing together.

James looked furious. "If he touches her, I'll kill him."

Sara whacked James on the arm. "Don't worry about Anthony, James. Lily likes Amos more." She gave Nina a wicked grin and Nina shook her head with a smile.

"Oi, Sirius, make sure you get your stuff done by tonight. We have that other project to work on. There's only a week left." James said before leaving. The boys left Sirius and the girls to finish up their work and didn't meet up with them again until dinner later that evening.

Everyone was sitting at a table in the Great Hall except for Lily. She came in fifteen minutes later than the rest of the gang, smiling very broadly.

"What's she so happy about?" James said as he watched her enter the hall.

"I dunno, but she looks like she just got lai—OUCH!" Sirius was saying before Remus kicked him under the table as James's eyes widened in horror.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully to everyone, "Sara, I need to talk to you." She squeezed herself in between Nina and Sara and started talking. "I was just chatting with Anthony, and he was asking all these questions about you. He was wondering if you were dating anyone and I told him you weren't so he said that he wanted to talk to you." Sara looked genuinely surprised at what Lily had told her, considering the coincidence of the conversation they had earlier.

Lily was talking loud enough for the few people around her to hear, and Remus was one of them. Nina looked across and saw him looking straight down at his plate, with pink patches appearing on his face. Oh shit. Nina thought. He looks pissed. Nina looked at Sirius sitting next to him; she could tell he was thinking the same thing she was. James seemed somewhat relieved that nothing happened between Lily and Anthony, but at the same time was a little anxious for his friend.

Sara stole a quick glance at Remus without him noticing, and she said to Lily in a cheery voice, "Okay, so when does he want to talk me?"

"He said he could meet you outside a little after dinner if you agree to it." Lily answered.

"Sure, why not." Sara said and continued eating her dinner quietly. Remus didn't eat another morsel of food from his plate; he just jabbed his fork at it. It seemed like everyone, with the exception of Lily and Sara, could feel the tension radiating off of Remus. The boys left the table earlier than the girls, and headed to the common room.

As soon as they left Nina turned to Lily. "What are you doing?" she asked her fretfully. "You know Remus likes her. Why are you trying to hook her up with Anthony?"

"Well," Lily started to say, "Remus has to know that Sara can't wait around for him forever."

"Yeah." Sara added. "Besides, I don't like Anthony more than Remus. I just said I'd agree to talk to him in front of Remus. I don't know if I want to actually go." Lily looked at Sara understandingly.

"Oh," Nina said feeling a bit relieved. "Gosh, poor Remus. He looked like he was going to kill someone. He kept jabbing his food with his fork. He was probably picturing Anthony's head on his plate."

"Yeah so Lily, tell Anthony that I already like someone." Sara said with a wry smile. "We don't have to let Remus know I'm not going though."

When the girls entered the common room, the boys were sitting around by the fireplace, playing exploding snap. Remus still looked angry. Lily and Nina went and sat on the couches near them. Sara went up to the dorm to change her clothes. When she came down, she was wearing a very tiny black t-shirt, and some very fitted jeans. A couple of sixth year boys whistled some catcalls as she walked through the room and she laughed them off.

"So, I'm going out." She said to Nina and Lily. James and Sirius were staring at her with their mouths open. They turned to Remus and saw him looking down with one hand in his hair supporting his head, and the other cracking his knuckles furiously. Sara waved bye to the boys and walked out of the common room. Everyone was quiet and staring at Remus.

"Er, listen, mate," James finally broke the ice and began to tell Remus, "don't you think maybe you should go out and stop her?"

"I should?" Remus looked pale now.

"Yes, you daft idiot." Sirius answered. "I don't know what the hell you're waiting for."

"Oh, bugger." Remus said frustratingly while running his hands through his hair. He got up and walked quickly out the portrait hole, his heart pounding in his chest. He spotted Sara down the hall, walking slowly.

"Sara!" he called and ran up to her. She turned around and saw him coming.

"Yes, Remus?" she asked impatiently.

"You can't do this." he said firmly.

"I can't do what?" she asked.

"You know what I'm talking about." Remus said in a low voice.

"No I don't," she said sounding annoyed, "and if you're not going to tell me, move out of my way." Remus moved closer to her.

"You can't go out with him."

"What are you, my boyfriend or something?" Sara asked angrily. "You can't tell me whom I can or cannot go out with." She was starting to walk away from him when Remus grabbed her by the arms and pinned her up against the wall.

"Is that what you want?" he asked her fiercely. Sara looked stunned for a moment but then her expression turned neutral.

"Remus," she said sternly, "what the heck do you think you're doing?" Remus looked puzzled for a moment and then realized what he had done and let go of her quickly.

"Oh...sorry." he said quietly, looking embarrassed. He took a step back from her and Sara sighed in frustration.

"Now what?" he asked her looking bewildered.

"Why did you let go of me?" she asked him angrily.

"Because you told me to." he answered.

"No, I didn't." she retorted.

"You're driving me crazy." he said, looking like he was about to cry.

"Oh, shut up, Remus." Sara scolded, "You're driving yourself crazy. I can't wait around forever for you to realize that you can trust me enough to tell me about your problem." Remus looked taken aback.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"You know what I'm talking about." Sara responded.

"Do I?" he questioned skeptically.

"Yes, you do." Sara said tersely.

"Are you sure you know what you're talking about?" he asked again uncertainly.

"Does a full moon ring a bell?" she asked him.

"Ugh." he moaned putting his hands on his face. "Does everyone know"

"Well, if everyone is Nina and Lily, then yes." Sara said dryly.

He leaned himself back against the wall dejectedly and said,. "And the fact that I turn into a monster every month doesn't bother you?"

"You know, Lily and Nina think I turn into a monster every month as well…" Sara said while leaning herself against the wall next to him.

"Hmm…more like every week." He looked down to the side and smiled at her.

"Hey!" Sara said in a whiney tone while getting off the wall and facing him, "I'm not that bad. You know I'm actually very—" Sara's words were suddenly cut off by Remus's lips pressed against hers as he grabbed her around the waist. As soon as he let go he smiled and looked at her in the eyes and said, "nice."


A/N: Hehehe. This was a fun chapter to write. Since I was nice and posted this chapter early, send me some reviews!