I'd been pushing it off long enough but it was finally time for me to make good on my end of Marren and I's bargain. I was finally going to sleep with Sirius Black.

In one way I was terrified at the thought. I mean, what if I tried to get him to shag me and failed? In another way I was hopeful. Maybe a good romp in bed would be just what I needed to get him off of my mind. Maybe afterwards I could go back to my life pre-Puff.

The Quidditch victory party after the Gryffindor-Slytherin game was the perfect opportunity to make a move. This way no one would even notice he was missing for a good few hours and that would give me plenty of time. Now I just needed to grow the ovaries to do it.

I managed to slip a note into Marren's cloak pocket telling her that the time was finally right and if anything happened she'd be able to find out for herself in the farthest abandoned classroom on the sixth floor at one o'clock the next morning. With that it was set in stone that I had to do whatever I could to meet that deadline. He'd already kissed me so he must have at least kind of found me attractive, right? That meant that he might want me enough to go along with my little seduction scene. I just had to time it right so Potter or Lupin didn't get a chance to stop him. There had to no doubt in Marren's mind at the end of this that Sirius was unfaithful and she needed to have proof that back that allegation up.

I tried to keep things social at first, not wanting to seem like some sort of jungle cat that just pounces on her victim after stalking it. I wanted it to at least seem natural, even if to me it seemed completely like I was setting him up to fail. Well, no. I was giving him an opportunity to fail. It was me opening a door of forbidden opportunity for him. He'd know quite well that he wasn't going to go through it but if he did then it was his own fault. He'd have made his own choice.

Slytherin was trailing behind Gryffindor by twenty points when I finally managed to maneuver to the row behind Sirius and Co. I didn't feel too awkward because Robin had agreed to come with me to make it seem even more social. She didn't seem to mind. She was looking forward to attending the victory party with me afterwards as well. I think she was hoping that there'd be plenty of intoxicated blokes for her to get her claws into.

Gryffindor scored another post and the half of the stadium bellowed with excitement, including Robin and I. Sirius and Marren turned around in surprise, obviously not expecting someone to be behind them. The stands weren't nearly as crowded as they usually were. Several students had refused to attend the game due to the general violence that happened between the Houses. The Gryffindor-Slytherin games had more vicious fan fights happen than the other matches combined.

"Cherry, Robin, fancy seeing you two here," Sirius greeted us politely. Well polite was good but it was nowhere near the lustfulness I needed to make my plan work.

"We come to every Gryffindor match," Robin pointed out. Okay, that was a lie. I came to every game but generally the closest thing she did to going to a game was her smoking under the bleachers.

He raised an eyebrow in interest, "Really?"

"Don't act all surprised," I mocked insult. "Just because I act like I don't care doesn't mean I can stay away from a good match of Quidditch, especially when it's my team playing."

Marren gave me almost what looked like a smile. Well, that was new and different. She'd never done that before.

"And do you both always go to the victory party afterwards?" he inquired curiously.

I nodded, "Hard not to when they're in our Common Room."

He almost blushed, mumbling something before diverting his attention back to the match. James was in rare form, being more aggressive than I'd seen him play before. Maybe he was sick of having a close game with the Slytherins or he was just trying to relieve some aggression he was feeling.

I searched the Pitch for any sight of the Snitch, wishing that the match would be over so I could get on with my plan. I was beginning to dread what I had to do and the damage I promised to cause and I just wanted it over with.

I wouldn't be the only one hurting from this. Marren was fragile, something that became obvious from her little Calming Draught addiction. She wanted to know if Sirius was unfaithful but just because she wanted to know didn't mean she should. Deep down she might have known that he was cheating on her but having it brought out to the light where it was unarguably happening. And the others… Potter, Lupin, Evans, Pettigrew and all of Marren's Hufflepuff friends wouldn't understand. They wouldn't believe that this was all Marren's idea. I'd be stamped as an everyday home wrecker and that'd be all they'd see.

I promised Marren I'd do it and she deserved answers. She deserved to be confronted with the truth and if no one else was going to grow the ovaries to get her that truth then I was just going to have to do it myself.

Ethan Young, the Quidditch commentator and my personal stalker, was blasting through the pitch. He was almost too loud for his words to be clear enough to hear. "And Potter steals the Quaffle from Avery, speeding down the Pitch. He looks like he's about to score! WAIT, WHAT IS THAT? IT APPEARS THAT SMIDGEON FROM GRYFFINDOR HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!"

I craned my head, trying to see the midget-sized Seeker dive from the Golden Snitch. She went plunging straight down the pitch, speeding towards the flying gold ball. How pathetic is it that half of the Wizarding World was mesmerized by a game of playing with balls? I guess since I was one of those simple folks who were hit with Quidditch fever I really couldn't complain too much. I suppose that just goes to show how easily entertained we are.

I tried to get on my tip-toes trying to see her as dove down before the edge of the stands and out of view. "Why do I have to be so short?" I complained under my breath as I continued trying to catch a peek of the speeding Seeker.

"OH BUT LOOK AT THAT! RAINSON IS ON HER TAIL! THEY'RE RACING TOWARDS THE SNITCH! THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE CLOSE CALL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! SMIDGEON'S REACHING OUT FOR IT BUT IT APPEARS THAT RAINSON IS TRYING TO KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM! COME ON, REFEREE! HE'S OBVIOUSLY COBBING!" Through the crowd I could see Young on his feet, frantically making obnoxious gestures with his arms. I also saw Professor McGonagall physically pulling him back into his seat, looking livid as her mouth seemed to move a mile a minute. I was definitely glad that it was him and not me. "Alright fine. SMIDGEON IS SPEEDING TOWARDS THE SNITCH, FLYING AT IT WITH INCREDIBLE SPEED. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S HER SMALL SIZE MAKING HER AERODYNAMIC OR THE FACT THAT SHE'S ON THE BEST BROOM THAT MONEY CAN BUY BUT THERE'S NO WAY THAT SLYTHERIN IS GOING TO RECOVER THE SNITCH. THE SNITCH IS PLUMMETING TOWARDS THE GROUND WITH SMIDGEON CLOSE BEHIND IT! SHE'S LEANING FORWARD – showing off her impeccable chest if I might say – AND SHE'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS 370 – 180!"

I let out a squeal of excitement, uncharacteristically jumping in my seat. I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment even if I hadn't even been the one playing. Gryffindor was victorious against Slytherin the way it was supposed to be.

I wasn't the only Gryffindor celebrating either. Robin was even screaming gleefully at the final score, giving me an almost hysterical hug. I don't know if it was what she'd been smoking earlier kicking in or if she'd finally uncovered a deep love for Quidditch but she looked like she'd just been named Minister of Magic.

Sirius was bellowing his congratulations to the team, a wide grin plastered to his face. He squeezed Marren into him, bringing out a hint of jealousy. She didn't even look like she was having a good time! She probably didn't even like Quidditch. Knowing her it was probably too loud for her and too dangerous for her anxiety issues. I knew that he didn't like leaving her anymore since he found out about the Calming Draughts but she looked miserable, like this was the last place in the world she wanted to be. It was just another sign that they didn't belong together. She was too mild for him. He needed someone who enjoyed life as much as he did, someone who wasn't scared of her own shadow. What he needed was me.

I was almost surprised with myself when I first thought about it. I'd come to terms with my attraction to him, blaming it mostly on lust, but I'd hadn't really thought of it as more than that. It was just sexual attraction, hormones making my brain make me want to shag his brains out. The fact that I liked Quidditch and he liked Quidditch should have nothing to do with that. This had to have been deeper than sex. Did I want more than that?
The idea of it literally blew me away. I was just trying to make this lust for him go away, wasn't I? I was just trying to uphold my end of the bargain with Marren, wasn't I? This had nothing to do with having feeling above the waist from him.

"Cherry? Cherry, everyone's leaving," Robin tugged on my arm. "It's time to go get ready for the party."

I snapped out of my thoughts, noticing that she was right. Sirius and Marren and all their mates had already left. "Bloody hell," I muttered to myself as I followed behind her, trailing behind the masses as we headed back towards the masses.

"So…" Robin started up light conversation, hooking her arm around mine, "What are you going to wear tonight?"

I shrugged, "Dunno. I guess I really haven't thought much about it."

"Well I suggest you wear something low cut," she told me. "He spent half the time we were there glancing at your tits."

I rolled my eyes. She might have been right but more than likely she was just being her overly blunt and tactless self. She might have been right in a way but I just didn't want to look easy or sleazy. Attractive yes, slaggish no. "I'll think about it," I told her to placate her.

"Oh red's a good color," she suggested. "It's the color of passion and it looks pretty good on you."

I had to disagree. I thought red was cliché and often made people look more like a traffic light than a seductress. Besides despite what she said wearing red often clashed with my cherry colored hair. In fact I was beginning to get tired of my red locks. It made me look like some sort of childish rebel trying to brass her parents off. I suppose that was exactly why I'd done it in the first place but I wasn't a child anymore. It wasn't who I was anymore. I outgrew it and it was time for me to move on.

"I think I want to go back to being blond," I commented off-handedly.

She looked at me in surprise, "What?"

I shrugged, "It's just not me anymore. I've had red hair for too long."

"But – But that's the point," she argued, "It's who you are. It's your trademark. It's the entire reason you're Cherry."

I shrugged yet again, "It's just not me anymore. Besides it clashed with everything."

She definitely looked like she was in shock. I suppose after nearly five years of having me use my hair as a blinding display against rebelling against Merlin knows what that might have been a bit of a shock to her that I was considering putting it aside. The more I thought about it the more convinced I was in my pursuit. I knew I was doing the right thing for me even if she didn't quite understand.

It felt almost liberating when I shed the red. I felt less like I was expected to be some rebel without a cause and I could just be myself. It was just me giving up these pathetic attempts at rebelling at anything and everything. It was just me growing up. I felt free and maybe that freedom would help me get through the night.

I decided on trying to tone it down a bit, not wanting to come as though I was walking into tonight with the assumption that I was going to end up trying to seduce him. I needed to be more natural than that, more subtle.

Despite Robin's protests I went back to my original blond. I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. In a way I looked older and in another I looked like every other girl at Hogwarts and for the first time I didn't mind. I suppose that was a big part of growing up, losing the need to always be running against the crowd.

To placate her and her increasingly bad mood I agreed to take her advice and wear a relatively low cut dark red shirt under my leather jacket. I couldn't believe I was looking at myself in the mirror. It looked like I'd taken some sort of Polyjuice Potion or something.

"He's going to practically get hard just looking at you," Robin informed me somewhat proudly as she applied a dark layer of eyeliners on me. I didn't exactly appreciate being used as a life-size doll but I didn't have the energy to fight her off AND prepare myself for the big event. I mean, persuading a taken guy to seduce you without him knowing that you're persuading him is a bitch. It was very clear in Marren and I's talks that he had to be seducer and the instigator. I could… push him in the right direction. It was like I said before about opening the door. If I pushed him through it then it would completely ruin everything I'd been working for.

"So… Do you know what you're going to say?" she questioned almost in a pushy maternal behavior as she began putting a shade of red lipstick on me. I don't know what her fascination with the color red was but she seemed to think that I needed to be covered in it.

I shrugged, "No idea."

"And do you know where you're going to take him?" she continued to press, brushing lint of my shoulder.

"An empty classroom on the sixth floor," I replied. At least I knew the answer to one out of the two questions. I was one for two.

"And how are you going to get him away from his mates? Potter and Lupin won't make it easy for you," she pointed out as she fumbled through my trunk, looking for Merlin knows what.

"I'll figure it out. I'm sure with the crowd I'll be able to find a way to break them up for a few minutes," I answered, feeling a bit less sure of myself whenever she brought up an aspect I hadn't thought of.

"And when is the Puff meeting you?" she inquired as she pulled a pair of black stud earrings out of my trunk. Well at least they weren't red.

"At one," I responded as I took the earrings away from her. The last thing I wanted was her to stab my ears while trying to get it in my pierced hole.

"Right. And I'll be trying to keep Riley occupied and away from you two," she nodded with a rather proud grin.

My stomach immediately plummeted at the thought of Riley. He was another causality of this chaos. I'd been avoiding him for as long as I could, not being able to look at him while knowing that eventually I was going to hurt him. We weren't technically dating so I wouldn't considering it cheating but it surely wasn't anything much nicer.

"Robin, I don't – I don't think I can do this," I admitted shakily, my guilt beginning to take it over.

"What? No, Cher, no. You can't do this to us," she instantaneously jumped into action, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Marren needs you, we've been preparing for this for weeks! You need to grab ahold of yourself, grow some ovaries and man up! You promised her you would help her and you can't back out now!"

She was right. I needed to get ahold of myself and just get over with it. I had promised Marren I would do this. I nodded, slipping on my "Shag Me Pumps" to try to give me some added confidence. "I can do this," I announced, assuring myself more than her.

She slapped my arse the way a coach would do to one of his players, causing me to jump a bit in surprise, "Then let's get out of here, princess!"

I scowled at her, treading lightly down the Dormitory stairs and into the murky unknown that was the party already beginning to spring to life. This was by far not my first Gryffindor victory party but this was the first one that I was acting like some sort of spy out of a muggle novel. I'd been doing alright so far but this was where things were really getting dicey. It was the make or break phase where if I didn't do this right then Marren was never going to get the truth.

I easily spotted Sirius standing by the makeshift bar Potter had set up on one of the tables. "Go get him," she told me, giving me a push in his direction.

I obeyed her but still gave her a glare over my shoulder as I sauntered up to him. "Wotcher Black," I greeted him.

He looked at me in bewilderment, "Cherry? Bloody hell, I hardly recognized you! You look – Wow, you look amazing."

I tried my best not to blush, "Thanks."

He continued to stare at me, making me a bit uncomfortable. Eventually he coughed a bit, recovering from his little moment of awkwardness, "So… How about we get out of here and go someplace a bit quieter? I – erm – have something I want to talk you about. You know, for our Muggle Studies project."

I highly doubted that he really had anything to talk to me about when it came to our abandoned project but I took the bait. If anything it'd give me an opportunity to try to seduce him in private. Or rather seduce him into seducing me I suppose. "Sure. I know a place that Prefects hardly ever patrol."

I led him out of the Common Room, trying to keep myself calm and even minded. I had to get through the night. I had to survive it. I didn't have a choice about it. I just had to man up and get it over with no matter how much I didn't want to.

"Are you sure Prefects hardly patrol down here?" he questioned as we made our way down the sixth floor corridor towards the classroom that Marren and I had arranged him to get caught cheating. Of course, he didn't know about the arrangement but that didn't mean it didn't exist.

I shook my head, "They never come this far down the corridor. Nothing really is on this floor so they generally only skim it. I found that out earlier this year."

"With Alexander?" he stated more than questioned with disdain.

I sighed as I opened the classroom door, "What's your problem with Riley anyways? You haven't said a nice thing about him since I met you."

"I think you know the answer to that," he replied as he entered into the dark classroom ahead of me.

I took a deep breath to collect my wits before following him inside, "Not particularly. I don't exactly sit around all day trying to theorize why you hate people. If I did then it'd take me a year just to get through Slytherin House."

He closed the door behind me, leaving us in the dark. "You once told me when I decided to man up and admit I was jealous of Alexander I should come find you."

I nodded, "I remember."

"Well I was jealous," he told me. I couldn't see him in the dark but I could I could see his shadowy outline.

"I know," I nodded even though he couldn't see me.

"I've never met anyone like you before, Cherry," he informed me and I could feel him in dark, moving closer and closer to me until the hair of the back of my neck was on end. "You're intriguing, hardheaded and ridiculous. You've been plaguing my thoughts since the day we were assigned that damn Muggle Studies project. I can't stop thinking about you. It's like you're haunting me everywhere I go. At first I just wanted you to leave me alone so the torment would be over but eventually I realized I didn't want that. Not really. I know now after what happened in the library that you don't feel the same way towards me but I had to tell you anyways."

"Sirius, I – I never said –" I began to argue.

My argument didn't get too far. Let's just say his lips were a very good conversation stopper after all. He kissed me differently than the night at the library. This was more urgent, passionate like he was afraid if he waited too long he'd lose me.

I pulled away for a moment, "Sirius –"

He pressed a warm finger to my lips, "No, love, tonight there's not going to be any arguing. Tonight you're mine."

I was definitely not going to argue with that. I only had until one o'clock to get out all of my lust and attraction for him out. I had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. I nodded in response, agreeing with him.

He pulled me flesh against him, allowing me to breath him in. I could feel his hands sliding down me, eventually coming to rest on my waist. I had to admit that though he was blind in the dark he was still nowhere out of his element, moving just as smoothly as he would have in the light. "From that conversation I also remember you displaying interest in seeing my stamina firsthand," he breathed in my ear.

My knees suddenly felt gelatinous. So much for me being a great seductress. I could hardly take what I dished out. With my power of speech completely MIA I could only nod foolishly in reply.

"Well then, love, I'll try not to disappoint."

Sex with Sirius Black had always been idolized and put on a pedestal so high that I originally thought it would physically be impossible for him to be nearly as good as rumors stated. I was wrong. It made every other sexual experience I'd ever had look like an awkward amateur grope in a broom cupboard in comparison. Maybe it was his experience but I couldn't help but thinking that it was the fact that I wanted him so much. I'd never desired someone as I did him. There was Riley but he – He didn't awaken the same sort of primitive, carnal instincts that Sirius did. With Riley there would have always been a sort of craving left over, nagging at me that I needed more. With Sirius it was like it could read my mind. Everything I wanted him to do I would find him doing moments later. He knew what I wanted better than any other bloke before, whether that was a testament of what he knew what I wanted personally or just his ability to read his bedmates.

Part of me felt like I couldn't breathe and another part of me felt like I would never need to breathe again. It felt something along the lines of what I imagined it'd feel like to have to race to make up for moving in slow motion for too long. I felt like I was laying there on the cold oak desk while the world sped by me.

Having the world speed by was by far not the worst thing about that night. It was the anxiety about what I knew was coming. Marren was going to come through the door and shit was going to hit the fan and I couldn't fix it.

"Cherry? Love, what's wrong?" Since when was he an observant bloke? I had always thought the role of the perceptive Marauder belonged to Lupin…

"I'm sorry," I told him, knowing that if I was ever going to get him to forgive me, though it was doubtful that it was possible, that I'd have to apologize early and often.

"What are you talking about, love?" I couldn't see him but I knew he was giving me one of his "I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about-but-I'm-smiling-anyways" smiles. "You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"Yes, I – You don't know but I – I did something really stupid," I admitted, soothing my inner nerves by stroking along his knuckles. "I didn't know though. I didn't know then what I know now and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I ever said yes."

"Cherry, pet, you aren't making sense," the amount of concern in his voice began to double by the second. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Marren – I – You're going to be so angry," I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm sorry."
"Cher, you're beginning to worry me. What about Ali? Did you do something to her?" He might have just shagged me but his concern was still her. What was that supposed to mean? I didn't even know how to feel about that.

"I said yes."

"Yes to what, love?"

Suddenly there was a strong Lumos charm brightening up the room, causing me to shelter my eyes from the light. "I can't believe." I'd recognize that fragile voice anywhere. Apparently it was one o'clock already. "I can't believe you would actually do this to me."

I immediately went to the task of dressing, not bother to share eye contact with either Marren or Sirius.

"Ali, please," Sirius immediately began to try to do damage control with his girlfriend who, for a generally spineless Puff, was looking impressively angry. "You have to let me explain, pet."

She ignored his pleads, turning to me, "Thank you."

I gave her a queasy smile, feeling as though I was going to vomit at any moment, "Any time, Marren." I could see Sirius looking between us in confusion but I tried my best to ignore it, ducking out of the classroom at lightning speed without even bothering to make myself look. After all I was crumbling fast and though I did many things that day I swore I'd never do while sharing secrets in the dark, falling to pieces in front of someone was still something I refused to do.

A/N: Evan here and oh my dead God that was the most exhausting chapter I've ever written (and one of the longest). I hope you all liked it and if not then tough tiddlywinks :P. Oh and one last thing (I forgot to address this during my last chapter so I've got to make a note of it this time around), neither one of us, either myself or Javalon14 are male. Yep, we're both pretty female and when I say "pretty" I mean we're definitely women just so you know. Oh and this is in response to a review earlier about questioning genders of us writers and it's not just one of my usual rants that make no sense why they're there or where they came from. Just so you know!

Evan