Hello again for the second time today!

I'm so glad everyone's enjoying the last chapter, I was majorly nervous about it for some reason.

The muse is clearly very happy with me, and I had a good portion of this written in bits and pieces from before so I managed to tie it all together just now.

I know you're all as excited as I am that Riley is back :D she is definitely one of my favourite characters to write!

Thank you for all your reviews and lovely asks on tumblr, you are all such darlings.

Also for my Remione lovers...I have some fun things in store for you soon ;)

My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.

Previously...

Sirius was so floored that he hadn't heard the light footsteps coming from his left, and only when he heard an all too familiar voice did he realize he was not alone, "Sirius?"

Riley.

Flashback

Friday, October 17th, 1975

Sirius Black's Birthday

Fifth Year Gryffindor Boy's Dorms

"Drakey...Drakey...she's so pretty. You know...she smells like-"

"Sunshine, yes I know, Sirius," Draco laughed lightly, patting the boy's head since Sirius had laid his head across Draco's lap a few minutes ago after downing the rest of his glass of Firewhisky.

"Do you think she likes me, Dray? Do you?" Sirius asked with a yawn.

"I'm sure she does, Sirius. I'm sure she does."

How much of that did she see or hear? Sirius thought in a panic, his heart racing and he could practically hear his blood pumping in his ears.

Sirius plastered on his most charming smile and spun on his heel in her direction, nothing but warmth and joy as he looks at her.

There's an unreadable expression on the young Hufflepuff's face, it looks like there is a amusement glittering in her hazel eyes, but he can't be certain.

Riley is dressed in black tights, leather boots and a thick coat that is partially undone and comes almost all the way down to her knees. The dusting of pink across her cheeks and nose indicated that she had just returned from the cold weather outside-Draco predicted that it would start to snow in a couple week's time.

Sirius tried to maintain a calm facade as he awkwardly made his way over to the white haired girl, "Morning."

"It appears that you've had a great morning from what I just saw," Riley reached out and touched his arm affectionately.

Electric. Even through layers of clothing he feels a sharp shock that sped and crackled through his system.

They both feel it, they must, he can't be the only one feeling this way. He catches her wrist gently, and he kisses her on the inside of her wrist.

There's an intense moment of silence. Neither of them moved as it occurred to Sirius what exactly he had just done.

The moment slips away smoothly when James's voice bellowed his name from around the corner. Sirius groaned internally, James Potter may be his best mate, but he had shite timing.

Taking a deep breath, Sirius decided to stop dreaming of the girl that smelt like sunshine and to bloody do something about all these intense emotions.

"Riley, do you want to go out with me on the next Hogsmeade weekend?" Sirius asked quickly, as James's yelling got more insistent.

"Thomas asked me to go…" Riley trailed off. Then after a long pause she continued, "plus, aren't you going to go with that pretty girl you were just with?" Riley asked with a furrowed brow.

"Riles, you're the only girl I want to go with...plus, Emmeline and I were, are just friends," Sirius said.

Riley took her hand from his grip as her brow furrowed further, "do you treat all your friends like that?"

Sirius tried to think of anything that could salvage this situation, and then James's scent filled his nostrils and he heard his footsteps halt beside him. From James's sharp intake of breath, Sirius can only gather than James only registered that it was Riley he was talking to when it was too late.

Sirius doesn't know why he did it, but in a moment of rash something, he twisted, gripped James's face, muttered a quick, "sorry mate," and kissed him full on the mouth.

A soft gasp fell from Riley's lips and James's arms flailed around in shock and surprise until Sirius pulled away.

Then James is sputtering, doubled over and rubbing away viciously at his mouth with the back or his hand.

"Mate," James looked at Sirius incredulously, eyes wide and lip curled in contempt.

Both lions froze however when they heard gay giggles coming from their left. They both turned simultaneously and saw Riley covering her mouth with one hand and holding her side with the other.

When Riley finally managed to get a hold of herself, she rolled her eyes and in a bemused time said, "fine, Sirius Black. I'll go to Hogsmeade with you."

She turned on her heel to leave, but before she did she glanced over her shoulder and added with a quick flutter of her eyelashes, "if you're courting me...you can't be dating or seeing other girls," she said firmly, a stubborn streak that he hadn't noticed before rising to the surface.

"Never," Sirius whispered, it was a promise. With a radiant smile she began to walk away. Taking her sunshine aura with her.

"Did you just get a proper date with the girl you've been pining after for four years...by kissing me?" James asked, dumbstruck.

"Yea, thanks mate, that was well appreciated," Sirius grinned, clapping James on his back.

James blinked at Sirius blankly, scratching behind his ear as he stood rooted in place by confusion. Sirius chuckled to himself and then shoved his hands in his pockets before striding away gleefully-a bounce in his step and a pleasant whistle flowing gracefully from his lips.

"Well that's not fucking weird at all," James said to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. He ran a hand absently through his unruly raven locks before he heard a voice he knew very well. This part of the castle sure was popular.

Mary.

Her musical voice is coming from the opposite direction from where Sirius meandered off to, and before he could think about it he found his legs moving of their own accord, and when he finally rounded the corner he found that she was surrounded by Fourth Year boys.

James reached into his robes, ready to hex any of them if they do anything to the sweet Hufflepuff, but she smiled brightly at them, her golden hair moving about as she looked from left to right and she handed them a wide basket filled to the brim with baked goods. Mary took her opportunity to squeeze past them and to hurriedly move down the corridor.

James watched her practically trot away and he felt a weird and warm squeeze in his chest.

James narrowed his eyes before sending a stinging hex at all of the boys, ducking back around the corner and throwing his Invisibility Cloak over him in record timing.

As their outraged shouts and heavy footsteps approached and then flew past him, all he could think was that he could still smell caramel. He could still smell Mary.

"You're not old enough to know your dick from your brain, so trust me...your tiny cock won't be going anywhere near my sister." James snarled as he sat on top of the pile of tied up third year Ravenclaw boys.

Draco and James had stumbled across the group of boys boasting about the things they would do to Hermione if only she wasn't dating Lupin.

The Potter boys only felt it right that they school the boys and teach them some manners, since they appeared to not have any.

"You promise you'll never say anything as callous or stupid about Hermione ever again?" Draco asked in a calm and cheery tone, squatting down beside one of the boys and pulling out the gag from his mouth.

The boy's lip trembled in fear as his brown eyes met Draco's steel grey ones, before he nodded eagerly, "n-n-never."

"You swear?"

"Y-yes."

"Good boy," Draco grinned happily, patting the boy's cheek before straightening up.

"I think they learned their lesson," James mused.

"I agree, dear brother. I think we can let them go now."

"I believe we can," James shrugged as he hopped off of the pile of boys.

Draco waved his wand, and within moments all of the boys were released. There was a moment of hesitation where they didn't know what to do with themselves before they all scrambled to their feet and bolted down the corridor, hitting into each other as they went.

"Wankers," James grumbled, following his brother down the corridor, continuing on their way back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Wednesday, November 26th, 1975

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Gryffindor Common Room

"What did McGonagall say in class the other day about the Vanishing spell?" James groaned, angling his head at Sirius-whose legs were in James's lap, underneath the book he was pressing on, and Sirius's head was on Remus's left thigh.

"That Vanished objects go 'into non-being, which is to say, everything'," Sirius responded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Thanks mate," James sighed, his brow drawing together as he turned back to his essay.

"The great James Potter is actually doing work," Lily said with a loud gasp.

"I do work all the time, Evans. You're just off playing house with Snivellus all the time and that's why you don't get to see my brilliance at work," James said teasingly, but Lily's expression darkened significantly and she sneered nastily at him.

"You're such an arrogant little toe-rag, Potter." With a huff she gathered all her books, parchment, quills and inkpot (balancing them all perfectly) and marched towards the girl's dormitory stairs.

"Was it something I said?" James asked obliviously, and Hermione simply rolled her eyes in exasperation. Boys.

She had her suspicions, but it looked to her like Lily was developing a crush on James. One that she didn't want nor did she know what to do with. Their normal banter back and forth with quick quips had changed entirely. James no longer flirted outright and unabashedly with Lily, and the redhead didn't know how to talk to James properly anymore.

Hermione gathered her things in a calm fashion, met Draco's eyes briefly and had to steel herself when she felt the shivers race through her bloodstream. His look was so intense, and Hermione didn't know if he'd always looked at her like that or if this was something new. It unsettled something inside her, what it was she didn't know and she didn't know if she wanted to find out.

She turned and placed a quick peck on Remus's lips before getting up from her place closest to the fireplace and made her way towards the stairs.

His gaze was on her the entire way and a thick heat spread like wildfire across her skin. Hermione took a deep breath and shook her head, no. It's nothing. It's all in your head.

When Hermione reached their dorm she heard soft sniffles. Oh Lily.

Hermione gently pads over to her bed and placed her books and other things on top of her trunk that was at the foot of her bed.

She then quietly proceeded over to Lily's, pulling back the curtain and climbing into the bed with her crimson haired friend. Lily stiffened at first when Hermione hugged her from behind, but as soon as she began making shushing noises Lily relaxed.

"I d-don't know why I'm crying. Why am I crying? It's just your st-st-stupid brother," Lily blubbered uncontrollably, her hands moving upwards to grasp desperately at Hermione's forearm that had wrapped around her shoulders.

"I know, sweetie. I know," Hermione murmured soothingly, hugging her friend tighter.

An image of grey eyes flashed through her mind, but they quickly melted into hazel green eyes flecked with amber and gold.

"I know."