Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

A/N: I'm feeling the need to get back to Hogwarts.

Three days had passed since Treasure's illicit love affair truly took flight, and she found herself back in England on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, standing alone and looking for her fire-haired best friend. Her trunk was leaning casually against a pillar - on that thankfully didn't allow things to simply melt right through it - and her dove, Snow, was looking perturbed as a Ministry official swept his wand over her cage. Treasure shared the dove's feeling of incredulity - security had never been tightened before, after all the majority of people in the platform were students headed to Hogwarts and if not, then the rest were parents happy to see their children off to school.

"Lily!" Treasure shouted, causing the official to cast a dubious look in her direction. Treasure shrugged and, figuring her trunk was safe among the lingering Ministry security, ran to hug her friend.

"Hey, Tres. How are you?" Lily asked happily as Treasure helped her lug her trunk next to Treasure's own; the Ministry wizard swooped down on it eagerly.

"I'm great. I missed you, Lils," Treasure said, linking arms with her friend, who didn't seem the least bit surprised that there was a wizard poking through her trunk.

"I'm sure you did," Lily said smugly. "I'll be you miss Liam more…"

"Shh!" Treasure snapped, looking around automatically for Sirius. Treasure, while feeling a bit guilty for her tryst with Liam, hadn't felt guilty enough to deny herself his company in the remaining three days of summer vacation. She didn't want Sirius to know that, however, and was motioning frantically for Lily to shut up.

"What's with all the security?" Treasure asked, more by means of changing the subject that out of actual interest. The official cast a dark look in her direction, and Treasure shrugged uncomfortably again. Lily sighed.

"There's been a bit of bad luck around here, Treasure. A bit of a crazy summer, actually. People've been getting a bit rowdy - pulling tricks on Muggles, becoming very free with their magic. Summer's always a bit hectic, but its been different recently…" Lily trailed off, her fine brows furrowed with worry.

"Different how?" Treasure asked, wondering just how much she'd missed by spending her summer with the Templetons'.

"The Prophet glosses over it - you know how the wizarding community doesn't think much about Muggle-baiting, a lot of people think its just a joke. But it's gotten meaner, Tres. I don't know how to explain it, but it just feels different around here now. For a while I was worried about my family, you know," Lily lowered her voice and crossed her arms over her chest. "But hopefully since summer's ending things will quiet down."

"Don't worry, Lils, I'm sure it will," Treasure said cheerily, but giving her friend a reassuring hug all the same. Lily grinned and both girls felt better as the Ministry inspector moved away.

"Belle! Hey, Belle!" came a new voice. Treasure spun around and her eyes narrowed as they landed on Violet. Lily groaned under her breath.

"The school year hasn't even started yet, Tres, try not to get into trouble…" she warned. Treasure rolled her eyes and slipped her hand into her pocket, feeling the comforting hum of her want as her fingers closed around it.

"Honestly, Lily, you think I'm some sort of delinquent. There's no reason for me to cause trouble. Hello, Violet," Treasure added, a venomous politeness lacing her voice.

"You should keep your boy on a tighter leash, Belle," Violet said nastily, a gloating triumph in her eyes that made Treasure's face heat with anger and her fingers tighten on her wand.

"Oh, yeah? What's that supposed to mean?" Treasure challenged. Violet grinned, tossing her strawberry hair in an action clearly meant to imitate that of a veela, but falling short in Treasure's opinion.

"Only that someone better might come along and tempt him away," Violet said sweetly, shrugging.

"I'll keep that in mind if I meet anyone remotely threatening," Treasure said, "haven't yet, though," she finished, laughing out loud when Violet's eyes flashed angrily.

"Your loss, Belle. And my unbelievable gain," Violet snapped, pulling her hair back into a braid and showing off the huge, heavy old ring on her finger. She sauntered away, leaving Treasure disgruntled and Lily strangely quiet.

"What was that even about?" Treasure asked as she and Lily hauled their trunks onto the train and sat down in a compartment where Treasure could still watch what was happening on the platform. Lily cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Well, since you've been away - and, you know, because of all those letters you sent Sirius about Brent, which really wasn't an ingenious idea, Tres -"

"YOU UNBELIEVABLE BASTARD!" someone shouted on the platform, and Treasure darted out of the compartment to see what was going on. There was a flash of silver hair and then a flash of silver light and something big and dark flew through the air and knocked Treasure off her feet. Whatever it was landed on top of her heavily.

"What the -" Treasure grunted, wrenching the thing - the person - off of her.

"Sirius?" she asked, her heart jumping wildly and her stomach filling with vengeful butterflies. His eyes were closed and there was an angry white boil growing quickly on his forehead.

"What happened?" Treasure yelped; the boil looked painful.

"Bloody hell," he groaned, twisting around and meeting Treasure's eyes. She flung an arm about his shoulders and helped him sit up.

"Tres?" His eyes were crossing, but Treasure thought that might have been because he was trying to see what it was growing on his forehead.

"Hold on, you vain thing," she muttered, pulling out her wand and aiming it between his eyes.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Sirius practically yelped, trying to squirm out of Treasure's arms, as if he thought she was about to curse him to oblivion.

"Hold still, you prat!" she snarled, and murmured the counter spell to the excellent jinx fixed to his forehead. The boil shrunk and eventually disappeared, leaving a pale and anxious Sirius sprawled atop Treasure, staring skeptically into her eyes.

"Tres…"

"You're such a baby, Sirius. Did you think I'd blow your head off or something?" Treasure demanded, although admittedly not moving even though they both should have been boarding the train. A slow crowd was beginning to draw around them, but Treasure ignored that and was trying to figure out why Sirius was so nervous to be caught alone with her.

"Actually, yeah, I did think you were going to blow my head off…" Sirius muttered, although also not moving a muscle. Treasure grinned.

"If anything, you've got the right to jinx me -"

"And don't think I wont! How is Brent these days, anyway?" Sirius asked viciously. Treasure sighed.

"Brent was nothing, Sirius. He was just my friend, and my partner for the Salem program…"

"Handsome fellow, according to you -"

"Yeah, yeah he was. But I didn't do anything. And even though I did stay at his farm, Brent and I -"

"You stayed with him? As in overnight?"

"Yeah, for a couple of days -"

"A couple of days! In his room? In his bed?" Sirius exclaimed, shifting around so he could grab Treasure by the shoulders, his eyes wide with jealousy and his face - and mouth - almost too close for comfort. Almost. Treasure felt her face heat, partly in anger and partly with a thrill that Sirius could get so worked up over her even though they hadn't seen each other for months.

"Not in his bed, don't be stupid. In a guest room." Treasure's stomach gave an unpleasant squirm when she thought of Liam, but she shoved him out of her mind. It was good to be back and fighting with Sirius again. Maybe the summer could just be forgotten after all; he couldn't stay mad forever. And what Sirius didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Who'd you piss off so early in the year that they jinxed you before you even got on the train?" Treasure asked, grinning.

"Laurel," Sirius snapped, his eyes still flashing at Treasure angrily. Treasure blinked.

"Laurel?" she asked. What on earth would make Laurel so angry with Sirius?

"Sirius!"

Violet pushed her way through the crowd, which was slowly dispersing from around Sirius and Treasure and onto the train, ushered by Ministry officials who looked sorely unnerved at the show of underage magic, although since the year had technically begun (the Hogwarts Express was now, for the first time, running late) the students couldn't be held accountable. Violet's face took on an expression of rage that, had Treasure been easily intimidated, would probably have sent many a brave soul running in the opposite direction. Treasure, however, merely glared up at the strawberry-locked Gryffindor with disdain.

Violet pulled out her wand angrily.

"What did you do to him, you horrible wretch?" Violet shrieked.

Treasure wand was out at ready even from her spot under Sirius.

"He doesn't like you, you obsessive harpy," Treasure shot back. Violet, to Treasure's great surprise, laughed. Maniacally, but she laughed all the same. Sirius coughed uncomfortably and for the first time began to remove himself from where he was tangled with Treasure.

"Tres…" he said softly, standing up and offering her a hand up. Treasure smiled at him apologetically and squeezed his hand. He let go rather quickly, but that was okay. Treasure understood it might be a while before things were okay between them, but Liam was a distant memory and nothing had happened with Brent…

"Don't you get it, Belle. Sirius is with me now. You went tramping off to the States and he found something better," Violet said.

"Vi!" Sirius warned, looking angry and also embarrassed.

Treasure snorted. She looked at Violet and turned to Sirius, who was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Tres…" he said weakly.

Treasure blinked again. "Are you kidding me? She's not lying? You're dating her? We didn't even break up and you're dating her?" she yelled.

"Er…"

"You lose, Treasure. The best witch won, I guess." Violet grabbed Sirius's hand and pulled him forcefully over to her, pressing a wet open-mouth kiss to his face, in the general area of his mouth.

Treasure saw red.

"YOU'RE AN UNBELIEVABLE BASTARD, SIRIUS BLACK!" she hollered, pointing her wand at him and mustering up the worst jinx she could think of.

Sirius howled painfully as his nose was transformed into a blue tentacle and purple blisters sprouted all over his face and neck. Violet screamed and started to cry, heavy black eyeliner streaming down her pale, made-up face.

Treasure ran back to the compartment she was sharing with Lily to find Laurel and Remus already there, offering her sympathetic looks and Chocolate Frogs. Treasure slammed the door closed so hard that the glass shattered completely.

"I hate him."