Chapter 3
Giving Up
Having had a fairly boring week the group decided it was best to plan some kind of weekend fun, so they finished all their homework on Thursday and decided to sneak out of the castle for the weekend. Hogsmeade was only a walk away through the right tunnel and they thought it would be fun to sneak into Hogsmeade on saturday. Saturday was not officially one of the hogmeade weekends as the week after was in fact due to James and Lily organising it that way but they decided to do this just for a bit of fun, Lily had needed a little persuasion but after a kiss from James she was all goo goo eyed and wouldn't have said no to him for anything. So Saturday rolled around and they all got up early, dressed and then they snuck through the school so not to be asked what they were doing with a little help from the marauders map, which the boys let Kate and Lily in on. They, all dressed in warm clothes because of the cold weather, traipsed through the school giggling naughtily as they dodged round the school, they narrowly missed the caretaker, Filch's, cat. But they dodged well and managed to get to the statue of a witch and her hump and they all quickly escaped down the shoot and into the dark tunnel, they iluminated their wands and wandered down the tunnel. The tunnel was dark, damp and smelt like something had died down there, which it very well could have. They all took turns in sliding down the tunnel, Lily slid down with James and Kate with Remus as neither of the girls liked the tunnel due to it being dark and constricting. They slid and gently thumped to the bottom where they stood and brushed themselves off. Sirius and Peter slid down afterwards and joined the others. They began the walk towards Hogsmeade. It took about forty minutes until they reach the end in which they had to climb out through the trap door in the basement of Honeydukes, the age old shop which was known for the best sweets in the wizarding world. James stuck his head through the trap door to check the coast was clear, a worker was bustling head first in a crate of Tret's Tickle Toffee, a toffee which once eaten makes the eater feels intense tickling all over their body. James quickly ducked his head and whispered " Shhh" to his friends who were talking quietly. They waited and when James heard the worker go upstairs James and his friends all got out of the tunnel and walked up the stairs quietly and snuck out the back door into the alley behind Honeydukes. Once in the town they made a few stops around the various shops until lunchtime. They went into the Hogshead. They were all in fairly happy moods so were chatting amicably about school and what their plans for the rest of the year were. James and the boys got into a passionate talk about quidditch, James being the seeker and captain of the gryffindor side was shown easily when he spoke of the sport, he clearly loved it. Sirius played beater alongside Frank Longbottom, but Remus and Peter never played. But were avid fans.
"I am telling you if Dresden just worked on her passes a bit more all the chasers would benefit, when she fluffed those two throws in the match last year we lost twenty points and even though you caught the snitch James we could have won by forty points more!" Sirius said. James snorted.
"If you ask me you should worry about that accidental hit as Charlie in practise when you knocked him out! If that happened in a match we would be screwed. We need a keeper Pad'." James said smirking.
"Yeah, yeah, that was an accident Prongs." Sirius said poking his tongue out at his best friend. Lily laughed at the boys immature antics. The boys started talking more about quidditch and the girls zoned out again.
"So," lily said to Kate. "Any news on that handsome Ravenclaw boy?" Kate blushed.
"No, he's going out with that Slytherin girl, Fedora." Kate said bitterly. Lily patted her on the shoulder.
"Oh I'm sorry. He can't be that bright then, going out with a slytherin." Lily said kindly. Kate looked up from her hands which she always began looking at when she was annoyed or upset. Sirius was looking at her curiously while half listening to his friends talking. He looked almost sad but when he saw her looking back he went back to talking to his friends as though he hadn't been staring. She thought it weird but ignored it as she assumed he was probably only thinking mean things about her and went back to her conversation with Lily, but changing the subject away from her love life.
The day carried on in much the same way. It got to six o'clock and they figured it was time to head back to the school as after six there was nothing they could really do in the village as all the shops and cafe's closed. The weather had turned cold with the first frost on its way as it was heading for november. They snuck in through the back door of Honeydukes and into the basement unseen, then through the trap door into the tunnel, just as Kate was climbing through she tripped on the step and fell into the tunnel twisting her ankle and crying out in pain.
"Kate are you okay?!" Lily called down.
"I think I bust my ankle," Kate called back. Sirius jumped into the tunnel and looked over Kate.
"Need a lift?" Sirius asked. Kate just shook her head.
"No I'll be fine I will just walk it off..." As she tried to get up she winced in pain. "Okay maybe not." Sirius offered her a piggy back and Kate jumped on, Sirius holding her small frame easily. As he carried her, he didn't try any of his usual funny business, casuals groping of her bum, slightly brush of the boob, nothing. Kate was shocked he was acting in such a humanly matter that she kept quiet and just let him carry her. The others followed chatting about the day, James and Lily were holding hands whilst James whispered something quietly in her ear. Remus just followed by Sirius and Kate chatting to Sirius.
They reached back to school and with the help of the marauders map made it safely back to their individual common rooms, Lily and James practically sprinting as they clearly wanted some "alone time". Sirius carried Kate all the way back to the common room Remus following near by. By the time they were chatting and laughing like they were all good friends, which they all were really. Kate and Sirius, although having arguments all the time, did care... even if one girl in particular was finding it hard to admit. They arrived back at the common room. For a time before they got there Sirius had pretended that Kate was a princess and he was her lowly servant and was still playing along in the common room. He placed her sitting on a chair and then kneeled and looked up at her.
"Me lady, is there anything this poor man can do for such a wonderous princess of beauty and charm. Fetch your slippers perhaps, or a beverage of your choice." He bowed flouncing his hand around dramatically. Kate just smirked.
"That'll be all for this evening slave boy. But you may carry me to lessons from now on. I hate that walking business. Its way overated." She said making Remus laugh. The boys sat down and they hung out in the common room for a while until Kate started dozing off and decided she was going to go upstairs to bed. The boys helped her to the stairs then she hopped up the stairs moaning all the way about how the step in the tunnel had jumped up and tripped her. Nothing her being clumsy or anything! The boys just laughed but Sirius kept looking up the stairs for a moment longer than was necessary which didn't escape Remus' notice.
"She's something huh?" Sirius said sighing.
"Yeah Kate's one in a million." Remus said looking at his friend trying to judge his expression.
"I think me and her are getting on okay at the moment. Its weird." Sirius said smiling.
"Yeah." Remus said frowning. "I can tell your look Sirius."
"What look?" Sirius said looking at his friend.
"The look that says you are going to ask her out." Remus said still frowning.
"Would that be such a bad thing? She might actually say yes this time." Sirius said smiling at the thought.
"And then what? You go out, you get bored and she's left more angry and bitter at you than before." Remus said. Sirius sat up at that.
"I really like Kate Rem'. I wouldn't do that to her. Thanks for the confidence mate." Sirius said starting to sound annoyed.
"Oh what you like her like the other fifty girls you chase sleep with then dump. She's too good for that Sirius." Remus said.
"So she's too good for me? But what? Not for you? Is this is? All this time you've wanted her and now I might actually have a chance you want to swoop in and save her from the big bad Sirius and sweep her off her feet!" Sirius said now standing with an angry expression.
"You know I don't feel about her like that! But it doesn't mean I will just sit by and watch you hurt her!" Remus said standing as well.
"Is that what you think?" Sirius said suddenly backing away a bit and quieting his voice. "Is that all I do? Hurt people?" Remus suddenly looked guilty.
"Not always Sirius. But Kate... I just don't want to see her get her heart broken." He said.
"I guess you're right. I mean all I do is hurt girls. You're right, you're so right." Then he left, not angrily but dejectedly as though he had just been told something he knew but was avoiding.
Kate stumbled into the dorm laughing still from her funny trip with Sirius. She was thinking of him more thahn usual but sahe assured herself that her feelings were only those of friendship which she felt she now had with Sirius.
