Sorry for the long wait between updates again, darlings. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

"This was an awesome idea, Dora."

Tonks frowns at me over her bottle of butterbeer. "Cassie, if you don't stop calling me Dora, I'm going to strangle you."

I laugh. "Why? It suits you."

She pours her butterbeer over my head.

"Hey!" My hair is soaked and dripping onto the floor of the Three Broomsticks bar. "Rosmerta's gonna kill you!" The beautiful bartender does not take kindly to people making messes. Especially since she has to clean up after Tonks every time she comes; she's so freaking clumsy, I swear.

"Me?" She blinks innocently. "You did that to yourself."

I suck on a chunk of my hair, grinning at Tonks' disgust. "Mmm, alcohol."

She shakes her head. "You're an idiot."

We are sitting in a back corner of the bar, enjoying having a booth to ourselves. We are both sufficiently drunk that it would not be the best of ideas to try to balance on a barstool. The place is crowded and smoke drifts through the air. I love this place. And I love the fact that it is Friday and I have officially survived another week at work.

"Why, hello, ladies. Fancy seeing you here."

I look up and groan. Does Sirius have a radar for locating women who can't stand him? "Are you stalking me?" I blurt out.

He grins. He's wearing a plain black Muggle T-shirt and a pair of jeans that are so full of holes they should have been thrown out years ago. Dammit, he looks good. Behind him, I see Remus, dressed in clothes that are definitely faded but still look smart. I lean around Black, ignoring his response, and greet Remus happily. "How are you?"

He smiles politely. "Fine, thank you, Cassie." He looks ill. He's always rather pale and tired looking, but it seems more pronounced tonight.

I frown for a moment in thought. Moving over on the bench, I pat the empty space next to me. "Have a seat and join us."

Tonks kicks me under the table. I know she doesn't want Remus to see her drunk, but it's too late now.

Sirius slides easily into the space I offered Remus. "Why, thank you, Cassie. How kind."

I glare at him. "Shove off."

Tonks smiles nervously up at Remus and scoots over to allow him to sit next to her. I can't help but grin at the blush that's creeping up her cheeks. He smiles and says hello, and she seems overcome with joy that he's actually speaking to her. The woman is twenty-one years old, and she can't act like an adult? I roll my eyes.

Sirius is grinning at his cousin, too. "What's up, Tonks?"

She narrows her eyes at him, obviously not happy that he has sprung Remus on her like this. "I'm fine, Sirius. But don't you have some blonde you should be making out with right now?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Do I?" He pretends to look around the bar. "Where?"

He grimaces suddenly, and I am thrilled to realize that Remus has just kicked him. I knew I liked that man.

Remus smiles at me and Tonks. "I hope we aren't interrupting, ladies. I wouldn't want to get in the way of Girl's Night Out."

I respond by wringing out my hair in an attempt to squeeze out the alcohol. "No, not at all, Remus. Actually, Tonks just threw her drink in my face, so it's probably best that you two showed up to assist me."

Remus turns to Tonks and gives her a questioning look. "Why in the world would you do that?"

"She called me Dora." Tonks looks like this is an obvious explanation.

Sirius laughs and grabs my hand. "Cummon, Cass, let's go get some more drinks. I'm buying." Before I can respond, he's pulled me out of the booth and over to the bar. When he releases my hand, I smack his shoulder. "What the hell?"

He smirks. "I figured Tonks and Remus could spend some time getting to know each other." He reaches out and fingers a piece of my damp hair. "I would say I pulled you aside to flirt with you, but you look pretty awful right now."

I glare at him. "Thanks."

He laughs and turns to the bar to order two more bottles of butterbeer.

An hour later, Sirius and I are still sitting at the bar, laughing and actually enjoying ourselves, for once. At least, I think he's having fun. He's been too busy trying to catch a glimpse down the front of my shirt that he may not have realized that yet. I frown at him. "Quit it, Black."

He gives me a look that I suppose he thinks is innocent. "What?"

"Trying to look down my shirt!"

He smirks. "Well, if you wore something a little more low-cut, I wouldn't have to work so hard."

I point at him with the hand that is clutching my half-finished butterbeer. "I am not here to impress you."

An evil grin spreads over his face. "Oh? Just who are you trying to snog, then?" He winks at me, and I resist the urge to smack him. "Going to fight Tonks over my best mate?"

I frown. "No."

He laughs. "Well, then, I guess I have you all to myself."

"Highly unlikely," I warn him. "I'm a beautiful woman, you know. Men fall all over themselves around me."

He leans closer, and his breath is warm in my ear as he whispers, "Don't think I haven't noticed that, love."

I turn my head to look at him, knocking my forehead into his painfully. He yelps and I bring a hand up to steady myself as I see stars. When I open my eyes, he is laughing- that great, bark-like laugh that carries across the room. "Way to ruin the moment, Cass," he jokes.

I get down from the stool and wobble unsteadily. "No moment. Not ruined. Going home."

He gets down as well, placing a hand at my elbow to keep me from falling over. "Too drunk for full sentences, I see."

All I can do is giggle as he helps me over to our table. Tonks frowns at me when she realizes just how snockered I am before urging Remus out of his seat so she can climb out of the bench. "Time to go home, I think," she says, grabbing my purse and hers. She smiles at Remus and Sirius, who are only blurry outlines now. "Good night, gents," she says, and spins on her heel.