Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that you would recognize as the fantastic work of J.K. Rowling. I only take credit for those OC characters that appear here.
Sirius didn't think of Eileen Grey again until the first class after the holiday had ended. He was walking through the corridor with Remus and Peter, making their way slowly down into the dungeons for their double potions period with the Slytherins.
'How was your Christmas Pete?' asked Remus, who looked tired and unhealthy.
'Okay. Yours?' Said Peter looking bored as they lined up against the wall waiting for Slughorn.
'Good, it's too bad you couldn't be here. Are you ready for tonight?' added Remus in a undertone.
'What's tonight?' said Peter looking less bored.
Sirius gave him a dull look but stayed silent, shaking his head a little at Peter.
'It's the full moon Wormtail.' Whispered Remus, a slight wavering in his voice.
'It'll be fun.' Said Sirius as Peter looked excited. 'Come on lets go in.'
They followed the others into the dungeon and Sirius picked his usual table near the back of the room, waiting for James. Remus and Peter pulled out their things and began setting up at Slughorn wrote the directions for the class unto the board. Sirius looked around, wondering where James and Lily were until they hurried into the classroom and grabbed the table next to him, looking slightly out of breath.
'What have you two been doing?' said Sirius giving them a suspicious look.
James grinned stupidly and Lily blushed. Sirius laughed. 'James the least you could do it pretend you aren't so excited about it mate. It's a dead giveaway that you two have been snogging in some broom closet somewhere.'
'We have no…' started Lily but was cut off by Slughorn who begin to talk about whether this particular potion would come up in their NEWTS. Sirius sniggered and turned around as someone pulled out a cauldron and clunked it next to his on the table.
Eileen Grey stood next to him, looking rather irritated and flustered as she pulled out her things. Sirius gaped at her but realizing his mouth was hanging open quickly shut it and turned to look at the board.
Sirius pulled his newt spleen towards him as Eileen grumbled something that sounded like 'idiot boy…going to get himself killed.' Sirius focused on his spleen and using the edge of his blade pressed the juices out until it looked significantly deflated and shriveled.
'You're doing that wrong.' She whispered suddenly, looking at him as he sliced the spleen into thin strips.
'I'm sure I'm not.' Said Sirius, not looking at her.
'You are. If you leave the strips slightly thicker it allows the potion to infuse them better.' She said, slipping her thick spleen strips into her own potion and watching it turn an intense blue colour. 'See.'
Sirius had to admit, grudgingly, that her potion had turned the exact blue colour shown in the text book. 'Where did you learn that than?' he asked, still not looking at her but chopping his spleen into slightly larger pieces.
'I'm trying to become a healer. You need top NEWT marks in potions to get in, so I do my research.' She said, smiling as she stirred.
'Excellent, Excellent! Black, Grey! Look here now they've both got it just right. Don't forget to add the Goosegrass next, one piece at a time Mr. Pettigrew!' Said Slughorn, bustling around the class room to look sadly down at Peter's cauldron.
'So who do you reckon will take the Quidditch Cup this year?' she said, clearly attempting small talk.
Snape at the table in front of them looked back and gave Sirius and Eileen a scathing look but she merely ignored him.
'Um, Gryffindor.' Said Sirius, earning a small laugh from James who was clearly listening at the next table.
'Maybe. Your mate Potter sure he can handle us this year? Our new keeper is deadly.' She said giving James a look from across Sirius.
James scowled at her but she shrugged and went back to her potion. 'Why aren't you sharing a table with Snivellus today then?' said Sirius, slightly irritated now.
'You mean Snape?' She said, a tone of harshness creeping into her voice.
'Sure.'
'You could learn to be a bit less rude you know.' She said, ignoring his question.
Sirius rolled his eyes and gave James a look.
They worked in silence until Slughorn called them to bring him a sample of their potions in a flask. 'Excellent work today Grey, like always. Five points to Slytherin. You too Black. Five points as well.'
Sirius went back to his desk to clean up, having to admit to himself that Grey had helped him but wondering why. He had never been anything other than differential to the girl since first year so he couldn't say her behaviour was uncommon. She was clearly intelligent, if a little interfering. He watched as she shoved her things back haphazardly into her bag, her hair falling into her face. The class had all but cleared out, except for Remus who was lingering at the door waiting for him. She stood up at last and looked at him.
'You dropped some of your lacewing flies.' And she dropped the flies into his hand and marched out of the classroom, avoiding Remus on her way.
'Eww' said Sirius dropping the flies back onto the floor and wiping his hand on his robes. Remus snorted from the doorway.
'That was pleasant. What did you say to her that prompted that? You were having such a pleasant talk before.' Said Remus, walking beside Sirius towards the Great Hall for lunch.
'Said something about Snivellus I suppose.' He said, still grossed out at the fly wings now stuck to his robes.
Creeping down the stairs towards the main hall, Sirius had to crouch uncomfortably underneath James's invisibility cloak. Nicking food from the kitchens after hours had become nearly impossible now with more than one of them as Sirius had gained a foot over the others and Remus was quite tall now too. Sirius thought that it would've been more practical for James, Lily or Peter to be nipping down here under the cloak rather than him. He had said so much to Lily, but lost the fight when Lily had grumpily told one of them to go already before she hexed them. He walked over to the picture and tickled the little pear until the door opened and he walked in, shrugging off the cloak.
'Good evening!' squeaked a house elf, bustling over to him. Sirius grinned.
'Any chance I could get about a dozen cakes and maybe a pitcher of pumpkin juice?' he asked
'Hungry Black?' said a voice that couldn't have come from a house elf. Sirius started, looking around for its owner.
Eileen Grey was sitting at a long table in the middle of the kitchen wearing an emerald green dressing gown over black pajamas. Her hair was loose over her shoulders and back but she looked tired and slightly agitated.
'It's not all for me Grey. Say what're you doing here anyway?' he asked, sitting down next to her while he waited.
'Couldn't sleep.' She said gruffly, raising a steaming mug to her mouth and sipping. 'You come here often?' she asked, pushing her hair behind her ears. Sirius noticed how they stuck out slightly and made her look girlishly goofy.
'Once in a while.' He said, accepting a hot mug of chocolate from an eager house elf.
She nodded, looking distracted but turned back to him and blurted, 'you left your house this summer…your parents…just moved out?'
Sirius was taken aback by the intensity of her look which quickly turned to embarrassment as she starred back down into her mug. He gave her a hard look 'how do you know that?'
'Just rumours…Regulus…talking about it in the common room. You know.' She said, looking as though she was considering trying to drown herself in the mug.
'Humph.' he snorted as the elves placed the requested food in from of him, bowing happily.
She didn't look up as he made to leave the kitchens. Reaching the door he stopped again as she asked, 'Ever feel like in this school full of people you're still alone?'
He turned again to look at her, 'No. No I've got James and Peter, and Remus.' He said slowly, a pang of feeling for her mingled with curiosity, holding him in place. 'What about Snivel…Snape? Aren't you two mates or something?' He said, sounding harder than he had meant to.
'In a way yes. Why exactly do you and Potter hate him so much anyway?' she asked, looking curious.
Sirius gave a shrug, 'A number of reasons I'm sure you don't actually care about.'
She didn't pursue the issue but looked back down at her mug as a house else tried to offer her mince pies on a tray.
'I've had a letter from home you see.' She said coldly, pulling the crumpled letter old of her robe and looking at.
Sirius was both curious and confused but felt compelled to continue listening to her. He dropped back into the chair next to her. 'What does it say?' he asked.
Eileen let out a bitter laugh and shoved the letter back into her robes. 'It doesn't matter Black. Sorry for wasting your time.' She stood abruptly and turned to go but feeling daring Sirius grabbed her arm.
'What's your problem Grey? You playing some sly game?' he asked suspiciously.
She ripped her arm out of his grasp and gave him a loathing look. 'You'd think nobody's ever been friendly to you Black.' She snarled at him.
'Can't admit anyone from Slytherin house has no.' He spat at her, grabbing his food off the table and rising as well.
'So I'm forbidden to be civil with anyone outside my house am I?' she snarled, her brow crumpled in anger. 'I've got plenty of people telling me how I should act without adding you to the list Sirius Black.'
'Well quit being so bloody cryptic then and spit out whatever the hell is bothering you!'
They glared at each other furiously over the table. 'Lord Voldemort is gaining power.' Said Eileen finally, visibly deflating.
Whatever Sirius had expected, it certainly wasn't this. She looked around nervously before speaking again.
'Look, I don't know what you know about what's happening outside this school now and to be honest I'm not sure what's going to happen. What I do know is that something is starting and I don't want to be found on the wrong side of it.' She moved and pulled open the door. Looking back at him she added, 'You and I both know…Blood isn't always pure in the purest of houses.' And with that she swept out of the kitchen, leaving Sirius standing stunned.
Author's note: Hello! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it :) I love hearing from you!