Transfiguration Classroom.

"Let's get this done with then."

Black entered the classroom in a Wave Of Impatience, seating himself down heavily in the seat next to me, and generally looking like he would rather be Any Place Else Than Where He Now Was.

In this spirit of Being All Business I asked him, "Have you brought your test with you? I'd like to go over it. Make sure we're on the same page with what you're studying."

Black stared at me grumpily for a moment, then bent down to retrieve the papers out of the pack he carried in with him. "Here." He handed a couple sheaves over.

"Thank you," I said.

Black grunted. "S'okay."

"Aren't you happy with the grade you got?" I said curiously, skimming over Black's answers. "It's a really big improvement. From what I've heard, usually you don't even finish these exams."

"It's still only an Acceptable. From all that I've heard of you, looks like you're not doing your job to the best of your abilities, miss. Shouldn't I have at least gotten an Exceeds?"

"That's up to you, Black. I can only do so much." At his cross look, I explained, "I want you to do better, don't get me wrong! But it's not like I can take your tests for you. In the end, how well you do is purely up to you."

"I don't like that."

"Well, you'll have to be getting used to it," I replied. "Because you're of age. And next year, you'll be wanting a job. Depending on how well you do on your NEWT's in June, you'll have all sorts of opportunities for advancement in whichever career you decide—."

"Now you're sounding like McGonagall!" said Black, sounding, if it were possible, even more like a stubborn child. "Could you give it a rest, please? I don't need another mum!" After that, Black immediately said something—most likely derogatory, as we know him too well!— under his breath.

I stared at Black calmly. "I wasn't trying to be your mum," I said. "I am just trying to do my job, and help you get better marks."

"What hold does McGoogle have over you?" Black asked. "It struck me as odd in the beginning, but now I know for sure: McGonagall would never make you tutor me to get a recommendation and you don't need extra points in class! I asked Evans, turns out you're ahead by a large margin!"

"Because I receive extra points," I said.

"But that can't be all of it!" said Black. "You were ahead at the beginning of the year."

"It's September. It still is the beginning of the year."

"You know what I mean!" cried Black, setting his quill down roughly and leaning closer.

"Obviously, I don't."

"Is McGoogle blackmailing you? Is that it? That's it, isn't it?"

Beginning to get uncomfortable with his questioning, I said, "McGonagall is a professor, Black! Why would she blackmail me?"

Black crowed with what I think was delight. "She is blackmailing you! I knew it! I see it in your eyes!"

I blushed. "No, she is not! Howyou could see that—."

"What is it? What does she have on you?"

"She has nothing on me! Absolutely nothing! We are talking nonsense. Now, tell me," I pointed to a particularly confusing paragraph Black had written. "Can you please tell me why you think it is possible witches were allowed to participate in the political process before the 1300's? Muggle Influence, aside, Black, that still doesn't explain away the fact that prior to 1269, clearly, witches were not allowed to participate in The Council."

"What?" Black said, sounding dazed.

I repeated myself: "Can you please tell me—?"

"No. No, no, no." Black waved his hand. "I got all that! I just have no idea why you're trying to weasel your way out of answering a simple question, Raisin."

I paused. "…I believe the same can be said of you," I said. "Why can't you answer my simple question? Is it because you simply, do not know the answer?"

"Is it because you simply do not know the answer?"

"I know the answer. I am just not going to tell you, as it's none of your business."

Black crossed his arms. "Well, same!"

"Uh, not the same, Black. Not the same at all. I am your tutor. I need to know what's holding you back."

"And I'm your pupil. I need to know why you don't trust me enough to tell me who is forcing you to teach me. Smacks of conceit, it does!"

"Black," I said, Very, Very Steadily. I thought of how softly the water from a small waterfall in a glen at home trickled over a rock at the edge of our pond, and let that image soothe me. "Can we please get back to your essay?"

"I don't want to."

I nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. You are ever wanting to do things which other people cannot."

Greedily, Black latched onto my last words. "You cannot? Why can't you?"

"Because, I can't, Black! Now let's get back to this essay—."

"Not before you tell me why!" Black demanded.

Have since changed my mind from earlier this afternoon.

I have discovered in the past ten minutes that I Can Wait for My Tutoring Session with Black. I can wait my entire life, if I have to. Black is at his most annoying right now. I do not think I have seen him more obstinate. And I do not think I have ever felt more worn out in my life just by one single boy. It feels like I am sitting my little brother.

"Well? Well, well, well?" Black said. "What do you have to say?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. We're meant to be studying," I reminded him. "Where is all this stubborness coming from anyway?" I had not forgotten for a moment that Camilla and I had One-Upped Black During Lunch. "Yesterday, you were much better."

Black shrugged. "I felt like livening things up a bit tonight."

"What? No snog for that then?"

"Do you want to snog? Raisin, I had no idea!"

"No!"

"Then why—?"

"I was just playing off of what you said earlier!" I replied, a little panick-y. Black was getting A Certain Glint In His Eye that Did Not Bode Well for me at all. "Of course I don't want a snog! Especially from you!"

Black looked me over. "You look like you could use a good snog, Raisin."

"You understand why I wasn't asking you then. Good."

Ravenclaw 6th year Girls' Dorm Room.

"Could you repeat the question?" I said.

I don't think any one of MFRG liked my request very much. As soon as I had come in from The Tutoring Session with Black (henceforth referred to as: The Tutoring Session From Hell), The Girls had swarmed me, demanding to know what had taken place. Even though I very much wanted a rant, I was almost too tired to fill them in on everything, and so, had taken to ignoring their plaintive wails for the last minute.

An example of My Tiredness: Right now, I feel like What Is The Point? To Everything. The Roughest Day So Far Of The School Year and Sirius Black had the Audacity to be an Even Bigger Shitehead than he was last year, and the year before last combined?

Completely Outrageous.

I don't know if I can take any more. I really don't.

Reminiscent of Black's Shitehead-ness this evening was the Shitehead-ness I got all of Second and Third Year from him. The very fact that Black expunged this behavior from his memory is a choice example of his evil-ness and the evil-ness all mankind is capable of.

"What did he say to you?" Camilla asked sympathetically. "Was he a git?"

"The biggest," I sighed. "The Biggest Git Ever."

"I don't think he was The Biggest Git Ever," Lucille said in a correcting tone. "A git, for sure, from what I've seen of him. But The Biggest Git Ever? Perhaps you're over-exaggerating?"

"Have you even been listening to me all week?" I asked Lucille in amazement. "He's been buttering me up for a let-down! And just this once, when I decided to send a little confusion back his way he decides that he must up the stakes and torment me even more! He's horrible!"

Tamara threw her arms around me in an effort to comfort. "Oh, Evie!"

I patted her back. "There, there, Tamara. Not all is lost. Maybe I am over-exaggerating?"

"See!" Lucille said. "You just needed a little Distance."

"Ha!" I snorted, Called Back To Reality. "Ten thousand kilometers could not be enough distance between Black and I right now. I have a mind to wake up Headmaster Dumbledore so he can solve this!"

Lucille looked at me pityingly. "Do you really think he cares?" she asked.

"It's certainly worth a shot." I attempted to disengage myself from Tamara P. Poor girl was hanging off me like a Limpet. "…Tammy," I complained.

"No!" Camilla said loudly, causing everyone in the room to stare at her. I spared a glance to see if Camilla had disturbed Mara's sleep, but unluckily enough, she hadn't. Perhaps Mara Dice had Followed routine again, and affected a Silencing Charm around her bed curtains. Oh well. "You can't go see the Headmaster!" continued Camilla, ending our confusion. "He's probably asleep this very moment. It would be unforgivably rude!"

"Why is he our Headmaster if only for the reason that he's There For His Students? I'm going."

"No!" said Camilla again. "You really shouldn't!"

"Camilla, I'm a Prefect. He'll be happy to see me."

She shook her head. "That doesn't give you Impunity to walk around The Halls at all hours!"

I lifted an eyebrow. "So says the girl who was found in a storage closet with her pants down not one week ago?" Camilla blushed.

Lucille stepped over to draw Tamara away from me. "After thinking on it," Lucille said. I groaned silently. "I think Camilla is right. It is way too late to disturb anybody about this. Give it til' tomorrow, Evie. If you still want to talk to The Headmaster then…"

"I don't want to!" I said, quite stubbornly, unconsciously imitating Sirius Black. "I want to go right now."

"Aren't you tired?" asked Lucille silkily. "Don't you want a rest?"

"Well, yes, but—."

"Then hold off on This Grand Expedition until tomorrow. Possibly never. I told you I would talk to Remus about Black's behavior. Who knows? Maybe Black's getting a tongue-lashing right now."

"I don't know," I said. "Your boyfriend looked awfully tired today as well." That Truth made me think of something even more horrible than disgusting Sirius Black. Turning to Camilla, I asked, "You don't think Lupin's given her anything do you? I didn't think he was the Promiscuous type, but maybe—."

"Stop right there!" Lucille commanded with a hand pushed flat into my face. "I won't hear another word!"

"Well, I wasn't talking to you!" I countered, trying to duck around. "You don't have to listen!"

"Girls!" Camilla said. She glanced at The Muggle Alarming Clock Tamara had given her for her birthday the year before last. "It's getting a bit too late for the fighting you two want to do tonight! I suggest to you, Evelyn, that you and I turn in, and I suggest to you, Lucy and Tamara, that you both start walking to The Astronomy Tower. It being ten past twelve, I think—."

"Oh, Jesus!" Lucille commenced running around The Room like A Loon, searching for her bag—which she of course left resting next to her bedside table. "Tammy, we're very, very late!"

"It's only ten minutes," I said, trying to calm everyone down—Tammy especially (who looked About To Cry). "That's not very late. Your Professor will understand."

"Says you, who is always late now," replied Lucy.

"That's different," I said. "That's not my fault."

Outside The Ravenclaw Common Room.

Early the next morning, Black met me outside my Common Room. Being late to Breakfast once again of course had more than a few downsides, one of them being that I was alone. "Is this becoming habit?" I asked. At Black's smile, I hesitantly started walking down The Hall, knowing he would follow. "I'm, uh, sorry about last night," I offered after a moment. "I just became frustrated."

"Why are you apologizing?" Black said. "It was my clearly fault."

"Well, I thought I would give you an opening." Black laughed. "And, well, truth be known, I might have overreacted a bit. I didn't have to call you Useless. You're not Useless."

"So you remember that!" Black said. "I thought for a bit last night that you hadn't been listening."

"To you, maybe," I responded without thinking.

"Ho!"

"Sorry." I blushed. "I haven't had the best night's sleep." In the Future, I won't make Conversation until I've had at least two cups of tea.

(Edit: So Noted)

"Neither have I," said Black. "Shall we call a Truce then?"

I carefully looked him over. "You…want to call a Truce?" Whatever for? I certainly had gotten used to having Black as an Enemy. Surely a Proposal As Important As This had to be cleverly thought over.

"Yes," Black said. "I think that'd be the best way to get along."

"Truces often are," I said.

Black stopped walking. Due to Social Niceties, I was forced to stop as well. "Well, then? Shall we shake on it?" Black put words to action by holding out a slender—and manicured, which is quite poofy—hand. I stared.

"Well," I said, not knowing what else to say. I knew if I hesitated much longer, Black would become offended and possibly try to strangle me so quick action was in my best interests. "Well!"

Black grinned. "Go on! I'm not so bad, Raisin. I promise I'll be a better student for you."

Settling on the only explanation that was feasible, I said, "Did Lupin have a talk with you about your behavior last night?"

Black shrugged. "Maybe. But why can't this all be just on me? I am mature enough to realize when I have wronged a person. I can make amends."

"Are you mature?" I asked. "How extraordinary."

Black, apparently becoming impatient with my reluctance to touch Any Part Of His Body, reached across the Great Divide nd placed my hand against his. "Shake it!" he said easily. "It's alright."

My whole body went numb. "Is it?"

"Yes," said Black. "Do I have to do it for you?"

"You might."

"Well then."

Black tightened his hold on my hand, and then proceeded to Pull Me Into A Hug.

"Oh, dear!" I said. This again? "We hadn't settled on this!"

"Raisin!" Black admonished me. "Surprise is the Spice Of Life!"

"Variety. Variety is the Spice Of Life."

"That too!"