Yo! I wrote this up during study hall. Hope you like it! ^^

I don't own Harry Potter or the song F.I.N.E by Aerosmith. And, if you're curious, this stands for F****d up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional. But that doesn't have much to do with the story...the lyrics and beat of the song were fitting for the chapter.

Anyways...!

...

I'm a red hot pistol

and I'm ready to fight

I'm a 38 special

on a Saturday night

I'm gonna kiss your boo-boo honey

make it alright

'cause I'm ready, so ready

F.I.N.E by Aerosmith

...

It was the third time that month Michelle had found him seated at the kitchen table, crying into a glass of firewhiskey. She sighed and came up behind him as he took a shuddering breath and began to move his glass around on the table. She pressed her front against his back and placed her hands on his forehead, raking his hair backwards. "Another nightmare?"

She didn't entirely sound sympathetic, but at least she'd asked. Sirius nodded and downed his whiskey, his mouth thick with tears. "I can't help it," Sirius said. "I'm not the same man I was, Mitch. All I can think about is how that RAT got away."

Michelle had no idea what that meant, but figured it had to do with what happened when he'd gotten out. The most he'd told her was that he was innocent, and the man the newspapers said he'd killed had actually been the one to kill all of those people, but he'd escaped, leaving Sirius behind to get arrested. Anything after that and Michelle was clueless.

But what she DID know was that this wasn't Sirius anymore. This wasn't the man who'd asked her out back in seventh year. The man who'd she'd spent the longest relationship of her entire life with. He was no longer outgoing. It had been eight months since he had returned to her. They'd been all over the world, running from wizards who still accused him together. At the moment, they resided in the Caribbean, staying the night in a makeshift hut Sirius had magicked for the two of them. And while there wasn't a wizard or witch for fifty miles, Sirius refused to go out and party with her. The only drinking he did was by himself. He didn't pick up drugs again, which he'd never really enjoyed in the first place, but he hadn't even done it for her. He had, however, started smoking again, and that was the only thing that had gone back to normal.

She hadn't heard his barking laughter once in all of those eight months.

She made up her mind. Throwing his chair around, Michelle straddled his lap, knocking over the bottle of firewhiskey in the process.

"Mitch!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise.

"That is IT!" Michelle said firmly. "If you were anyone else, I would have left you months ago. But you're Sirius Black, Godric avada it! Party animal! Sex god! What happened, huh?"

Sirius' expression was confused. "I..."

"You got boring!" She exclaimed. "I don't know what happened, but if you don't perk up in the next few days, I'm leaving you!"

Sirius didn't want that.

"Like I said, I don't know what happened, but what I do know is this-all of that time spent in Azkaban while you were innocent? Those years are gone. You know what that means?"

Sirius shook his head.

"That means you have to make up for it every moment you can! Do you hear me?"

Sirius nodded.

"Good." Michelle got off of his lap and stood in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now. I want you to sleep on it. And if you've made up your mind by tomorrow afternoon, we're going to party like you haven't been depressed for eight months."

Sirius gave her a ghost of his old, wolfish grin before standing and kissing her. "Thanks, Michelle."

He left the kitchen and headed to the bedroom.

Oh, he'd make up for those years. He'd make up for every last one.

...

The next evening found the two at a very over-the-top party. Sirius hadn't acted like this in years. But he'd put it all behind him. He was dancing and howling and laughing and flirting and drinking and yelling and having the time of his life. He couldn't remember the last time he'd acted like this, but it didn't matter now, because he'd be making up for it in the future. And to Sirius, the future was the next couple of minutes.

Michelle had managed to convince him that he deserved all of this. He had the right to do whatever he wanted and not get in trouble. The ministry couldn't stop him from having a good time, and if he went under a fake name, brushed his hair, shaved his beard and changed his clothes, he could pass off as Steven Stevensons, innocent partier living off of a fortune passed down for generations. Even though he couldn't get into Gringotts without being arrested, he'd previously given access to Michelle, and she continued to take money from their never-ending supply for the both of them.

He continued to write to Harry, helping him whenever he could, remaining sober during the day so he could write and help him with his problems. Harry had turned out to be an amazing kid. He was in his fourth year now and had managed to escape Voldemort for the fourth time in his life. That was quite a big deal, considering it didn't happen every day. He was also quite handsome, like his father had been, and was having the same sort of girl trouble as James-the girl was oblivious to his affections. Sirius was a bit surprised to hear that Hermione had seemed to begin taking a liking to Ronald Weasley, as Molly Weasley, who he'd recently been seeing quite a lot of, was completely insufferable.

Sirius was contacted by Dumbledore, asking if Number 12 Grimmauld Place could be used as a safe house for the Order of the Phoenix, which he was resurrecting. Sirius couldn't have been more enthusiastic. He set to work cleaning it up immediately, pushing back horrid feelings of nostalgia. He was living his life NOW, not then. Then was a horrible time, anyways, living with his awful mother and father.

It was funny. Sirius had spent his entire life trying to get away from the place, and now it was the place everyone came for safety.

Just as with the first Order, Michelle didn't want to have anything to do with it. She said she didn't want to look hypocritical, considering her past and her indecision. Sirius couldn't say he liked that Michelle couldn't seem to choose a side, but as before, he didn't push her. She stayed in their old home and Sirius moved into number 12 once more. He didn't like it at all here, but he didn't say anything, because living here he was surrounded by people who loved him despite his smoking habit, his drinking problem, his all night partying, and his girlfriend. Well, everyone except for Molly Weasley and Snape, who used every chance given them to shove him down.

Sirius didn't let it get to him.

Because, from now on, he was Hogwarts Sirius, and he was boyfriend of Michelle Perez, and he was Order member, and he was late-night partier, and he was THE sex god. And no one could take any of those titles away from him.

Except, maybe, a considerably younger woman. But Sirius didn't know that yet.