Chapter 10: No Minds

A week later, I was starting to get nervous. From what I could see, she hadn't done anything to me all week. Even Nellie and Lily agreed that it was suspicious.

Of course, I didn't have time to worry about that, because apparently, the professors didn't understand the term "relax." Every class had us working as hard as possible, and every night I sat by the fire with Lily and Nellie and Remus—and sometimes even James and Sirius, too—doing essay after essay. And if Sirius and James actually doing homework isn't enough proof of how hard they had us working, then I don't know what is.

I was hoping maybe Elvora was too caught up in her studies to bother me, but when I voiced this to Lily, she gave me one of those looks. Those looks that only Lily can give that make you feel like the stupidest person on Earth. She usually only uses them on James.

"You can't honestly believe that, Dae. She's not only obsessed with winning this bet, she's obsessed with Sirius, too. She's not just going to let you have him. She's probably just planning something huge."

I blinked. "Gee, thanks, Lily. That makes me feel better."

"Don't use your sarcasm on me," she warned. "Save it for Sirius' fan club. They're too dimwitted to understand it."

I snorted. "I don't need to use it. They're too afraid of me to even talk to me. Besides, what would they say? 'Oh, sorry, you can't have him unless you want us stalking you everywhere, too.' They're harmless, Lily."

She rolled her eyes at me but finally came up to plop down on the couch next to me. "Friday," she sighed. "That means I don't have to write ten essays tonight, right?"

"Yes, Lily. But it also means you'll be seeing more of James." I winked at her when she groaned. James had learned not to bother Lily when she was doing homework, (okay, not learned. I told him.) but the weekends were free territory for him. I think Lily might be warming up to him, though. Or at least, she wasn't calling him an arrogant toe-rag every time she saw his face. I think that had more to do with me, though. Spending time with Sirius meant spending time with his friends, too, and Lily wasn't about to give me up.

I hoped.

"You know, Lily, I think we need to have some fun this weekend."

She arched an eyebrow. "You and I have a very different definition of fun."

I grinned wickedly. "Oh trust me, you'll like this. I think it's time someone got the Marauders back for their pranks."

Lily's grin turned even more wicked than mine did. "I'm listening."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Lily was energetic and jumpy the whole night. More than once, I had to whisper to her and remind her that we had to wait until Monday for the prank. What would be the use if we did it tonight or tomorrow when the Marauders could just hide in their dormitory?

James noticed whenever I whispered to her and shot me suspicious glances, but he never said anything.

"We need to have a party," Sirius announced sometime around midnight from his spot next to me on the couch.

"Wait until the next Quidditch game, you nitwit."

Sirius stared at me blankly for a few moments. "I have never heard you call anyone a nitwit."

I shrugged. "I needed a word I hadn't already used. Gotta have some originality, yeah?"

". . . Yeah," he muttered with a smile, shaking his head. "So, Prongs!" he said loudly. James looked up from his conversation with Remus. Of course, he'd been staring at Lily, who was curled up the armchair closest to the fire with a muggle book. "Next Quidditch game. Against Ravenclaw. We haven't had a practice all week."

James sighed. "Because we're all drowning in essays, Padfoot, remember?"

Sirius waved a hand dismissively. "It's the weekend. People will survive."

With another sigh, James said, "I guess you're right. We'll practice for a few hours tomorrow. I'll tell the team at breakfast."

While Sirius and James continued to converse about Quidditch plays I only partially understood, I slid off the couch to sit on the floor next to Remus. "Remus!" I exclaimed. "It has been too long, my old friend. I'm feeling neglected."

Remus gave me a small smile. "Don't say that to Sirius."

I groaned quietly at the thought. "Merlin, that would be a disaster. I'd be listening to nonstop innuendos for weeks."

Remus grinned. "You wouldn't be the only one listening to them. He'd be constantly coming up with them when we're trying to sleep, and then he'd probably say one out loud and ask us what we think."

My eyes widened. "Merlin. If he does that, throw a pillow at him. Or a glass. Throw a glass. Or maybe hex him so he won't talk anymore."

Remus' laugh was infectious. He was just one of those people—if he was happy, you were happy. It was like his happy energy transferred over to you or something. "Just don't tell him what you told me and that situation will never happen."

"Right. I'll remember. Have to watch my mouth and steer it away from anything that could be made into a sexual innuendo."

"Anything can be made into a sexual innuendo by Sirius. Be grateful he's not always energetic enough to think of one. And that he doesn't want to insult you every time he speaks. And that he doesn't want you to hex him. And that -"

I laughed and cut him off. "I get it, Remus. I should be grateful for a lot of things."

His eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't mean it that way, I-"

I cut him off again with a dismissive wave of my hand. "I know. Now go and get some sleep. You're starting to look as pale as Nearly Headless Nick. Full moon in two days, isn't it?"

He nodded. "You're probably right. If I sit down here any longer I'll pass out."

"And I don't think James or Sirius want to drag you upstairs," I added. With a tired smile, he stood up and walked off to bed, leaving me on the floor by myself. Lily had already gone upstairs without my noticing, and James and Sirius were still both engrossed in Quidditch conversation.

I stared at the fire, basking in the warmth. Just a few more weeks until Easter break. I'll be stuck here for two weeks by myself again, bored out of my mind with no one but Strawberries to talk to.

Better than being stuck with Marcus, I supposed.

Which reminded me that it had been too long since I'd written to Evangeline. Dumbledore had told me that she was safe, that they wouldn't let anything happen to her, but I wasn't allowed to know where she was. No one was. The Fidelius Charm was useful like that. However, Dumbledore always made sure my letters got to her.

"Muffin, fires are pretty, sure, but they aren't that interesting. You've been staring at it for twenty minutes." I jumped at the sound of his voice and turned my head to see Sirius sitting on the couch alone. He patted the space beside him. "Prongs went to bed a few minutes ago. Something about giving us 'alone time.'" He winked.

Rolling my eyes, I hopped up on the couch and snuggled into his side. It wasn't as hard as it should have been. I should have given it a second thought, wondered if I really had to be this close to him for the sake of the bet. But I didn't. He was warm, he was there, and he was Sirius.

"I'm not going to see you at all tomorrow, am I? You'll be holed up in the library with Lily all day."

I tried—and failed—not to giggle at his pout. "For one thing, no, I won't. Sunday's the day I'll be doing that. And for another thing, you could always join us in the library. You know, do some essays. Study."

"Muffin, I don't need to study, in case you hadn't noticed."

I glared at him sourly. It was true; he studied for about five minutes before exams and somehow managed to do well on all of them. Damn egotistical genius.

"And you don't need to, either," he said, touching my nose affectionately.

"Yes. Yes I do. Daelia would like to not fail her exams. If she fails her exams, she won't get a good job. If she does not get a good job, she'll be poor and homeless. Daelia does not want to be homeless."

He squeezed me. "You won't be homeless, Daelia. Have you forgotten about all your friends? Who all have houses they'd be happy to let you stay in? Which reminds me, are you going home with Lily for Christmas?"

I blinked at the subject change. "Shouldn't we go to bed soon?" I asked evasively.

He looked at me sternly. I didn't even know Sirius could do that. "Don't answer my question with a question."

I sighed and looked away from him, back at the fire. "I don't think so, no."

"Nellie?"

I sighed again. "No."

"Alice?"

"No, dammit, and you know it!"

His stare is hard when I look back at him. Almost angry. "You're not staying here, Daelia. You can't."

I pulled away from him and watched his arm fall limply back at his side. "You can't tell me what I can and can't do. I'm not going to let you order me around, be the next Marcus."

His face drops and his eyes flash with hurt. "Do you honestly think I would hit you, Daelia? Lock you up and hurt you like that?" He sounded so offended, so angry, that a little piece of my heart broke apart.

"No," I whispered, moving closer to him. "I know you wouldn't." It was appalling that he thought I could think that about him. He could break my heart, yes, but he would never be anything like Marcus.

I had the overwhelming urge to put my arms around him, so I did. He stiffened for a few moments before slowly wrapping his arms around me. I kept my head buried in his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry." My voice was muffled, but I know he heard me, because his arms tightened. "I'm sorry," I repeat.

"I don't mean to sound controlling. I just don't want you to stay here by yourself," he murmured in my ear. I hoped he didn't notice the shiver that went down my spine. "And you know James won't allow it, either. I'm going there for Easter, so why can't you come? You know his parents would love to have you there."

I hesitated. His parents would love to have me there, because that's just the way they were. The more people, the better. And I'd spent holidays there before, before my mother had died, so why couldn't I now?

Because it felt like pity, that's why. Part of me knew it wasn't, tried to argue that it was just kindness, just friendship, but the paranoid part of me tried telling me that all they wanted was someone to pity to make them feel superior.

But sitting here in Sirius' warm arms, the logical side won out, and I whispered into his shoulder, "Okay."

He pulled back, keeping his arms around me, and gazed at me with those grey eyes of his. After searching my face for a few seconds, he leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against mine.

Softly wasn't enough for me. I don't know what it was, but as soon as his lips were against mine, something inside me stirred. I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer, pressing my tongue against his lips, demanding entrance. He complied eagerly, and soon enough, my hands were roaming all over his chest while his finger traced a path up and down my spine. My body felt like it was on fire.

I was starting to get lost in the kiss. All I could see was Sirius, all I could feel was Sirius.

But then he pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. "We should probably stop before I decide I want to rip your clothes off and shag you right here," he said breathlessly.

I didn't tell him that I probably wouldn't have minded.

Okay, so this was kind of a filler too. I'll try to make the next chapter more exciting. Review if you have any suggestions? :D