Hey guys. I'm so sorry for the delay. Anyway, I won't make this long. Happy holidays and enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 2

James Potter had always thought of himself as a lucky man. Throughout his entire life, he had lived comfortably in a home that gave him much more than he ever needed. His parents provided him with enough love, necessary to give him the support blanket every child years for and needs. And lastly, at his side a best mate who in turn is quite loyal and provides him with the right amounts of amusement just to liven up even more his already interesting life.

Despite all those exemplary instances, there is still one thing quite missing from his almost 'perfect' life and this missing piece went by the name of Lily Evans.

James was lounging by a tree and summing up his short yet fun filled existence, because to him it was the most logical way to pass time. Despite how interesting his life was, he began to grow impatient as he continued to wait for the arrival of his two best mates.

When the duo finally made their appearance at the manor, he sighed in relief for his body has been screaming for a good night's rest after the long day he has had.

As James peered in more closely, he noticed that they, Sirus and Alexandra, were quite ignorant with what was going on around them. Most importantly, they failed to take heed of a familiar figure sulking by the darkness. So James took this as his cue to spy on his friends a bit further.

At his vantage point, James had the perfect view of Alexandra and Sirus walking side by side in the silence of the night. Despite the fact that no words were shared between them, it seemed as though they still enjoyed each other's company. It was pretty much a given but it was most certainly their gestures and facial expressions that really gave them away. Alexandra's usual guarded eyes were now shinning with mirth and Sirus's familiar roguish ways was replaced by a caring attitude as he slung his arm comfortably around her shoulders.

Although the two were quite emphatic that they did not believe in love, they had no idea that Sirus's uncanny protectiveness of her and Alexandra's 'uncaring' attitude towards Sirus's many women were tell tale signs of their growing fondness towards each other. James knew this for a fact yet the two densest people in the world, Sirus Black and Alexandra Malfoy, did not.

Only time would tell when the oblivious pair would finally realize that what they have in front of them is something tons of people fail to find in their lifetime.

James was ruffling his already messy hair when he finally called out her name. "Well if it isn't Alexandra Malfoy."

A wide and radiant smile immediately grazed Alexandra's lips as she caught glimpse of the familiar figure she was longing to see all night. And with a few long strides, she was promptly by James's side.

"Jamsie. Why are you hiding out in the bushes?" Alexandra voiced out her question

Alexandra then continued to give James a huge brotherly huge which caught him entirely by surprise. After recovering from the sudden friendly gesture, James in turn returned it with the same fervor and enthusiasm.

"It's been too long." Alexandra said as her eyes sparkled in mischief. "So where have you been hiding Lily?"

"Oh Lex! Don't start with that." Sirus groaned in complaint. "It will take him at least a good hour to finish blabbering about some random thing about Lily. And we know all too well how silky Lily's hair is or how mesmerizing her emerald eyes are. Just for tonight Prongs, we don't need to know other 'fun facts' about the girl of your dreams.

"Come on."Sirus continued on in his 'I'm the boss tone' and took hold of Alexandra's hand. He then dragged her into the huge house, whose warm ambience had been calling out to them the very moment they had arrived.

All Alexandra could do was to send James an apologetic look as she mouthed out the words to him. "He's just jealous."

James laughed out loud and shook his head in amusement as he followed the duo into his home. "Oh come on Padfoot, I do not talk about her for hours." James said defensively as he stepped into the brightly lit foyer which led into the sitting room.

"Well yes you do mate, as a matter of fact not a day passes by when you do not utter her name in this house and every other house you are in. It's quite sickening really." Sirus added but stopped as he effortlessly caught a flying cushion thrown his way.

"I'm just telling the truth Prongs." Sirus defended himself even more to the fuming James Potter.

"Your reflexes are quite better now Sirus, have you been practicing without me?" Alexandra commented lightly as she took a seat on one of the soft upholstery found in the sitting room.

No reply came from Sirus's side as he darted his eyes nervously at James, who was now laughing at the predicament he was in.

"This is all on you mate. You see Lex, it was I who locked up our brooms in the storage cupboards but it's that person seated right beside you, who acted like a child and kept whining until he could play with his broom. "James tried to explain with a straight face.

"I do not whine." Sirus now angrily replied at James.

"I really don't." Sirus continued to oppose to Alexandra, who was now wearing an amused look on her face.

"Despite how entertaining you sound mate, it's almost two in the morning. I'm tired and beat from waiting. I'm going to bed." James said as he failed miserably to keep himself from yawning.

James then left his earlier position and stood up. He headed towards the door where they once entered but stopped short to look at his blonde friend sitting comfortably on his couch.

"Glad to have you back Lex. And Padfoot, don't keep her up too late." James grinned and bid the two adieus.

Upon James's departure, Alexandra stretched out her long legs and laid her head on Sirus's lap. Alexandra surveyed the room around her, noticing that not much had changed since she had last been here. The room, which was predominantly decorated with baroque art, still had the same medieval feel. And despite the oldness of all the décor, it still had a homey feel to it.

"So-"Sirus said as he began to toy with Alexandra's blonde locks. "I'm not tired. Wanna go fly?"

Alexandra looked up at the image of her dark haired best friend within the eyeshot of her lying position. She gave him a hard look and asked him rhetorically. "Are you serious? It's two in the morning."

Sirus wore the same teasing smile he usually had every time he said the selfsame punch line. "But I am Sirus love."

Alexandra rolled her eyes and stood up. "You know what I meant Sirus. I will say this again. It's two am and I don't have a broom."

Sirus followed her lead and stood up as well. "Don't be a spoil sport Lex. And we could always nick James's broom for you. Or you could borrow mine. Which ever you prefer. Please?"

And with that Sirus gave Alexandra a look he knew all too well she could never pass up. It was an image of Sirus sucking his lower lip in a poor attempt to give her a puppy dog face. It was quite pathetic but none the less, he still looked quite adorable.

Alexandra pretended to sigh and give his offer a second thought. "Um-that sounds quite lovely Sirus. Just you and I, all alone at the break of dawn. Sounds wild, fun and oh so dangerous-."

"That's exactly what I mean!" Sirus continued as his eyes glowed with excitement.

"Tell me Black, how far are we going?" Alexandra asked as she stared at his shinning dark blue eyes with deep interest.

"As far as you want Malfoy." Sirus replied with as much enthusiasm.

"That is quite an offer." Alexandra mused at the thought as she closed the distance between them. "But—"

"But what Lex—?"Sirus replied with a teasing smile.

"No." Alexandra answered back monotonously as she walked away from him with a big smile plastered on her face.

"No?" Sirus replied in a taken aback tone. Catching up to her much shorter strides, Sirus blocked the entryway of the staircase with his body.

"No. Plain and simple no. I'm tired Sirus and my bed waiting." Alexandra said as she brushed past him, never faltering in her steps.

"Oh, don't give me that. Your bed can wait. And besides no girl has ever said 'no' to me before." Sirus stood rooted at the same spot he was earlier yet he had managed to tilt his body in an awkward angle just to catch a glimpse of Alexandra's retreating figure.

Alexandra stopped in her tracks, turned around to face him and greeted the stunned expression that Sirus wore. Her grin widened even more upon seeing that.

"But I'm not just some girl who says yes to you. I'm THE girl who said no to you."

"You love, have made a point. Did I mention the fact that you're quite intelligent as well?" Sirus said as he regained his composure and followed it up smoothly by offering a compliment.

In a matter of seconds, Sirus stood right beside Alexandra at the top of the stairs. Alexandra's smiling expression however did not waver off due to the fact that she had quickly caught on his ploy.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere Sirus. Your moves will never work -"

"Hey!" Alexandra cried out in surprise.

Sirus let out a bark like laugh as he lifted Alexandra off the ground and slung her on his back. In a swift and brisk motion, Sirus had managed to carry her a few feet away from the stairs and intro the doorway of his room. The incapacitated Alexandra continued to struggle yet failed miserably to break free from Sirus's iron grips.

"You know Lex, the lesser you struggle, the faster we get there. The faster we get to our brooms, the sooner we can ride. The sooner we can ride, the um… I ran out of adjectives. But you get my logic right?" Sirus happily said at the sulking figure still hanging on his shoulder.

"I can walk you know." Alexandra glumly said upon giving up on her lost cause. It is a known fact that if Sirus made up his mind, there was no hope in changing it.

It was already a quarter past four and Alexandra was still intently tailing Sirus as he flew farther and farther away from the Potter mansion. They were hovering only a few feet over the ground, a fact which gladdened her even more for it gave her the perfect opportunity to admire the beautiful scenery around her.

The lush and green grass was still moist with dew and the air smelt of freshly bloomed flowers. And as Alexandra sharpened her hearing even more, she could distinctly hear a faint sound of a flowing river.

Alexandra asked in a strident voice loud enough for Sirus to hear above the bellowing wind. "Sirus, where are we going?"

Sirus, who was in deep thought, seemed to be oblivious to everything going on around him. It was as if he was on autopilot and had allowed his senses to overcome his thoughts as he directed them towards their destination.

Alexandra, one who was quick on her toes, reached into the shrunken pockets of Sirus's previously owned jeans which she had borrowed earlier. With just one hand gripping on the handle, she managed to steady her broom without much movement as she took out one of his balled handkerchiefs. With a quick spell, she transfigured a once silky cloth into a hard quaffle. And with just one try, Alexandra had managed to squarely hit her target, the back of Sirus's head.

Sirus on the other hand was still quite engrossed and immersed in his thoughts as he decided the right moment to break the news to her. But before he could make a sound decision, a slight throbbing sensation at the back of his head interrupted his jumbled up thoughts.

"Hey! What was that for?" Sirus asked with irritation as he rubbed the sore sport at the back of his head.

"You weren't listening to me." Alexandra sweetly smiled at him. "Where are we going anyway?" she continued to ask, noticing the fact that they were finally slowing down and coming into a halt.

"You'll see." Sirus answered with an uneasy grin. He then landed gracefully on a flattened clearing and his actions were mimicked by Alexandra soon after. The greensward looked as if it was tediously maintained by a grounds keeper since all the bushes were cut in meticulous detail and not a trace of weed could be found. At the corner of the clearing, there were paved cobble stone pathways that lead to an even denser area where the trees began to thicken out.

"We'll leave our brooms here. It's too much of a hassle if we carry them."Sirus instructed Alexandra, who hesitantly lowered her borrowed broom and surveyed the unfamiliar territory with much more improbability.

"Lumos." Came the voice of Sirus as he lit the lengthy pathway. Without taking a glance behind him, he started his walk alone.

"Sirus wait." Alexandra said as she eyed him cautiously.

"Don't you trust me?" Sirus asked, his dark blue eyes boring into her hesitant gray ones.

"I—"Alexandra began to say slowly as she hesitantly took his outstretched hand and allowed herself to be led into the darken pathway.

"On the eve of your 16th birthday, I smuggled you out of your parents house so we could ride on this 'Ferris wheel' you read about in Muggle studies. I don't exactly remember how you managed to convince me to bring you there but never again will I allow you to drag me in those sorts of places again. I swear muggles have a daft idea on how to have fun." Sirus began to reminisce and as soon as the words came tumbling out of his mouth, he felt the grip on his hand loosening up.

Alexandra tilted her head in order to catch a better glimpse of his worried expression. The tension in the atmosphere finally dissipated away the moment she finally gave him a small yet genuine smile.

"Did you honestly think that I doubted you even for a second?" Alexandra voiced out her worries.

"I didn't even have to think about it. I'm well aware of how you are." Sirus commented lightly as he continued to guide her into a pathway he knew all too well. Even with his eyes closed, Sirus was quite confident in the fact that could easily find his way.

"In times like these, I don't think it would be too wise to be having such a trusting soul. I mean-"Alexandra stopped momentarily.

"Sirus—wow.." she breathed in awe upon finally seeing the place had brought her to. The visage that stood in front of her was a small waterfall that sends strong ripples of water down the stream. The river, whose distance seemed immeasurable, continues to flow steadily in a soft rhythm that had quite a soothing effect to the both of them.

The place too was littered with pink tulips that seemed to be out of place since it wasn't a type of flower that grew locally. And as she looked up onto the heavens, she became absolutely mesmerized upon glimpsing the most perfect view, the cloudless sky filled with brightly shinning stars.

"This is beautiful Sirus, how on earth did you-"Alexandra began to say but was cut off by Sirus's dismal tone.

"I found this area a couple years back when James and I were flying around the property. Something about this place reminded me of the home I used to have. Despite the fact that it is quite far, I've grown quite smitten to this place. This is where I go to if ever I need a place to think and somehow through the years I've made it my own." Sirus explained in a somber tone as his eyes locked onto the gushing water as it made its way to the ocean.

After his short speech, Sirus moved towards Alexandra's direction and closed the gap between them. They were only an inch apart. His intense gaze locked into her silvery orbs which seemingly held too many secrets.

Sirus hesitated as his heart skipped a beat. "I'm quite sure that James had forgotten this place already. So you're the only person besides me that has been here in a while."

"I couldn't be any more honored Sirus." Alexandra replied earnestly as the curiosity inside her swelled even more. She also dared not move from the spot she had stood.

"Alexandra, I have something to tell you." He let out softly. His raspy tone sounded like a soft melody to Alexandra's ears.

And for the second time in just a span of 12 hours, Alexandra felt a man's hand tucking away a stray lock into her ear.

"Alexandra—"Sirus began as he tilted her chin upwards in order to gaze deeply into her deep set eyes.

a/n: So did you guys enjoy this chapter? Any type of comments and feedbacks are always welcome. Reviews would most certainly make a great Christmas gift this yuletide season. Can't wait to hear from you.