A/N: Hi. Chapter 9. Weeee. By the way, you guys should watch Legend of Korra. Okay, bye. And I have done so much school writing today this isn't even funny. So if I sound like a politician, I greatly apologize.
"I can't believe that just happened!" Rachel yelled. Her voice was muffled by the pillow on the couch in the common room.
Marlene sighed and sat beside Rachel. She patted her friend's shoulder and Rachel sat up slowly. She ended up burying her face in Marlene's shoulder.
"What if James saw that," Rachel muttered. "That would be so embarrassing, oh Merlin."
Marlene sighed once more. "All right Rachie Boo, let me tell you something," Marlene began. Rachel looked up at her skeptically but allowed her to continue. "Sirius Black likes to play with girls and their emotions, it's just who he is. It's all good fun for him and most girls are trampy and stupid enough to fall for it and be okay with it. It's sad that I did."
"But that's the thing Marlene!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed. "I know that it's all just a bit of fun for him and he doesn't really care. And that's why I don't want to fall for him. He's not right, Marlene. This is going to ruin me. Because I am falling. I'm going to fall hard, Marlene."
"Let me finish, you twat," Marlene snapped. "Do you know what else Sirius Black does? He let's the girls pine for him, beg for him, dream of him, for Merlin's sake! And then he simply gives them a good shag or something and moves on to the next in line. You never wanted him to begin with, he wanted you."
"Wow, I feel so special," Rachel replied sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.
"Twistedly enough, you should," Marlene responded. "Sirius doesn't know the definition of caring for someone and having feelings for someone. But he managed to have feelings for you. If anyone's going to get hurt, it'll be him."
"I don't understand," Rachel said with a frown.
"Rachel, you've got the upper hand!" Marlene exclaimed happily. "Falling for him was just a bonus!"
Slowly, Rachel understood what Marlene was saying.
And she quickly came to a conclusion as she buried her face into her arms and replied, "I still don't know if I can trust him."
"Talk to James," Marlene said matter-of-factly while opening her schoolbooks.
Rachel's head sprang up and she sharply replied, "What?"
"They're like brothers," Marlene replied. "Sirius would tell James anything."
"Why had I not thought of this before?" Rachel exclaimed, standing up.
"Because you're not Magnificent Marlene," replied Marlene.
But Rachel had already run off.
"Hey there, James," Rachel greeted, falling into step wit her qudditch captain. "How's life treating you?"
"Good…" James replied cautiously. "Coming down to practice?"
"Practice?" Rachel asked, her eyes widening.
"Yes, practice," James replied. "Did you forget?"
"No!" Rachel answered quickly. "Of course not."
Rachel quickly took out her wand and held it behind her back, thinking a quick accio broom. After a moment, she felt her broom fly into her hands. James didn't notice anything.
Success.
"Good," he replied. "Wouldn't want my seeker forgetting practice."
"No, no!" Rachel supported. "So. Been told any juicy secrets lately?"
James turned to Rachel, confused. "Uh, I don't think so," he replied. Then, he smirked. "Unless you have something you want to tell me. Dating anyone, Fredricks?"
"Why's it any of your business?" Rachel snapped.
"I'm your captain," James started, "and I would like to know when two of my players are fraternizing in the dungeons."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rachel replied simply.
"So you haven't got the hots for Sirius?" James asked skeptically.
"Nope," Rachel shook her head.
"Well, he likes you," he replied matter-of-factly.
"And that's all I needed to know!" Rachel exclaimed triumphantly, leaving James standing in the halls and rather confused.
Rachel skipped happily into the girls' dormitory after quidditch practice.
"Do we need to get a Healer?" Lily asked worriedly.
"Nope. I'm fine," Rachel replied with a smile.
"Oh, she's definitely feeling okay," Marlene added.
Lily looked between the two of them and said, "Seriously, what are you hiding?"
Marlene smirked and looked at Rachel for permission to divulge the details. Rachel shrugged and sat on her bed. Marlene gladly told Lily everything. Everything.
"Okay!" Rachel quickly stopped Marlene after awhile. "I think she gets the point."
Lily slowly nodded. "Um, yeah. Okay. So, what I think is, you should go snog him."
"Still don't trust him," Rachel sighed.
"What?" Marlene exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?"
Rachel shook her head. "No. This is Sirius Black we're talking about."
"For once, Rachel, you said something smart," Lily praised.
"What?" Marlene repeated.
"Yeah," Rachel sighed. "Only time will tell."
Rachel was still enjoying the confines of her bed when she felt something brutally land on her face and claw away at her flesh.
"Bloody hell!" she screamed. Rachel rolled out of her bed and fell on the ground, her back breaking her fall for the millionth time since that bloody kiss in Hogsmeade.
The culprit, a small tabby kitten, gracefully jumped out of Rachel's hair, hissed at her, and walked away towards her master.
Dorcas.
"You can't just order your cat to attack people in their sleep!" Rachel shouted at her friend. "It's wrong, immoral, and highly bothersome!"
"I thought you were dead," Dorcas shrugged as she sat on her bed.
"And it's Saturday!" Rachel whined, lying down on the ground and attempting to go back to sleep.
"Yeah, but you're awake now," Dorcas said. "so get dressed and let's get down to breakfast."
Rachel sighed and got up hesitantly. Dorcas cat hissed at her and Rachel made a face at it.
Dorcas rolled her eyes. "You're so immature."
"I hate cats and cats hate me," Rachel confirmed. She sent a glare to Dorcas' cat. "Quite evidently."
And with that, Rachel entered the bathroom and washed and changed for breakfast. She walked out and walked down to the Great Hall with Dorcas, where they met up with Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Mary for breakfast.
"What's up, buttercup?" Lily greeted.
"Not much, breakfast bunch," Rachel greeted as she sat down next to her redheaded friend.
They ignored the strange looks they were given and divulged into their scrambled eggs and bacon.
Rachel exited the library late one Tuesday night in April. It was the peak of schoolwork at this point and Rachel was just barely striving, but she was making it through… somehow.
She walked through the dark and empty halls with a disillusionment charm cast on her so she wouldn't get caught after curfew. Her footsteps left soft echoes bouncing off the walls as she rushed to the dormitory.
She was a few meters away from a corner when she heard footsteps. Some whispers. Some shadows. And then it was quiet.
And then someone was approaching the corner.
Rachel's heart raced as she thought up the worst scenarios possible. She would get caught and her reputation would be tarnished. She would be attacked again, just like in the dungeons, if not worse. She would be pranked. Her books would get stolen.
Her surprise was unyielding when she saw that the person that turned the corner was Sirius. He obviously couldn't see her because of the disillusionment charm.
However, some part of her willed her to grab her wand and quietly and shakily mutter the counter-spell to reveal herself.
As if a small part of her was beginning to trust him. Just a little bit.
His eyes immediately shifted to her when the charm had disappeared. Instead of looking surprised, annoyed, or astonished, he looked… a little bit happier. Brighter. As if his night had just been made.
He looked back down the corridor he came from and then quietly but quickly walked over to Rachel.
"Nice evening for a stroll," she muttered timidly once he had stopped right in front of her. So close that she could once more see his haunting, hypnotizing grey eyes.
And close enough for her to realize that, this time, she did not smell one bit of cigarette smoke.
"It is quite nice," Sirius replied. "Supposed to be a full moon."
Rachel smiled slowly. "And what would the Marauders be doing on a full moon?"
Sirius didn't smile. Rachel really didn't know what the Marauders did on a full moon and he didn't want to scare her.
Instead, he leaned in a little closer and whispered, "I didn't get to do something last time."
"Last time was quite long ago," Rachel observed rather bitterly.
She leaned in nonetheless.
He was so dangerously close again. It sent her back to the dungeons, back to Hogsmeade. Her eyes fluttered close and once more, she could almost taste the firewhiskey on his lips and smell the rain that would forever be a scent stuck in his hair.
"Padfoot!" the familiar voice of Peter hissed through the silent halls. "Where are you? We can't wait any longer!"
Sirius sprang back and sighed resentfully. He gave Rachel an apologetic look before running off.
And, once again, she was left on her own feeling embarrassed. Because he left her again.
That one ounce of trust she may have had was surely gone now.
I'm sorry. This was somewhat of a filler chapter and not very exciting. But good news... CHAPTER 10 IS BETTER. I think.
-Grammar/spelling?
-Siriusly... go watch Legend of Korra.
-Favourite line?
-Up until now, what was your favourite part in the story?
As my friend says: watch. read. love. ship. ;)
