Wow it's been an age. Let me try and revive this story from the grave.
Chapter 33
"I swear when I get my hands on that git Lockhart I'll-"
"Sirius he's graduated, unless you plan on chasing him around the plains of Africa and beyond then just let it go." I ignored Sirius' pout. Damn Lilly for telling him about our little encounter in Diagon Alley.
"You don't actually believe he's done all those deeds he talks about do you?" He asked with raised eyebrows.
"Alright you two lovebirds, come inside already! Don't go gallivanting around the place flaunting your relationship just because you can!" James called from inside my house.
"Can you get out of my house you git, I didn't invite you." I flatly answered.
"Pfft when's that stopped me before" he hollered back.
Sirius and I had just been stretching out legs on the grass of my backyard for about ten minutes before James had surely come calling. Both of us didn't want to just run off alone all the time now that we're together, leaving the others behind, but it was so hard to even get a minute to spare to really spend with each other. I tried not to be too resentful that even though this is the first summer I was spending with my boyfriend and he lived right next door, we still haven't had a single day to ourselves.
I decided to ignore James just a little while more. I leaned over and put my head on Sirius' shoulder and whispered, "summer break is almost over and I feel like I've hardly got you to myself at all."
He leant his head atop mine and chuckled.
"That eager to have your way with me are you?" He questioned. I shoved him playfully and laughed.
"But not to worry" he added. "There's plenty of broom closets at Hogwarts, not to mention secret passages and hidden rooms I've yet to show you. You're a lucky girl."
"Sirius" I deadpanned "we're going into seventh year. This is it, the final year! We don't have time to be messing around."
"Messing around? I was thinking of civilised conversation and study sessions, geez I know you like me Bells but your attraction can be overwhelming at times" he dramatically sighed.
I shoved him slightly harder and he burst out laughing, sprawled across the grass.
I huffed and turned away, pretending to be annoyed, to which he immediately sat up and leant close to my face.
"If you say please I'll give you a snog."
"You're sick" I said even as I stared at his lips and leant slightly closer forward.
"DON'T YOU DARE START SNOGGING YOU TWO, I WILL CALL YOUR PARENTS BELLA. WHAT HAVE YOU BECOME! ARE YOU NOW ASHAMED?!"
Sirius and I both snapped out of our haze and sighed. I got up first to go inside and placate a petulant and obviously bored James, Sirius trudging behind.
"Now that you're not eating each other's faces off, will you owl Lilly and-"
"No James."
The rest of the holidays sped past in similar fashion. Lily visited (usually with Mary and Marlene) more often than she had any previous summer and surprisingly didn't seem to want to hack of James' head every time he flirted obnoxiously with her.
Sirius and I tried to go on dates to get away from the bustling nosiness we were faced with at home, however we were always eventually interrupted by James (usually with the other marauders) who insisted that they had happened to turn up at the same spot by pure coincidence. I didn't know if it was out of protectiveness or a simple feeling of exclusion, perhaps both? But I found I didn't mind staying in with our families all that much.
All too soon, it was time to go shopping for seventh year school supplies, then before we knew it we were aboard that Hogwarts Express waving to our tearful parents, with reminiscent longing of the summer past and a bubbling excitement of the year ahead.
Once the train had picked up sufficient speed and left the platform, I parted ways with Sirius and James and entered a compartment with Lily, Mary and Marlene.
After sharing the usual holiday gossip over treats from the trolley (as if we hadn't visited each other sufficiently over the break), I decided to get changed into my robes early, before the rush of students occurred, bustling in and out of the bathrooms.
As I neared the bathrooms, I saw that a few other students had the same idea, including Remus and Peter. We made polite conversation about our respective summers while we waited for the toilets to free up. A sudden bump on my shoulder made me knock my school robes out of my hands onto the floor. Looking up I saw a very panicky Regulus Black, sweating as if he had run a marathon.
"Watch it" he seethed, moving to leave immediately.
Remus caught his arm, "I think you should apologise" he asserted, Pete nodded furiously and others around had begun whispering.
Not wanting to draw too much attention I muttered "it's okay, forget it" to Remus. Regulus sneered at him and shoved the hand off his arm before rushing off.
"Are you alright Bella?" Remus asked, picking up my fallen robes.
"Yeah fine, that was nothing" I laughed, brushing it off as the onlookers grew uninterested by the exchange and returned to their conversations.
But I couldn't get a nagging feeling off my chest. Why did he look so scared? He looked so pale, as if he'd seen a ghost or something…
As I got changed, thoughts of the upcoming year took over the ones about Regulus hovering around in my head, and by the time I made my way through the aisle heading for my compartment, I had forgotten about our little encounter.
Until I spotted him in an empty compartment through a gap in the hastily drawn curtain. He had his head in his hands and seemed to be breathing heavily. Hesitating by the door, I finally decided to leave him and head back, but then he raised his head and his eyes met mine. The tears in his eyes startled me. With a glare, he turned away, staring outside the window. Though I knew coming in was probably the last thing he wanted me to do, I couldn't help myself. All I had heard about Regulus came from Sirius, and all he ever had to say about his brother was that he was a brat who sucked up to his evil parents. Not caring much to decipher the truth, I never payed heed to him, however seeing him hiccoughing quiet sobs by himself sparked a curiosity which I simply had to act on.
Tentatively opening the door, I stepped behind the curtain, revealing myself.
"Go away."
Well, exactly what I was expecting I suppose.
"Um. Did something happen in the bathrooms?"
Silence.
"…Are you okay?"
He whipped his head around and glared straight into my eyes.
"Why do you care? So you can tell on me to my stupid oaf of a brother in between a snog in a broom closet?"
"Why does everyone assume I'm going to end up in a broom closet?" I frowned.
"Have you even met my brother?"
"There are other places! Much more sanitary ones at that." I said defiantly.
He looked at me like I'd grown two heads.
"What do you even see in him anyway?" He sneered slightly, as if thinking of something that disgusted him.
"He's got a pretty decent inheritance I hear."
Again he turned to me, shocked. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged, successfully supressing a twitch on my lips.
"He won't be getting a penny from my parents you know."
"Hmm that is a problem, not even an expensive piece of furniture?"
"Not even a splinter."
"Rats."
He looked at me again, this time unable to supress a laugh. Soon I was laughing along with him, before he abruptly coughed and sat up.
"Look, I know this seems pretty unbelievable, but I'm not going to tell Sirius anything. I was just worried." I offered a slight smile.
He looked puzzled for a moment before turning to the window again.
"Even if I believed it I still wouldn't tell you."
"Fair enough" I replied good-naturedly. "Hey what's your favourite sweet?"
"What?"
I just stared at him expectantly.
"…Pumpkin pasties."
"Same!"
"…Great."
I stood and exited the compartment, strode over to the trolley which was making its second round through the train, and bought two pumpkin pasties. Quickly returning to Regulus's compartment, I tossed him one of the treats, laughing at his surprised face while he almost dropped the dessert.
"…Are you trying to bribe me with this?"
"Oh just enjoy it will you" I smiled again and shut the door on my way out, not glancing back to see the confused expression on his face shift to a tiny smile as he stared down at the sweet in his hand.
Munching on my own pasty, I made my way leisurely down to my compartment.
"DID YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?"
I jumped and nearly dropped the dessert out of my mouth as I stared at a fuming Lily.
"No. What is 'it' again? Must have not heard it seeing as, you know, I wasn't here." I joked.
Quickly realising she was in no mood to jest, I sat down, leaving the door ajar.
"Potter! He's head boy!" She raved.
"Oh… oh yeah." I replied, not seeing what the big deal was.
"Oh yeah?" She repeated incredulously. "You knew?"
"I was bloody shocked, even his parents were. Sirius said Dumbledore must have been downing a few butter beers before he made that decision." I snickered as Mary and Marlene laughed.
"And you didn't think to tell me? Not even when we had celebratory ice cream after I told you I was head girl? I specifically remember us theorising who head boy would be, how did it slip your mind?" She seemed to be growing red as her hair.
"He wanted to surprise you or something" I said casually as I finished my treat.
"So..so you just listened to him?"
I just stared back, growing more confused at her outburst.
"Lils is it that bad? I thought you were starting to get along towards the end of last year" Marlene chimed in, with Mary offering a sound of affirmation.
"Getting along? I..What..That's just.." Lily sputtered. "He's going to lead Hogwarts into disaster! He's dumb as a doornail!"
"Now Lily Flower, that's just a low blow. I have great plans for the future of Hogwarts. Short term visions include breakfast food available during lunch and dinner, and long term visions too – mainly the abolishment of Slytherin house" the smug voice of James Potter came floating through the compartment, instantly turning Lily's face a few shades darker.
"You..What..?" Lily began sputtering again, looking like she didn't know where to begin. Mary Marlene and I weren't even trying to hold in our fits of laughter anymore.
"But hey, I can't imagine a better head girl! Its common knowledge you're the brightest witch at the school. Maybe aside from McGonagall." He winked and exited.
Lily looked dumbfounded.
I chuckled and decided to exit again before she blew up. Deciding another pumpkin pasty couldn't hurt, I hopped up, hoping the trolley was still being rolled around somewhere on the train.
I shut the door and turned, then jumped when I was met face to face with a grinning Sirius.
"This what you were looking for?" He held out a pumpkin pasty, waving it in front of my face.
I beamed, "I knew there was a reason I agreed to date you."
"Aw, I'm hurt love. Is getting you food all I'm good for to you?" He feigned a pained expression, clutching at his chest.
"Mm depends, you willing to buy me clothes too?" I nudged him playfully.
He grabbed my hips and yanked me closer to him, resting his hands there. Once again I nearly dropped my pasty for the second time on this train trip. I quickly glanced around us, satisfied that all the curtains to the compartments were drawn and no one was out and about, I turned back to him and rested my hands on his chest, suddenly wishing for the first time in my life that I wasn't holding my favourite dessert in my hand.
"Yes, but only for a price" he replied smugly.
I raised my eyebrows at him, challengingly.
He leaned in to whisper in my ear, "a snog in a broom closet per item."
"I am not going in a broom closet with you!"