Always Had A Thing for Twins

Time itself seemed to slow down as Black's left arm snaked around my shoulders.

His right hand rested against my jaw, practically scorching my skin.

A devilish smile tugged his lips upward as they descended on me, and I was frozen in shock at having any boy this close to me, let alone Black.

Glancing up, he caught my eye ever so briefly. And then his body closed the gap between us, and he kissed me.

That's how it would have looked to everyone else anyway.

His eyes closed as if he were truly in the moment, his head gently moving with every pretend stroke of our lips. The hand resting on my face only served to hide our parted mouths from view.

Even though we weren't touching, he was still close enough that I could smell the sweet scent of his warm breath pouring over my face, tinged with whatever he had been drinking.

I could hear the wolf whistles from James and Peter. Fainter than they should have been. The resounding sound in my head was my own thumping heartbeat.

I sat there dumb in his embrace, stunned into silence. Unable to do anything but wonder why on earth I wasn't stopping him.

This was the closest I had ever allowed a boy to be, and that was only because Sirius Black did not ask permission.

His vile little stunt had the desired effect, Anthony's face appeared to be in suspended animation while he stared gobsmacked at us.

Within seconds the door chime tinkled and the Hufflepuff was gone.

"Woah." For once even Marlene seemed lost for words. "Bit harsh you two."

Two? Like I'd had anything to do with this!

James looked from the door to Black, sucking a deep breath in and tugging at his waistband. "You've got balls, Padfoot, I'll give you that."

Pushing him away from me, I got out from the table and followed in Anthony's footsteps.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Lily get up to follow me, but Sally pulled her down.

"I'd give her some space," she muttered.

.o.

Standing just outside the freshly varnished door of The Three Broomsticks, I tried to collect myself.

The breeze caught the lengths of my hair, pulling them towards my face. I pushed them out of my eyes impatiently.

I was extremely pleased to find Anthony had vacated the immediate area.

A burst of laughter I recognised as Marlene's echoed from inside. Just like her to find this funny.

Not a minute after, the pub door swung suddenly open.

My feet ended up drawing an invisible triangle on the floor as I madly changed direction. Eventually I dived behind the nearest wall.

"What on earth?" A male voice murmured as I scurried away. "Are you hiding?"

Behind the wall my face was on fire.

"I can see your arm, Cheryl," the voice called.

Closing my eyes, I forced myself to walk casually out towards a completely baffled, vaguely amused Remus.

"I wasn't hiding," I tried to dismiss him by pointing at my wafting hair, "I was just trying to get out of the wind."

He held back an unconvinced smirk. "Fair enough."

I breathed a laugh despite myself.

"Fine, you caught me," I admitted reluctantly. "You know, you have this really annoying knack of always being witness to me embarrassing myself," I accused.

"So this isn't how you always act?" He asked doubtfully. His soft face betrayed his good humour.

"Ah, funny," I replied.

Marlene's trademark raucous laugh echoed through the closed pub door for the second time.

"Someone seems to be enjoying herself," I commented.

Remus put his hands in his trouser pockets, "I think that may have something to do with Sirius being smacked in the face by a pair of pink frilly knickers -"

I looked up at him, bemused.

"Just Lily putting him in his place," he explained.

A brief pause passed between us, the only sound the wind still breezing around our clothes and the passing conversations of witches and wizards.

"I have to face Anthony now." I shook my head and let out a silent breath. "You know when you replay a scene in your head, and imagine all the ways you could have handled it differently? With more dignity, or - or swear words. Anything to just get your point across better than you did."

Remus nodded grimly. "Actually, yes."

I looked up at him. "I don't understand how you can be friends with him. The way he treats people is disgusting. It's like - "

"- Like he feels he can do whatever he wants to whoever he wants without facing any consequences?" Remus finished.

I raised my eyebrows. "Exactly."

"He's not a bad person, Cheryl," he clarifed.

"Well, he has a funny way of showing that, Remus."

"I'll suggest he apologises."

I scoffed. "Good luck with that. He can stick his apologies where the sun doesn't shine. You can also tell him he's not as irresistable as he thinks he is."

"Why not tell me yourself?"

Both Remus and I jumped to find Black had exited the pub without either of us hearing.

He looked at me expectantly, daring me to say it to his face.

"Fine," I replied, the familiar adrenaline kick peaking my bravery.

"I know you like to think I fancy you. That's why I'm quiet around you, or why I get embarrassed having you near me," I said. "But the truth is I hate you. I'm quiet because I don't want to talk to you. I get embarrassed because it makes me physically cringe when you touch me."

While Remus looked visibly shocked by my sudden tirade, Black's face was nothing more than a blank canvas staring back at me.

He didn't seem to care. I knew I had to make him if it killed both of us.

"Right, just don't come near me anymore," I said. For the first time in my life I spoke the words directly into his uncomfortably penetrative eyes. "We don't like each other, so do us both a favour and stop with the fake public displays of affection. Stop invading my space. In fact, just don't come near me. At all. It just makes me feel sick."

Did it really make me feel sick, I asked myself, having him physically close?

No.

It made me feel nervous.

What I was sick of was him playing with my inexperience.

"Tell my friends I've gone back to the carriages?" I asked, turning my attention to Remus.

He nodded, struck dumb from my outburst.

Pushing my legs to their full extent I stalked away from them.

The sad truth was, I was actually minutely grateful to Black for getting rid of Anthony.

What wound me up the most was knowing full well he had not done it out of the kindness of his heart. He had done it to make both Javerhops and I feel equally uncomfortable. And it had worked.

I glanced behind me to find both he and Remus already gone. Probably back into the pub to have a good laugh about what a fool I had made of myself.

Finally the carriages with their invisible pulling force came into view. I would have to wait there until the teachers arrived.

.o.

The next few days passed in a blur of lessons, homework and meal times. Black had not so much as glanced in my direction the entire time, just as I had asked.

"Hey Sally!" I called, noticing her leaving McGonagall's classroom.

Both she and the person she'd been walking with turned around. I had not realised it was James.

"What did you say to Sirius the other day?" he asked me as I approached, his expression probing.

"Why?" I demanded, looking quickly from Sally to James. What had Black been saying?

James shrugged a little, "Remus told me you ripped into him, but Padfoot won't talk about it. Said 'he couldn't care less'. But he's acting weird. What exactly did you say to him?" he repeated.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief. "I can't remember now," I dismissed.

Sally shot me a funny look. I had not told her what had happened outside The Three Broomsticks after Black had pretended to kiss me, only Lily. And if Sirius wasn't talking either, then it looked like I wouldn't need to.

.o.

Two days on again and Black's complete refusal to acknowledge my existence was starting to get annoying.

I was all too aware that I had specifically told him not to come near me, but it just screamed of over-compensating.

"Fancy coming up to the boys room later?" he asked Marlene from our set up in the Common Room. His suggestive smile made it clear exactly what they would be doing up there. And it wasn't wizard's chess.

The boys had arrived after Marlene, Lily and I had already made ourselves comfortable, and again Black had completely ignored me the whole time they'd been sat with us.

"There's something I want to show you," he continued, the corner of his mouth lifting.

Lily looked at him, disgusted. "Can you not?"

Marlene giggled, something that sounded oddly coquettish in contrast to her usually brazen self.

Grabbing Black by the hand, she didn't need to be asked twice. In a second they had already reached the staircase and I heard her release a squeal as he growled and chased her up them.

"Really? In broad daylight?" I found myself blurting out.

James scoffed. "Not jealous, then?"

I tut'ted. "Piss off."

"I'll take that as a yes" he said with a smirk.

"I would like to think Cheryl has better taste than that, James," Lily said primly.

James held his hands up defensively, "Whatever you say." He had been avoiding all signs of conflict with Lily all week, and it had not gone unnoticed. The frequency of her calling him Potter had reduced significantly.

But he still couldn't seem resist leaning down and murmuring to me, "Don't worry, Cheryl, we know deep down you're his number one."

His smile was wide and full of mischief as I looked back up at him.

.o.

The next day I left Sally and Marlene at the common room after our last lesson and made my way across to the library. I had been falling behind on my studies and Sprout's words were ringing in my mind.

'Don't be the only one who cannot achieve a career after Hogwarts.'

Laying my quill and parchment out on a free table in the study area, I already felt incredibly organised and pleased with myself.

We had been assigned a book to read for Defense so the plan was to have a go at getting through that, underlining the parts that felt important enough to crop up in our NEWTS.

'Your Wand: Shield, Sword and Serenity.' I read the title. It sounded pretentious enough to be important.

I had just got settled with it when a something of a furore erupted on the other side of the library.

Usually anything above an intake of breath had the librarian Madam Pince bearing down on you like a sack of particularly weighty bricks.

Craning my neck, I imitated the other students at the tables next to me. It seemed no one was bothering to even pretend to study anymore.

"Blaaaack!" Pince's screech was eardrum piercing.

I watched Sirius's dark head of hair make its way calmly over to the irate librarian.

"Yes?" he asked as though she had enquired of the time. He put his hands into his trouser pockets, his shirt hanging carelessly out.

Pince seemed fit to spontaneously combust.

"Did I just see you violating a book?" she shrieked.

Black straightened and frowned slightly. "Violating seems like such a dirty word. I prefer the term 'amending'."

At this, steam seemed to gush from the librarian's ears.

"HOW DARE YOU?" The words tore from her mouth, the decibel frightening.

"I OUGHT TO HAVE YOU EXPELLED! NO, I OUGHT TO HAVE YOU ARRESTED! SCRIBBLING ON SCHOOL PROPERTY! ASSAULT! ASSAULT I SAY!

"YOU AND YOUR BROTHER ARE AS BAD AS ONE ANOTHER!"

"I can assure you that's our only similarity," Black interjected calmly.

"DON'T YOU OWN LITERATURE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD?" she continued as if uninterrupted. "ONE HUNDRED POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR AND DETENTION FOR ONE MONTH!"

His unfazed gaze trailed behind her, one dark eyebrow quirking upwards. "Do you know, I must confess I've always had a thing for twins," he commented.

"TWINS?" Pince bellowed, before realising what he had actually said. "Twins?" she frowned, looking more confused than angry now. "What on earth are you talking ab-?"

She followed Black's eye line to just behind her, and a stunned silence followed.

Everyone in the library gasped in unison as a stringy looking figure emerged from behind a bookshelf. By this point the strict no chatting rule had been long since forgotten.

Pince did an exaggerated double take, her mouth open wide enough to catch flies.

There, stepping out behind her, was a figure that looked exactly like her in every way. Right down to the protruding vein at her temple.

It came to a stop in front of her and Pince raised a tentative arm.

Without missing a beat, the mirror image copied her in unison.

The librarian lowered it back to her side in a flash with the same result.

"What kind of trick is this?" she stuttered, for once apparently lost for words.

"What kind of trick is this?" the copy repeated in the exact same shrill tone.

She turned to glower at Black and his face straightened instantly.

"This has something to do with you, doesn't it?" she accused.

Black looked back at her innocently.

"Detention!" she thrilled anyway.

"No detention!" the other Pince contradicted from behind her.

"How dare you?" they chorused together.

I almost laughed out loud.

The original Pince stamped her moderately heeled foot.

"I said detention!" she called angrily.

The copy responded with equal force, stamping yet another heeled shoe on the parquet floor. "I said no detention!" it insisted.

Black stepped forward, "Erm, if I may-" he said, holding up a finger.

Both Pinces' turned to glare at him.

"You seem to be having some 'issues', shall we say?" he said, using air quotes. "Tell you what, why don't I come back later? Maybe then you'll have worked out between yourselves who the real librarian is."

"I am!" They both shrieked as he started to back out of the room. As soon as their attention was distracted he jogged to the doorway.

Acting on autopilot, I packed away my books and rose from my seat. I would just have to go and study in the dormitory. I was getting nowhere with all that going on.

Opening the library door a crack, I was met by Black resting against the other side of it, a lazy grin on his face as he tried to peer through at the scene continuing to unfold.

It immediately fell when he saw me, and rather than acknowledge me, he stepped back to let me pass.

He still would not look at me.

Well fine by me.

I went to walk away up the corridor, but my way was blocked when one of the Pince's came bursting through the door in front of me, looking absolutely furious.

"Students!" she muttered furiously, not seeming to register we were there. "Messing around with Polyjuice. Wait until Dumbledore hears about this. Expulsion is what they deserve!"

"Polyjuice?" I repeated to myself.

Without warning she stopped in her tracks, her hawk-like eyes meeting with mine.

"You," she said. It was like an accusation.

To my absolute shock and horror, she rounded on me.

"I've seen you before," she realised, "with the other Black boy. One of my books was defaced then as well."

Understanding dawned on her face.

"An accomplice!" she stated as if she had cracked the code.

I just stared at her, lost for words.

"Don't act so innocent," she snapped shrilly, "I'll be sure to tell the Headmaster of your involvement, mark my words."

With that stormed away as if on a mission.

When I looked over at Black I saw that he was as surprised as I was. His surprise quickly turned into a smirk, however.

"Bad luck, Morland," he said. "Looks like you've got a price on your head now."

"Yeah, thanks to you," I replied.

The library doors burst open a second time. Except this time the librarian that exited looked a lot less put together than the first. A nasty singe mark covered the front of her vomit green cardigan and mad wisps of hair had come loose from her bun. She carried her heels in her hand as she ran.

"I don't know how they walk in these things!" she cried, pelting towards us. Her voice seemed a lot deeper than it had been back in the library. It kind of sounded like-

"James!" Black hissed, "Hey James, over here."

Madam Potter peered over at me on the way past.

"What's Morland doing here?" he asked, his polyjuiced mask of the librarian's face fading before my eyes. It was now wearing his recognisable black rimmed spectacles.

"Wrong place, wrong time," Black said carelessly. "We have to get out of here, Prongs. Pince is going to Dumbledore."

As if on cue, the sound of her familiar sensibly heeled feet clicking on the hardwood flooring started up in the distance. The real Madam Pince was coming back, and I was willing to bet my last two galleons that she would be accompanied by Dumbledore. Or worse, McGonagall.

Pince's slightly nasally voice started to drift towards us. It was clear she was still really angry, and she was telling whoever she was with all about it.

"Leg it," James stated.

Both boys began to run in the opposite direction.

"You coming or not?" Black said as they jogged past me.

I had no choice really, did I? I started to run.

.o.

"Moulting Momeraths," James shouted at the Fat Lady as we turned the corridor, jogging towards her.

She pretended to wake up and yawned loudly. "What's that you say?"

"He said the password, you old bag," Black hissed, "Now open up before I get a barrel of paint stripper!"

I widened my eyes at his abuse, but it strangely seemed to do the trick.

"How rude," the Fat Lady replied pompously, her door opening nonetheless.

The sight of James Potter in lipstick and a chequered skirt legging it across the common room attracted a round of cheers and applause from the students dotted around, and he paused to take a bow to his ready audience.

When he had quite finished, he turned back to us and grinned lopsidedly. "Gonna go get changed I think, don't want Pete trying to hit on me again."

And then shot up the boys staircase.

Black walked over to a quieter part of the common room away from the gawps of the expectant Gryffindors.

"What exactly did you do to the book in the first place anyway?" I asked, noticing it still gripped in his hand as I tried to catch my breath.

He looked down at it as though he hadn't realised it was still there and handed me the ancient looking Potions book.

Sure enough, there, on the first blank page, was an extremely crude drawing.

A stick figure labelled 'Snivellus' moved across the paper holding a conical flask at hip level. The jerking movement of the image only served to make it even more lewd.

Underneath there was a scrawled annotation:

'Only Snivelly loves Potions this much.'

I frowned and handed it back to him, and he tossed it on a nearby table, the image still playing out on the open page.

"Reckon she'll find out it was Potter?" I asked him.

Black looked at me. "Careful, Morland," he warned, "All this talking to me can't be good for your gag reflex."

I rolled my eyes. He was still cut up about what I'd said outside of The Three Broomsticks.

"I'm sure you've said a lot worse to me over the years," I replied tiredly. "The only time you ever talk to me is when you're pretending to flirt. Forgive me if the fake touching got boring."

"So you'd prefer the flirting and touching were for real then?" he asked, turning it back on me in a way only Black could.

Even now it was hard to tell what was a joke and what was real. His expression was odd, as if he was genuinely asking me that.

I looked away from him. No matter what I said, he would find a way to twist it.

He breathed a humourless laugh to himself.

"Did you know I used to like you in second year?" he spoke as if he didn't really believe it himself.

He glanced at the disbelief in my expression. "Cross my heart and hope to die," he gestured. "Before you became 'the Beaver'."

"Before you started calling me Beaver," I corrected.

"We were kids," he said defensively. "You humiliated me."

"Humiliated you?" I replied in disbelief. "I was too shy to even look at you. You're the one that did all the humiliating."

"I'd told my friends all about this pretty girl in my Charms class," he said, "then you came back in third year looking like a completely different person."

I had never been able to work out exactly why he had suddenly started to torment me like he had, and now I found out it was all because I'd dared to go through puberty? Something I had absolutely no control over.

It really was like a sick joke.

"Let me get this straight," I tried to keep my voice calm, but I could feel my fuse shortening. "You're saying it was my own fault that you picked on me, because you were embarrassed to have fancied me?"

He shook his head impatiently. "I'm telling you how I saw it at the time."

"I actually can't believe it," I murmured. "Give me a break."

"Give me a break!" he replied. "We could've started again on the train ride here, but you had to act like you had a stick thrust up your backside."

"Because I thought you were going to act like you always had before! Why would you have changed the habit of a lifetime just because one stupid year had passed?" I demanded.

"I didn't even recognise you for Merlin's sake," he cried. "And I would have thought the fact I was smiling would've been a slight giveaway that I wasn't going to try anything."

I paused for a second, frowning. "If you didn't recognise me, why were you smiling at me on the train ride here?"

He looked caught off guard by that one.

"Guess we'll never find out now will we?" he said.

"Everything alright?" Peter asked cautiously, choosing that precise moment to scurry over. "You're getting kind of loud over here."

"Brilliant timing, Pete," Black muttered.

The small boy flushed. "Remus told me to, I mean I just came to, I just wanted to see if everything was okay," he finished weakly.

"Don't worry about it," Black said, "We're done here."

He glanced back at me. "See you around, Cheryl."

My pulse skipped at the sound of my name on his lips. It had to be one of, if not the only time he had ever used it in front of me.

And now thanks to him I was officially on Madam Pince's most wanted list.