*Disclaimer: I do not own the song, "No Need To Argue" by The (wonderful!) Cranberries, nor do I own anything Harry Potter, which belongs to the lovely J.K. Rowling. I do own Riley Brannigan and the plot line for this fic!*

*~*A/N: Wow, another chapter! lol! It's a bit short, but I decided to keep it just at this for this chapter because I like the feeling of it.

***Oh, and it has been brought to my attention that maybe something is a bit confusing. Last chapter, Severus (Snape) seemed awful friendly with Riley. The thing is, the events you were shown from the past were only bits and pieces. Severus and Riley have a more developed friendship, but I was only providing brief highlights. Better?***

I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter:

Ciria- lol, you're really looking for that Sirius angst, huh? lol.

Fowl-Star- Thanks for putting me in your story! I heard about Elizabeth, it's great they found her!

Sam- I really hope I cleared things up for you!

Evil Pleased to Meet You! (Sara, lol)-Geez, Sara, I barely hit you! lol! Meanie! A super evil character? lol, interesting thought…j/k!

Riley sighed as she rested her elbows on her desk, propping her chin up in her palms, her eyes tightly closed shut. She shifted slightly in her soft leather armchair, trying to find a comfortable position as she opened her eyes and stared down at her portable record player. Silence rang painfully in her eardrums as she glanced briefly up at the empty, lonely classroom. She shut her eyes once again and tiredly went through her emotional thoughts. Being back at Hogwarts was truly agonizing for Riley. At first everything was wonderful, she was back home, her true home, the place where she left part of her heart. Seeing Albus and Severus was like a dream come true, her mentor and best friend brought back into her life. But then the painstaking thoughts began to lurk through her astute mind. God, she knew she would love Harry soon enough like her own, but his face and that look in his eyes brought back all the pain from the day the letter came about James. Nobody except Albus, Sirius, Remus and herself would ever know how much Harry was like his father. It tugged her heart to look over at that boy, the boy who lived. Lived because of Lily and James' sacrifice, one that would forever hold Harry. Then there was the thing that had her closing her eyes, fighting away any sign of weakness in her soul.

Sirius.

Everything at Hogwarts reminded her of him, the man she still loved with all her heart and mind. She opened her eyes briefly, wiping away the moisture that had accumulated on her eyelashes with the back of her hand. She suddenly pulled her hand down and gazed at it in confusion as it shook. She glanced at her other hand and held it high for her to see, and sure enough, it was shaking as well. She grumbled at her inability to hold it in, like Severus, but her emotions hadn't been the same since she first left this place many years ago.

"Damn…" she growled in a mumble, picking up her wand and raising it to the empty record player, escaping to the only thing she could, music. She muttered an incantation and watched as it hummed to life.

This obsession with music began at the early age of 2, when her natively born Irish father had sat her on his knee and sang her, her first Irish tune. She smiled shortly recalling her father's rich accentuation as he sang with a till in his T's and the soothing melody of his voice. But her smile was cast aside as soon as the words were murmured from the churning machine. She clasped her eyes shut, just as a renegade tear trailed down her soft skin. The Cranberries, she loved their music so much, it was calming and soothing. It had a sense of understanding, it spoke to her like nothing ever could. Especially this one song, the song that made her think of him, the one and only individual that she really ever truly cared about.

'There's no need to argue anymore…'

The song hummed with the background organ and the sad Irish voice called to her, encouraging her to leave her chains and release her emotions. Maybe it was the sound of her voice or the intense tranquility of the organ, but she craved it. Perhaps it was the Irish blood that coursed through her veins. Maybe it was her own subconscious reminding her of her usual romantic notions.

'I gave all I could

but it let me so sore.

And the thing that makes me mad

is the one thing that I had.'

She took in a sharp breath as she quietly sung along, letting her voice mingle with the vocalist. She wondered if the writer had felt the same pain and emptiness she had now. They must have, she pondered, how could they have articulated lyrics with such empathy?

'I knew, I knew I'd lose you.

You'll always be special to me.'

Her lips stumbled over the last words, coughing to escape the tears that had already fallen. They cascaded down her cheekbones in a rapid pace, catching sobs in her throat. Stop! She called silently, her mind commanding her heart to cease this departure from emotional obedience.

"Oh, Sirius…" she whispered under her breath, throwing her arms from their current position to bury her head within them on her desk, just as Harry stepped into the open doorway, unnoticed.

*~*A/N: If you want more Sirius, go read Fowl-Star's "Sirius Black and the Goblet of Fire"! *~*

Pssttt...please review my story?