A/N: Wow – two chapters in two days! Anyway, this chapter is pretty lousy – I wrote it at about ten o'clock last night and only did one round of editing this morning. Didn't even get to send it to my betareader. Soz, everyone. Hopefully it's not as bad as I think it is.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

Aftermath of the Psychotic Fangirl's Wrath

"Now that it's - it's almost the end of the year," said the DADA professor to his bored and inattentive class, "We should probably start - well, rnataliawing for your exams. And so, if you could all turn to page -"

The door suddenly slammed open, revealing a girl with blonde pigtails and a toothy grin on her face.

"G'day, mates!" she beamed, skipping into the classroom, "Pippi Longstocking is back in class and ready to learn whatever she needs to learn in Herbology! Professor, you're looking as handsome as ever, did you change your shaving cream?"

The class stared at her in amazement.

Richard Murray from the Gryffindor Quidditch team leaned back in his chair, a relieved grin on his face. "About time you showed up, Longstocking," he said, "Me and the mates were going to die of boredom here!"

"Hurrah, it's Pippi!" Pauline chirped, clapping her hands, "It's been awfully tiresome without you!"

"Boredom?" said Pippi, looking offended, "I am not entertainment! I'm here to learn just as much as you are! Now, Professor," she sat in her desk, an inquisitive look on her face, "Please, do go on about the art of croaking puppies, or whatever it is we talk about in Potions class."

From within their hiding place, Sirius and James high-fived. "Pippi Longstocking is back," James winked, "And I must say, she is as high-spirited as ever."

"Poor Professor Deboale," said Lily, frowning, "He looks awful."

"Looks almost as awful as my mother," Sirius sniggered.

Malia laughed as she watched Natalia. "Why is Nat doing this again?" she asked.

"To disrupt classes and traumatize Professor Deboale's life," said Remus, chuckling.

"Moony, two Galleons that Professor Deboale's leaving before the end of the year," James grinned, sticking out his hand. Remus smiled and shook it.

"Deal."

"You're betting on Deboale's leaving? Was this your plan all along?" Lily shrieked, "To cause a professor to resign?"

"Well... we kind of thought of it back in January..." admitted James weakly.

"But then it kind of became a game, you know?" protested Peter, "I mean, Nat hasn't a clue that we're betting on her..."

"You're all so immature," Lily muttered, crossing her arms, "I don't even know why I'm here anyway."

"Marco!" Pippi sang when Professor Deboale had just regained his composure. That didn't last very long.

"Polo!" the rest of the class chanted back. They sniggered loudly.

"P-Please! Miss Longstocking, if you would -"

"Marco!" Simon called, grinning widely.

"Polo!"

"Mr. Taylor, please don't -"

"Marco!" came another call from the other side of the classroom.

"That's why," Sirius grinned as he looked through the window, finding the poor professor going mad trying to quiet his class and teach them something, for once.

"Professor!" Pippi screamed suddenly, "There are scorpions growing out of your earlobes!"

Ever since he was let out of the Hospital Wing on Tuesday, Sirius had been behaving normally. He seemed to be back to his old self; from jinxing Slytherins, to laughing and joking with his friends, to passing with flying colors on his classes. Whatever he smelled in the Amortentia must not have been around anymore.

It was Wednesday night, a few hours after dinner, that the gang decided to make a seventh-year study session. Actually, it was more of Lily's idea...

"I've recently done a survey," said Natalia, stretching her arms, "and 100 out of 100 people say that studying is bad for your health."

"It doesn't count when 'Studying is bad for your health' is the only choice you give them," muttered Lily as she took notes.

Sirius snorted. "Nat's an idiot," he grinned. Natalia stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine, Mr. Smarty," she said, taking a large book from him and setting it on her lap, "Tell me this: When was Anne Boleyn, a witch, publicly executed?"

"May 19, 1536," said Sirius smugly, "I just read that part."

"Ooh... good try," said Natalia merrily, "It was May 2, 1536! Haha, who's the idiot now?" Remus and Malia laughed as Natalia stuck her tongue and mocked Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes but smiled.

"What? That can't be right!" Sirius leaned over and checked the book. He snorted, "Natalia! You really are an idiot! That was the day Anne Boleyn was arrested! Merlin, you're thick."

"Oh, shut up," Natalia retorted, "Let me ask you more questions so I can squander your brain cells."

"As if," he grinned, leaning closer, "I already know all that stuff." There was a familiar scent in her hair.

"Move over! Merlin, I can't breathe with all that male perfume on!" Natalia shoved him over, pinching her nose, "It smells something awful!" She gave Sirius a wary gaze when he said nothing, but stared at her with eyes as glazed as a donut. "Sirius? What's wrong with you?"

This question caught the attention of the rest of their study group. Simultaneously, they all turned their heads.

Sirius stared at Natalia. "I - I -" he choked out, "I love you."

Natalia's reaction was as smooth and graceful as Nearly Headless Nick's execution.

"WHAT?" Natalia shouted, jumping up and tripping over the couch, "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"I - I can't stop thinking about you," said Sirius earnestly, "I love you, Leona."

Lily's eyes immediately flashed with understanding. "It's the Amortentia," she said, walking over, "He must've smelled something. And - he thinks you're Leona, Nat."

"What? I'm not Leona!" Natalia looked outraged, taking the comment as a personal insult.

"Of course you are," said Sirius, smiling like a doofus, "And that's why I lo-" His gray eyes suddenly lost its glazed look and snapped back to reality. He stared at Natalia as if she were a troll.
Natalia gave him a steely glare.

"Gah! Ack! It wasn't my fault!" Sirius said, looking horrified, "I swear!"

"For your sake, Black," said Natalia, shaking her head, "You'd better."

"Well, whatever it was, at least we know what to expect," Lily sighed, "It'll last at most a week or two. If it doesn't, we'll just go see Pomfrey again."

You've never seen the way you look at her like I have! You've never seen the way you look at her like I have! You've never... you've never...

"You alright there, mate?" said James, looking at him worriedly. Sirius blinked his eyes a couple of times and grinned tiredly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured, "Must be the Love Potion again."

"Obviously!" Natalia spat. She was at the foot of the stairs, with her wand held out and a barrier of dead canaries at her feet. "You killed my shield!"

"I - I'm sorry!" protested Sirius, "It's not my fault, honestly! I'm a drugged man!"

Peter frowned at the graveyard of birds at his feet. "Why'd you use canaries?"

"Because I thought he couldn't kill a flock of cute birds," Natalia muttered as she used her wand to vanish them, "I was wrong."

"Alright, from now on, Sirius and Nat are to stay a minimum of ten feet away from each other," said Lily, "Because this always seems to happen when the two of them are close together."

"Ooh," said Malia, giggling, "Maybe Sirius likes Nat's shampoo? I happen to think it smells quite nice too."

"What? No bloody way," said Sirius, glaring at Natalia, "she smells like a perspiring dragon!"

"Oh Sirius," grinned Natalia, raising her wand, "I never knew you fancied that scent. Here, have a bucket of it!" Seconds later, Sirius smelled of a most awful smell.

"God, Lynx!" Remus clutched his nose, "Not all of us fancy that smell!" He cast the Bubble-Head Charm on himself, before the others followed suit.

Sirius was confused. He couldn't stop thinking about what Leona had said about him and Natalia. It wasn't true... Leona was mad. She had to be, she just had to be. He didn't like Natalia in that way, she was just his mate. But still...

"I love you, Leona!" whined the lovestruck boy.

"Leona loves you as well," said Natalia tiredly, rolling her eyes. She had long since given up on trying to snap Sirius back to his senses. Honestly, it had only been a week, and Lily said that it might take two.

"The bloke's taking one of the most sacred words in the English language and overuses it like Lily's wand polish," she muttered, "bloody hell." She had gone to see Madam Pomfrey, the woman assured that it was normal and the sudden lapses would go away as soon as the Love Potion had been totally flushed out of his system. Oddly enough, it only happened to Natalia, and not to Lily or Malia.

"It's probably because you look like Leona," said Lily wisely, "or rather, she looks like you. Don't forget, she's a Metamorphmagus."

And so, Natalia alone was forced to deal with Sirius' lapses of devoted longing and unnatural love. One of the first few times, he had tried to snog her, which had freaked her out immensely and sent Sirius flying out a window.

"I would die for you," said Sirius feverishly, "I will do anything you ask."

"I know you will, Sirius," said Natalia, angry with Leona for making Sirius so sickening pathetic. Usually these moments lasted only about a minute or two, where Sirius would shake out of his thoughts and Natalia would give him a very hard whacking.

"You are such a git," she said, punching Sirius in the arm when he finally came out of it, "of all girls, you had to go out with the one who tries to seduce you with Amortentia!"

"I didn't know!" protested Sirius, "How many times have I told you, I'm sorry!"

"Drunk monkey," said Natalia, "Don't think I haven't forgotten the time you tried to snog me during Charms!"

"I haven't forgotten that either," muttered Sirius, painfully remembering being thrust out the third floor window. He would've died, had Professor Flitwick not saved him at the last second before Sirius smashed to the ground. Natalia had lost twenty points and gained a detention, something she wasn't entirely happy about.

Natalia sighed and flopped on the couch, just as Lily and James came back from Head Duties. "When is this going to end?" she asked.

"Sirius tried to do you again, did he?" said James, looking sympathetic. Natalia nodded, as though she were a worn soldier returning from battle. Lily sighed and shook her head sadly.

"Oi, it's not my fault!"

"Give it a few more days," said Lily encouragingly, "He'll probably be better in a few days."

"For his sake," said Natalia, turning to Lily seriously, "He'd better."

"Aw, but I lurve you, Nat," said Sirius. He was grinning mockingly and it was obvious that he was in full control of his mind, but Natalia wasn't looking at him. Shocked, she jumped and ran over to Lily.

"See?" she hissed, "It's getting worse! He's calling my name now!" She then heard the barking laughter of Sirius, and stared back at him. "You git!"

"Don't call the person who loves you a git," said Sirius, still laughing, "Merlin, you should have seen your face..." Natalia turned to James, who grinned sheepishly.

"It was pretty funny, the way your face looked," he admitted reluctantly, looking as if he wanted to laugh, but hardly dared with Natalia's wand in front of his face.

A Few Hours Later...

"Head Duties are so boring," complained James as he and Lily walked around the school, "I mean, doesn't Filch do that already?"

"Oh, stop whining," said Lily, "It's our responsibility, and we might as well do it right. Where are the torches around here, I can't see a dratted thing! Lumos!"

"Aww, Lily doesn't like the dark, does she?" said James mischievously, walking closer beside her, "because I happen to think it's... exciting."

"Oh, do you now?" a voice purred in the background. Someone emerged from the shadows and stepped into Lily's light, revealing herself.

"L-Lillis," Lily gasped, put off by her dark violet eyeshadow, "What are you doing here? It's - it's after curfew!"

"So, James," said Lillis, licking her lips and ignoring Lily, "You like the dark, don't you?" Her purple-based makeup glittered with suggestiveness and mischief.

"I'll - I'll give you detention!" sputtered Lily, "You've got to go back to your common room!"

Lillis turned around to face Lily. Lily tried not to be too intimidated by her tough look and scorn.

"What's wrong, Evans? Angry? Jealous?" she smirked, "I thought you detested him."

"Actually," said Lily indignantly, putting her hands on her hips, "We're going out!"

Lillis raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "Really? Well," she faced James again, winking, "That just makes me more interested. Tell me, Potter, have you ever kissed a girl with a tongue ring?"

James was stunned. "I - er -"

Lillis leaned in, her mouth to his ear. "I bet Evans doesn't have one. She's too... good for one." James could smell the scent of cigarettes from her breath.

"Stop it! He - he doesn't fancy you!" said Lily, her face red. Her hands were shaking with fury, and it showed from the effects of her trembling wand light.

"How would you know, Evans? Don't you think I could... satisfy him more? I mean, why would the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain have any interest in some little redheaded goody-two-shoes? Hm, Evans?"

"I - I - I'll show you!" Lily marched over towards James and shoved Lillis to one side. She cupped James face and pressed her lips onto his passionately. James' eyes were opened wide as he was experiencing the most fervent snog of his life. Lily stopped kissing James and glared at Lillis triumphantly.

"I - I'm with her," said James, slightly out of breath as he pointed slowly to Lily.

Lillis rolled her eyes and sneered. "Whatever. I never really liked him that much anyway." She tossed back her hair and walked back into the dark, until Lily couldn't see her anymore.

Lily smacked James hard on the shoulder. "What's wrong with you?" she hissed, "You're such a git!"
James moaned from the pain.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I didn't know what to do."

Lily's eyes softened. "Oh, come on," she said, taking his arm gently, "We've got Head Duties, Oh-Great-Quidditch-Captain. Turns out you were more of a catch than I thought," she chuckled.
James smiled weakly.

"You - you know, I can sort of see what Lillis was talking about, I guess," Lily laughed slightly as she walked, "I mean, what do you see in me, anyway, right? I'm just a prissy girl obsessed with studying and following the rules. I'm pretty sure I irritate a lot of people."

"What? No! No you don't!" said James suddenly, coming back to life, "You're not - well... you're kind of obsessed with studying... erm, and I guess you like to follow rules, and some people get annoyed at you, I suppose..."

Lily smacked him. "What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, "You're just agreeing with me!" She gave him a harsh glare.

"Well, I dunno," said James, shrugging, "I guess - I guess that's what I like about you, is all. You're loyal to your friends, and you always try to treat things fairly, and you're concerned about people. Oh, and you're awfully pretty," he added, grinning.

"Pig," Lily muttered, though her face was bright red.

"Aw, but you know you love me," James winked at her.

Lily was still. "I... I might," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. James looked at her, looking surprised.

"What?" he said.

"What, what?" said Lily impatiently, "I didn't say anything! God, you're going mad! We've - we've got Head Duties! Honestly, do I have to do everything by myself?" She stalked off quickly, leaving James behind, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Lily...?"

Chapter End Notes: Aww, James and Lily! How cute… I really hope this chapter and the one before aren't too crappy. I'm just taking advantage of the last homework-free long weekend to update. Very sorry I haven't been replying to all the reviews – all I can say is that while I'm too busy to reply to them, reading each of them makes me really, really happy! Love you guys SO much!