Chapter 3- Stubborn Conceit

Renee thought as she ran. She and Tarin had been best mates since birth pretty much, growing up as next door neighbors. Being the only witches in a Muggle neighborhood had brought them close and before they went to Hogwarts neither one of them had many other friends. Over the years they had grown apart a little bit, but they were still good mates. Never before had she been ashamed of their friendship. She wasn't really sure what to make of her feelings, so she tried to at least figure out where they were coming from.

She recalled the first hint of shame came when Sirius described Tarin's good traits. Thinking about the three things Sirius had said, she realized she didn't agree. Tarin defied rules because she was cute and innocent-looking enough to get away with it; plus if she needed to, she knew she could call on a whole legion of boy toys to defend her 'honor'. The second one, her being able to keep so many friends, might be true, but that could also be considered manipulation. And Tarin wasn't innocent. She lied to boys, played games with their hearts, and flirted shamelessly. Looking at it objectively, Renee could admit that she wasn't innocent at all.

But, they were still best mates. Tarin wasn't all that Sirius thought she was, but she was still a good person. Renee was absolutely certain of this, so why was she still ashamed? Sure, Sirius overestimated her, but pretty much every bloke did. Besides, isn't it a sign of love to be blind to the others faults?

That's when Renee realized what the source of her shame was; thinking about love had clued her in. Sirius liked Tarin more than he'd ever liked any other girl (or at least that Renee had ever seen), but Tarin was acting the same as with every other bloke; over time she would lose interest and move on, but Sirius didn't strike her as the type who would move on so easily. He had with his fan girls, but anyone with eyes could tell he never even really liked them. Renee was worried about Sirius getting hurt, now that he actually seemed to care about a girl.

This revelation shocked her; she had always protected Tarin from other blokes, but now she had to protect some bloke from Tarin.

Renee could deal with this, though; her best mate was still a good person, just too fickle. She pretended not to notice the voice in the back of her mind whispering that wasn't the biggest problem.

Renee walked back up to the castle, happy in her forced ignorance of the truth. However, she figured that Sirius deserved some warning for what he was trying to get into, and she resolved to warn him even though it'd be awkward.

The next morning, Sirius was waiting for Renee in the Common Room. They left together and sat out of earshot of the others at breakfast.

After fiddling with her toast for awhile, Renee finally gathered her courage. "Okay, Sirius, this is going to be awkward and you probably wont even listen to me, but I have to try."

Sirius gave her a funny look, but let her continue.

"I know you're head over heels bonkers about Tarin, but I have to warn you; Tarin's not so much into commitment. Sure, she'll be great at first, but then she'll get bored, move on, and leave you behind."

Now he just had to interrupt. "That's cute," he said with a cocky grin, "But, babe, I'm Sirius Black. Maybe she got bored with those other blokes, but not with me. I'll keep her plenty entertained. Don't worry your pretty little head."

Renee laughed, but persisted. "Really, Sirius, Tarin doesn't seem anymore into you than any other bloke she's been with. You'll end up just being a flavour of the week."

She could almost see his ego deflate infinitesimally, but he recovered quickly. "Really, Gray, I think I can take care of myself."

Suddenly, Renee was angry. For years she had been warning Tarin about various blokes, only to be ignored. Now, after realizing it was her best mate causing problems and trying to help a bloke, she was being ignored again.

Well, she was done. If they weren't going to listen to her, then why even bother? They were big kids; Sirius was right, he could take care of himself.

"Fine," she said acidly, "But when I end up being right, don't come crying to me."

He beamed at her, looking more angelic than anybody that ticked her off that easily had a right to look. "Does that mean you'll still help me?"

She wanted so badly to say that if he could take care of himself then he could figure Tarin out himself, but looking at his earnest, hopeful expression, she knew she couldn't say no.

"What do you want to know?"

I know this was short, but it was necessary in order to get inside Renee's head (which, incidentally, isn't the easiest for me to right, so I'm not sure I did it well), and to follow the outline I laid out. The next chapter probably won't be much better, but it too will be necessary, though for a different reason. The chapter after that will be better hopefully.

SORRY this was so much later than the first two. I know I swore I wouldn't let this story like that but I just... School got in the way. And well, I don't wanna be one of those authors, but I really just don't feel very motivated to update whenever I feel like nobody's reading it. It feels like a waste of time and effort. So please, if you have read this far, REVIEW. If you don't like it and you don't plan on reading more, LET ME KNOW! I want to know what I can do to improve as a writer.

Anyway, again, REVIEW!

-Nikky