"We should turn around." Alice said, again. We had been going for a while, and I was starting to have doubts myself. After all, who knew what might be waiting for us at the end of the tunnel? I'm not sure I wanted to know.

"Yeah," Kim agreed finally, "I mean, we should be getting back to Hogwarts anyway."

"Uh-huh. We don't want to be late."

Having reached a consensus we stopped, ready to turn around, just about to, really, when we heard footsteps. Then running and panting. Crap. We froze. What's in here?

My wand is out and I'm ready—as I'm ever going to be—when the last person I expect to be comes running at us. Sirius Black.

"Ladies!" He says, stopping, bending over, and gasping for air. "Ladies, what can I do for you?"

Kim grinned. I cut her off before she would say something I'd regret hearing.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Me?" He retorted, having recovered himself. "What about you?"

We remained at an awkward impasse for a while before Kim finally spoke up.

"We were just checking out the Shrieking Shack when we found this tunnel. It's kind of awesome. We should have a mud fight down here."

Sirius smiled, but looked at me doubtfully.

"Really, you were just checking out the shrieking shack and found it?"

"Yes." Kim batted her eyelashes. "It was crazy scary. Is that how you found it? Do you know where it goes?"

"Well," Sirius leaned in conspiratorially. "Can you girls keep a secret?"

-

It was about a half an hour later in the Three Broomsticks and I was not buying it. Something was up. I was convinced now that those boys were hiding…something. And not the something Sirius had so charmingly explained.

Apparently the tunnel led to Hogwarts, and Sirius and James were planning on sneaking in a bunch of butterbeer and throwing a Halloween party in the room of requirement. We had score an invitation a piece if we kept the secret, and, at Kim's pleading, a plus one each. He would give us all the details later, he promised.

Boys, planning a secret party? Please. And he had said it so smoothly, too smoothly. Like he was making it up on the spot. I wanted to know where that tunnel really led. They were hiding something I was sure. And it did exactly make me less suspicious when Sirius caught my arm afterwards and whispered,

"Listen, I know what you're thinking."

"Really?" That was a surprise, seeing as I wasn't entirely sure myself.

"Just, trust me and stop digging around."

"I'm not—"

"I'll let you tell people we're dating." He blurted suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"Stop digging around and," He smiled charmingly, "I'll take you out. Next Hogsmead trip."

I'm ashamed to say I was tempted, more than tempted, to let this boy take me out in exchange for not spilling whatever her thought I knew. Something which was, in reality, nothing. Sirius Black was hot, and a total player. All my friends would be jealous. All the girls in school would be jealous. Hadn't I just been thinking about how lacking my romantic life was? About boys who didn't know how to kiss? Maybe it was fate.

But then I looked into his eyes, his cocky, perfectly placed eyes, and I could only think one thing. They were muddy. Unremarkable. I…would be lying to myself if I told myself this was everything I wanted. If there wasn't another set of beautiful blue grey eyes that I would prefer getting lost in.

"Thanks," I said finally, "but I really don't know what you're talking about. I promise."

And with that I ran off to join my quickly retreating friends. I wondered if it really would be worth it to try and find out what they were up to. I was curious but…I don't know. I was interested. Yes. But maybe I really didn't want to know. I also wondered how in the world I had turned down Sirius Black.

I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that it sounded like the cousin of a pity date. It had nothing, I tried to convince myself, absolutely nothing to do with Remus Lupin. That was a lie. But maybe if I repeated it enough times it would become true.