Chapter Two

President of the Sirius Black Fan Club

Summer was boring.

Of course, my holidays were never anything special to begin with, but this one was shaping up to be the worst of them all. Worse even than the beach vacation we'd taken three years ago when my brothers had sprinkled breadcrumbs in my hair and I'd then been swarmed by shrieking seagulls. I'm pretty sure I had scars on my scalp from that.

Anyway, my parents were both members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Upon first hearing it, most people think it's fascinating; after all, Aurors and Hit Wizards are what most children aspire to be when they grow up, but the reality was that my parents worked in two of the most boring offices within the department, and that's including the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. My mother was a secretary for the Wizengamot Administration Services and my father was a data collector for the Administrative Registration Department, and since they were both Ministry employees and were dead-set on me following them into the department, my summer had been prescheduled with internships in almost every single office.

At first, I'd been annoyed when they had announced it at my homecoming from school. I knew they had been pushing for me to do it, but it was still irritating to come home and learn that they had already filed my paperwork and everything without telling me.

"Think of it as a surprise!" my mother had said. "A wonderful gift for our wonderful daughter!"

"And maybe we'll get you something else when you receive all those 'Outstanding's'," my father had agreed, giving me a sly wink. Even though I still wasn't overly thrilled with the prospect of spending my holiday at the Ministry, I had to smile gratefully.

My parents had lauded the opportunity, playing it up to be much better than what it turned out to be. They promised that I'd be doing hands-on work, learning the ins and outs of everything, but so far, my summer had consisted entirely of fetching tea and coffee for my supervisors and running errands for them or otherwise sitting trapped behind a desk smaller than the ones at Hogwarts, forced to separate quills by feather types and ink by color or some other menial task. It was far from glamorous, to say the least, and I was especially miffed whenever I came home with my parents every evening only to find my brothers doing nothing, as usual.

"Oh, honey, we know your brothers have a lot of potential too," my mother said one night at the beginning of summer when I had broached the subject of the unfair pressure—again. She stood at the sink washing dishes after that night's dinner; why she insisted on doing it the Muggle way, I had no idea, but it was a sort of habit she had developed over the years. "But you're so smart, and your father and I know that you're going to go so far! We just want to help you get there."

"But not Sam?" I asked as she handed me a plate to dry off. "Or Simon? Or Nic?"

She'd faltered a bit at that. "Well…your brothers are a lot harder to persuade, and…"

"They're dumb as rocks?" I suggested.

She gave me a flat look just as a loud crash came from the sitting room.

"Boys!" Mum had yelled. "What's going on in there?"

Nic, my third oldest brother, had slouched in shortly afterward, one of his hands cupped on his backside.

"Mum," he said, in utmost seriousness, "is it possible to break your bum?"

I gave her a look that clearly read see what I mean? She just ignored me and left me to dry the rest of the dishes, leading Nic out of the room as if he were a fragile child, despite being a year older than me.

I didn't dare try questioning my father about the treatment. I'd been on the receiving end of his rants before, about all the "sacrifices" he made for the family and all the "strings" he had to pull just to get me these kinds of opportunities, and I wasn't keen on rehashing the same argument. It was like beating a dead hippogriff with a stick, except the hippogriff was now nothing but a skeleton and my stick had whittled down to a twig the size of my pinky—completely hopeless.

I'm not trying to give the wrong impression here; I appreciate everything my parents do for me, but sometimes I couldn't help wishing that I had joined my brothers in Gryffindor. Maybe if I didn't have that stigma around me that every Ravenclaw must be brilliant and at the top of the class, I wouldn't be in this situation: placed on a wobbling pedestal above my brothers and expected to handle it just fine, because that's what Ravenclaws do. My parents had both been Gryffindors too, so maybe that was why they idealized me so much—because they had no idea what being a Ravenclaw was truly about. All they knew was the Gryffindor point of view.

Oftentimes I wondered what my life would be like if that was my point of view too.

As if my boring summer couldn't get any worse, Nic just had to go and ruin it even more.

School started again in two weeks, and I was half dreading it, half anticipating it. I was going to be in sixth year, and after receiving 'O's' on all my O.W.L. exams, that meant I was finally a N.E.W.T. student and could drop at least half my course load since I wouldn't need a lot of my previous electives.

N.E.W.T. courses were the least of my troubles, however; another year at Hogwarts meant another year of having to see Sirius Black and his mates, and after the disaster that had happened with Snape at the end of the term, I really wasn't sure what to make of him and the rest of his "Marauders" anymore.

I wasn't oblivious. I always knew the Marauders had something against Snape, though I had never really cared about the specifics. I'd seen them prank him before and jinx him in the corridors sometimes, but those incidents were harmless compared to what Potter and Black had done to him by the lake. What they did was just downright cruel. And even worse, they had enjoyed doing it. Even that much was evident to me.

I hadn't interacted with any of them following the confrontation the week before the term was over, though Potter had thrown furtive glances to me as I passed him in the corridor, obviously still irked that I had docked points from his House, and Snape positively glared anytime he saw me. Apparently, being defended by both me and Lily Evans had been too insulting for him, but I hardly cared.

The only thing I noticed was that Black had never once looked at me during that whole week, as if the entire thing never happened. I didn't know whether I had been more confused or disappointed by this, but I had chosen the former option since I was still adamant in Black not noticing me ever.

It was a quiet Sunday night in the Valentine household, which meant only one thing was happening: family dinner. I dreaded Sunday dinners, but only because it gave my parents an opportunity to grill me about my life in front of my brothers before we all lapsed into an awkward silence, as we were doing now.

I picked at my chicken breast half-heartedly, not having much of an appetite after my father had wrung my ear about all the internships that he had lined up for me next summer, but I looked up when Nic cleared his throat from across me, eyeing our parents hopefully.

Oh, no. He had his kicked-puppy-look about him. He was up to something.

"Mum, Dad," he began, his voice innocent and sweet like an angel. A buff, broad-shouldered angel with a shaved Mohawk, but you get the picture. "I have something to ask."

"Go ahead, sweetie," Mum said, stabbing some green beans onto the end of her fork and not even bothering to glance his way.

"I'm not raising your allowance," Dad said immediately. Nic smiled ruefully, shaking his head before looking back at him politely.

I nearly spat out my drink. Nic never looked so…mature. It was frightening. I wondered if a Death Eater was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate my brother. But why would a Death Eater be interested in our family? We were nobodies. Which meant that I wasn't hallucinating; this was still my brother.

My other older brother Simon leaned closer to me on our side of the table, voicing out loud what I was thinking. "Has Nic gone mental?"

I shook my head slowly. "I have no idea."

"Well, while a raise in allowance would be pretty sweet…" Nic said, cocking his eyebrow pointedly. When Dad looked unimpressed, he continued. "Anyway, y'know how Sheldon was supposed to host the Quidditch kickback at his place this Friday? Well, his mum got ill, and she doesn't want all of us there getting sick either, so I was thinking that we could have it here?"

I stared at him across the table. He was joking. There was no way he could be serious. Have the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team over at our house? No. That would mean…

Ugh. I couldn't even finish the thought.

Dad looked skeptical, but Mum spoke before he could.

"I think that's a great idea!" she said, finally looking up from her dinner and beaming at him. "I'm very impressed that you decided to take the initiative with this, Nic. You're growing up so fast!"

I gave her a disgusted look. All he was doing was hosting a party, but she acted like he had just announced he wanted to take on You-Know-Who singlehandedly.

"Now wait just a minute." Dad held up a hand, looking to Nic with a dubious expression. "You're saying you want to invite your teammates over Friday night?"

"Just to hang out," Nic said quickly. "It'll be really casual, totally laid back."

Dad eyed him sternly. "No girls? Except for Georgina, of course."

Nic shot me a smug grin. "I wouldn't count Georgie as a girl."

I glared at him. "If I wanted to hang out with a bunch of Neanderthals I'd go back to the prehistoric times." I sniffed disdainfully. "No way am I associating with you and your gorilla mates."

Simon groaned. "That was such a perfect opportunity to use primate instead."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, she'll just be up in her room reading a book and pretending she doesn't exist," Sam snorted from where he was seated next to Nic. I turned my glare on him. "Not like she ever does anything else."

"Stuff it, Samwise," I sneered, using the absurd name our mother had given him after one of her favorite fictional characters she had read about in her Muggle Studies class at Hogwarts.

Sam scowled at me. "Don't deny it. It's what you always do. You're no fun."

"At least I'm not a hobbit."

"I don't even know what that is!"

"Maybe if you'd actually pick up a book for once in your life you'd know."

"Sam, Georgina, that's enough," Dad said sharply. We fell silent immediately, though we still glared at each other from our seats. "Nic, I'm fine with you having your teammates over, but only them. No one else. And no alcohol, or recreational potions, or—"

"Yeah, yeah, got it, Dad," Nic said, waving him off. "I wasn't planning on us being here the whole night either. I want to show them Dottie's."

My mouth dropped open. "What?"

Nic's green eyes were triumphant. "Reconsidering?"

My resolve wavered. Dottie's had been my favorite place to go as a kid, even before I had started Hogwarts. It was a dingy little diner and arcade about a twenty-minute walk from our secluded wizarding village, located in the Muggle town over, and I loved it there. I hadn't been back since the winter holidays because I'd been at the Ministry so much, but did I want to go with Nic and his teammates—particularly James Potter and Sirius Black?

"I-I can't," I said, clearing my throat. "I have to be at the Ministry."

Dad looked at me. "I thought your final internship ended last week?"

I cringed, not missing the smirks on my brothers' faces. "Er, it did. But I, erm, already have plans…"

"Come off it," Sam scoffed. "We all know that's a load of rubbish."

"I think spending time with your brother and getting to know his teammates would be wonderful, Georgina," Mum said, butting in and offering her unhelpful opinion. "Go with them. You need a night out after working so hard this summer!"

"But—"

"No buts, young lady," Dad said, pointing his fork at me. "Your mother's right. You've been far too busy this summer, and you only have a few weeks left to enjoy the rest of it."

And whose fault is that? I wanted to retort, but I kept my mouth shut, only glowering at my half-eaten food. I knew that protesting anymore would be useless; my father's word was law, and I could see no other way of getting out of this.

I looked up helplessly to see Nic staring at me, a wicked glint in his eyes that promised humiliation.

You're dead, he mouthed.

I just prayed it would be quick.

Friday snuck up on me faster than I would have liked. The whole day leading up to the party had been horribly tense, as Nic kept looking at me as if he were ready to pulverize me. By the time five o'clock rolled around and his teammates started showing up, I was a nervous wreck.

I didn't know what Nic was planning, or if he was just doing it to psych me out, but on top of my anxiety about seeing Black and Potter again, I was ready to curl in a ball and bury myself under six tons of dirt. I hoped the two Gryffindor boys had forgotten all about the incident and me taking points from their House, but if they'd kept up their vindictive streak toward Snape for five years, then I was as good as dead.

I was still dusting the mantel of the fireplace per Mum's instructions when the doorbell rang. My stomach dropped.

"Georgie, get the door," Nic said, even though he was just sitting on the couch flipping through a copy of the Quidditch Times.

I chucked the duster at his head as I went to open the door. On the threshold stood one of Nic's teammates, a seventh-year named Sheldon Schaffer.

"Hey, Georgie," he greeted politely as he stepped inside. Sheldon and Nic had been friends since their first year, and he knew me pretty well from all the times he had come to visit during the holidays.

"Good holiday, Sheldon?" I asked.

He gave me a slight grin. "Yeah, not too bad. How was yours? Nic told me about all your internships at the Ministry."

I wrinkled my nose at the mention of the internships. "Well, they kept me busy, that's for sure."

"Oi! Sheldon! Stop talking to my freak of a sister and come look at this new Cleansweep model!"

Sheldon gave me an apologetic look before joining Nic on the couch. I retreated to the kitchen for some pumpkin juice, waiting for the other guests to arrive. They trickled in over the next hour or so, and I vaguely recognized each one, though for the life of me I couldn't remember what positions they played: Gregor Wood, another seventh-year, and Mikey McKinnon and Charlie Jordan, both fifth-years. There was still no sign of Potter and Black, but at seven o'clock sharp the doorbell rang again, and this time I knew it was them.

"Georgie!" Nic yelled, but I was already at the door.

"Got it!" I turned the knob and suddenly found myself face-to-face with the two boys.

Much to my chagrin, my heart skipped a couple of beats when I saw Black standing on my doorstep, looking as carelessly handsome as ever. His hair had grown much longer over a few weeks, resting lazily just above his collarbones. If possible, his face had filled out even more, his cheekbones so sharp they looked like they could actually make me bleed.

I wrenched my gaze away from Black to glance at Potter, who had to be at least two inches taller than the last time I saw him, though his hair was still as messy as ever. I raised my eyebrows when I saw him already staring at me, a frown on his face as if he seemed to be struggling to place my name.

"Hello," I greeted neutrally. I stood back some to allow them entry, but they stayed on the doorstep. Potter narrowed his eyes.

"Do I know you?" he demanded.

"Sort of," I said. When he still looked stumped, I decided to elaborate. "Ravenclaw prefect, your year? I took points off you last term for tormenting Snape?"

Potter winced at the mention of Snape, but I noticed Black's face slip into a scowl.

"That's right," the bespectacled boy said, pointing to me. "You docked fifty points from us and we almost lost the Cup to Slytherin!"

"Wish I could say I was sorry, but I'm really not," I said, uncomfortable. "Are you going to come in or are you going to stand out there for the rest of the night?"

"A bossy Ravenclaw, who would have guessed?" Potter said, slipping inside with Black right behind him. "I didn't know you were Nic's sister though."

I sighed, shutting the door. "He usually pretends he doesn't have a sister, but yeah, I'm the one."

To my surprise, when I turned around Potter was grinning at me. "What's your name, then, Ravenclaw?"

"Georgie!" Nic shouted from the sitting room. "Stop talking to my mates!"

I grimaced, gesturing to where the rest of the boys were sitting. "That's me."

Potter looked amused. "Does he normally treat you like that?"

"Sometimes it's worse," I said, shrugging. "When I was eight he acted like I was invisible for six months before our parents finally found out."

He laughed. "Sorry, but your brother's a riot. I've always liked him."

"Wish I could relate," I muttered, but he was already walking off, greeting everyone in the sitting room.

"Georgie, right?"

I looked up to see Black still standing beside me. My stomach did a weird flip-flop when he gazed at me with a mildly curious expression. Sweet Merlin. Was Sirius Black acknowledging my existence? Were his eyes really that grey up close?

I mentally slapped myself before my thoughts got any wilder.

"Yeah," I said, trying to smile normally, but it came out more like a grimace. What was wrong with me?

"I'm Sirius." He stuck out his hand, the same hand I had been admiring—no, observing—that one day in the Great Hall, and jerked his head in the direction of the sitting room. "That's my mate, James."

"I know," I said quickly, panic flaring inside me when he arched a stupidly, perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Er, I know, since my brother's on the team with you…"

I trailed off, inwardly groaning when I noticed the corners of his lips curling faintly upward. Trying to play it off, I grasped his hand in my own and gave it a firm shake. I had a silent freak-out when I realized that they were exactly as I had imagined them to be, calloused and rough and slender, but they were cold instead of warm, his skin cool to my touch. Or maybe I was just feverish because he was touching me… Oh, Godric, what if my hands were sweaty?

I pulled back my hand more quickly than I had intended, my face heating when I realized how awkward that must have been. I didn't dare meet Black's eyes, but I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Nice meeting you, Georgie," he said before moving away to join the rest of his teammates, and I immediately darted into the kitchen, my face burning.

What was wrong with me? One touch, and I had resorted to the rest of the pining girls at Hogwarts who practically squealed if Black so much as glanced their way. I was disgusted with myself. I could hear Florence now.

"Should I sign you up for the Sirius Black Fan Club, G? I hear they're looking for a new president. You'd be perfect for the job."

No. I was not going to give Florence the satisfaction of mocking me anymore about Black when we got back to school, and I was definitely not going to be the new president of the Sirius Black Fan Club. This night was my perfect opportunity to shake off whatever lingering fascination I had with him. I had seen his true colors when he'd humiliated Snape in front of everyone. I knew his reputation with girls. And I knew that those things about him would never go away.

Sirius Black may have noticed me finally, but I knew better. All I had to do was get through tonight and make sure that it never happened again.