"-but I'm sure I saw Carter slip something in that potion."

My mouth fell open in pure shock.

That git. That lying git.

"What the hell are you talking about? I've not been anywhere near here!" I called back defensively, my eyebrows furrowed.
"Except for now," Snape replied.
Glancing down, I realised that I was perfectly positioned by the cauldron. It was so good for Snape, I started laughing in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?" I let out in exasperation. I so did not need this after only a handful hours of sleep.
"Carter, quieten down! Did you put something in Black's cauldron?" Slughorn inquired, obviously having believed Snape because of my incident last week.
"No!" I gushed, completely innocent, "I wouldn't do that!"
"You did last week!" Snape hit back, thoroughly enjoying himself.
"I would not poison one of my best friend's potion!" I cried out, before realising what I had said.
I heard Sirius's spoon clatter onto the table.
"Sorry, clumsy," he grimaced at Slughorn and picked it back up again.
"Right!" Bellowed Slughorn. "The potion in question does not look by colour to be unsafe. This potion in particular can be used safely when all shades of red, so we can safely say that Black's here will not be harmful. However, Carter… detention seems to have taught you nothing."
I rolled my eyes and groaned – which probably wasn't the best thing to do when the teacher was already pretty pissed at me.
"So I'm going to take ten points from Gryffindor and-"
"What! No way!" I scoffed, not believing my luck. This was so unfair. I actually haven't done anything this time!
"And!" Slughorn raised his voice, "another ten if you keep speaking up. Collect your own spoon, please."
Angry and flustered, I wormed my way through the students, collected my spoon and returned to my spot. Through a clenched jaw, I glared at Snape with as much hate as I could muster. Those punches mustn't have been enough for him to get it through his thick skull that he needs to leave me alone.
"I want you to try his potion first," Slughorn ordered me.
"What?"
"I said, I want you to try the potion first. If you are as innocent as you say, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
"But I didn't-! Ugh, oh my god. Fine!" I gave up protesting, and dipped my spoon into the whirling mixture. Slughorn held the vial of remedy in his hand nearby, waiting.

I lifted the spoon, trying carefully under my angry tremble to not spill it everywhere. I popped the silver in my mouth and took it down in one. With the spoon still sticking out of my mouth, I glanced to my side and saw that Sirius had also dipped his own spoon in hastily and taken some down before anyone could stop him.
My eyes widened. It was this moment that made me sure that Snape had spiked the potion to get back at me. And now Sirius had taken it too.

A hand flew up out of instinct and I knocked the spoon out of the boys' mouth. But it was too late. He gave me a completely out of order wink. And that was the last thing I saw before a cramp in my stomach made me double over. I- I was crying? No! I was laughing so much that I was almost screaming, my hands grasping my stomach. My jaw started to ache and water was flooding out of my eyes. Beyond my own gasps of breath, I heard a familiar bark of a laugh joining in.

I waved one hand in Slughorn's general direction and felt the remedy being pressed into my palm. Without question, I took a swig of the flask and passed it back, using my free hand to wipe a tear away. My throat was now feeling slightly raw from laughing too much. Any moment now…

But the laughter did not ease.

"W-why-?" I managed to gasp out as I unwillingly grinned away, choking on my own laugh. Sirius was having the same trouble. James was patting him on the back, biting his lip from trying to stifle his own amusement.
"Oh dear, overdone it on the Boom Berries I think," I heard Slughorn announcing to the class as I clutched at my aching stomach and jaw. Sirius was now on the floor, sat with his head thrown back, gushing with hilarity. If I wasn't still infuriated at him, I'd think that he looked more handsome than ever. "Yes, that can sometimes happen. I'll have to go and fetch the stronger antidote. No one move, please. I'll be back from the store cupboard momentarily."

I heard a door opening through the echoes of my own head and then someone was standing in front of me like an overgrown bat.
Snape cocked his head to one side and leaned in to whisper, "Not only extra Boom Berries, but I also added a bit from my own personal collection. See if you can work it out."
"Get away from her," Lily chastised him, holding me by my doubled over shoulders. He slunk away at Lily's command and I had no choice but to continue my painful gasps.

Slughorn returned a moment later. He tipped my chin up and trickled a blue liquid into my open mouth before turning to Sirius and doing the same. After a moment, the cramps eased and I started to be able to control a few of my heavy breaths. Panting hard, I leaned on the table for support and let my head hang. When I was able to breathe normally again, I stood straight, brushing my hair out of my face and using my fingers to wipe away any excess tears.
I turned on Sirius without thinking it through.
"Why did you do that? You were supposed to wait for me!" I scolded with my arms held wide.
Sirius replied immediately, "I thought Snivellus had poisoned it at the last moment and I wanted to try and get there before you had chance to swallow it."

I was taken aback by the honesty and detail of the answer. I was expecting a shrug at most. Sirius seemed shocked too because he frowned and used a finger to wipe his bottom lip, peering at me curiously.
"Well," Slughorn clapped his hands together, "After that mishap, no harm done, but we have ran over time. So make sure to bottle your potions everyone, those who haven't tried a taste of theirs, we can return to them next week!"

Our classmates started to move at a shuffle around us, but Sirius and I remained still, locked with the others eyes. A bubbling feeling inside worried me, but it couldn't be from the potion because it was sitting on my chest, not my stomach. I felt like I needed to open my mouth and say something. But I was still so mad at him.

"I'm so angry at you for doing that," I blurted out without meaning to.
"For tasting the potion?" Sirius questioned, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Yes. It wasn't brave, it was stupid. Instead of one of us getting poisoned, it's probably got both of us in shit."
"You misunderstand. My intention was to save you from any poison."
"You think I need saving?" I placed a hand on my hip, irritation with him rising again.
Sirius stumbled for a moment as if he was really struggling to give an answer.
"No. But you should let people help you out more and stop lashing out when they do," he confessed. Then his eyes widened and he put his finger to his bottom lip again.

I wrinkled my nose and wanted to tell him that he was talking rubbish, I'm more than fine, but as the words formed in my mouth, they changed without me thinking about it.
"Well maybe I've spent so long trying to please you and fit in with the other brave Gryffindors that I've learnt to cover it up with humour and anger when I'm absolutely terrified."
I gasped at myself and felt the stinging of tears behind my eyes. I'd never meant to say that. I'd never tell anyone that. Oh no. And on top of everything, I almost at the point of crying.

My lip trembled. Snape's done something. He's poisoned us. I lifted my fingers to my shaking lips and pressed down firmly, as if that would stop the words coming. If he's given us something to make us brutally honest, I have no idea where this conversation is likely to go.
"I'm so scared right now, I don't know what's happening," I tell Sirius through my fingers. Sirius was watching me with an equally anxious expression, his fingers flexing with nerves.

As if he had been watching us all this time, Snape appeared next to us, leaning against the table with a rare expression of glee on his face.
"Veritaserum. Makes the drinker tell the truth. And there just might have been a tiny drop of it in that potion of yours, Black. I was meaning to just have Carter here drink it, but this is too perfect." He grinned like Christmas had come early, "Who knows what mysteries and secrets Black will uncover!"

Sirius's eyes shot over to Remus and he swayed on his feet. Snape followed his gaze and let out an awful laugh.
"Yes, Black. Every secret just waiting on the tip of your tongue. Enjoy!"
As Snape sauntered away, I almost asked what he meant- the words were on my lips, but then I realised that he'd have to tell the truth and stopped myself. I'd done enough to poor Remus today without his mate spilling all his secrets.
Lily returned to my shoulder and passed me my satchel.
"Did I hear that right? Has Snape given you Veritaserum?"
"Yes," Sirius and I said at the same time, before scowling at each other.
"Well I should be able to concoct an antidote, but it usually wears off after about an hour," she offered.
"A lot of damage can be done in one hour, Lily," Sirius growled out, glancing once again at Remus and James, who were placing their bottles of potion on the rack at the front. "I need a cure."
"We need a cure," I corrected in a harsh voice, "You probably think you're the only one with things they don't want people to know."
"What? No I don't. I just have bigger secrets than things like... like the face that I think you are an incredibly good kisser!" Sirius declared in a louder voice than he would have liked.

For the second time today, my mouth dropped open and I hid my face in embarrassment. Lily tugged my hands down and narrowed her sharp, green eyes at me.
"…What else haven't you told me, E?" She peered, her hands clapped over mine.
As I opened my mouth to tell her exactly what I hadn't told her, she realised what her mistake and slapped one of her hands over my mumbling lips.
"In fact, ignore that. Don't answer that."

"What's going on? You guys trying to be late for Care of Magical Creatures or what?" James called from the door.
"No," Sirius and I answered at the same time again. We, both flushed with red cheeks, glanced at each other in annoyance.

We left the classroom as Lily filled James, Remus and Peter in about Snape's trickery.
"…So we need to be really careful what we ask them about, okay?" She finished, twisting her mouth. "Meanwhile, I can skip Care and go and brew an antidote- don't look at me like that Potter, I have skipped a class before, you know! -But it'll take me about 15 minutes tops. So, please," she sighed, rolling her eyes, "Try not to screw up while I'm gone!"
"Lily, please don't leave me with them," I whimper as her red hair flies over her shoulder on her way down the potions corridor. She simply wiggled some fingers and disappeared.

"You don't usually have a problem hanging out with us, Erin," Sirius retorts as we climb the stairs to the Entrance Hall.
Before I can help myself, I find myself replying, "Well that was before you were a huge jerkass and lied to me. Now I can't trust you," I shunned him, following James out of the door and into the Hall.
"You trusted me enough to make out with me for the good part of an hour!" Sirius starts to get angry again and slams the door behind him.
"I thought you liked me!" I cried out, spinning to face him and walking backwards at the same time.
"Guys…" James made a half assed attempt to stop us, but I could see from the smirk on his face that he was really enjoying watching.
"I do like you! I've liked you for ages! I just didn't realise what that feeling was until last night!" Sirius screwed up his fists in anguish. I saw a few second years turn their heads in fright as they passed us.
"Well same here! For years! But you've gone and ruined that!" I snapped, stopping in the centre of the Entrance Hall to point a finger at his chest.
"I've ruined it? Ha! Erin, you aren't completely blameless! You told me to never speak to you again! What kind of message am I supposed to get from that? That you want to go out with me?" Sarcastically, Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Of course I want to go out with you! I'd kiss your stupidly perfect face right now if I wasn't so mad at you!"
"Well so would I, if you weren't flipping out so much!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing his arms out.
I stumbled as I tried to stop speaking. But I'd learnt by now that nothing could stay the words. "W-well I've told you. I only get really angry when I'm scared witless!"
His arms fell to his sides like a punctured balloon. We were inches apart now. I could almost feel the heat radiating off his chest. When he spoke next, it was a lot softer. "Why am I scaring you?"
"Because I care about you so much and I'm afraid that this mistrust is making me lose you. I've never liked someone so much before, I don't know what to expect."

Sirius's eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled genuinely.
"You can expect this," he told me in an assertive voice before clutching both hands to my jaw and pressing his mouth against mine.
Ignoring all of the protests in my head, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back forcefully.