Days in Avalon

Chapter Thirty-three: Just Between You and Me

As the months went on, so did life at Hogwarts. Students were eager for spring weather to dwell upon them. But in the mean time, everyone busied themselves with their work. The fifth and seventh years were preparing for their O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T. exams, while the others concentrated on their projects and reports. The sixth years concentrated on their studies, especially their Transfiguration projects. For their second term, the students were given the assignment of teaching the class a useful spell that would be helpful in everyday life. Many of the students continued on with last semester's routines. Groups would meet up during their breaks and after meals to work on their assignments. That is…all but one.

James and Lily hardly spoke to each other at all. Lily had worked out her problems with Everett and spent most of her free time with him. As for James, he buried himself in Quidditch tactics, plays, and practices. He also had some how taken his friend Sirius's role of the resident Hogwarts hunk. It seemed as if he had a new girl practically every week; a title that Sirius didn't seem to really care fore anymore.

Everyone noticed Sirius's sudden change since his break up with Felicia. He seemed to be more withdrawn then in the past. If people didn't know any better, they would have thought Felicia had broken up with him instead of the other way around. As for Andy, she couldn't have been happier since she met Tristan. The two of them had become so close it was as if they had been dating for years instead of the few short weeks.

As the middle of April rolled about Andy came bouncing down the stairs and into the Great Hall for breakfast before classes started.

"Good morning, everyone!" said Andy brightly.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" asked Felicia as she took a bite of her toast.

"Just because I feel like it," she replied with a shrug.

"Now this wouldn't have anything to do with today being you birthday would it?" said Lily with a raised eyebrow.

Andy gave her a surprised look at her remark. "Today's my birthday? Wow, I didn't even realize it. I guess it is!"

"Ha Ha," laughed Kelly. "Well if you didn't realize it, then I guess you don't really want these then."

With that all of the girls pulled out their gifts and placed them on the table.

"Hey yeah, I want them!" replied Andy as she grabbed the first gift and started ripping open presents. The gifts she had received were a pair of trendy earrings from Kelly, a few shirts from Felicia, a new romance novel from Karen entitled 'Magical Crush', and a scrap book from Lily of the group through the past years.

"Aww…thanks guys! I love them!" said Andy brightly as she piled up her presents on the table. At that point the morning mail came in.

"Mail's in," said Kelly offhandedly. Andy began to pile her plate up with some waffles when a large bird landed right in front of her.

"What the?" she said in surprise. It was then that she noticed a bouquet of red roses attached to the bird's talon. She then untied the string and gave the bird a piece of toast before it flew off.

"Who sent you the flowers?" asked Kelly.

"Tristan," blushed Andy.

"You two have been spending an awful amount of time with each other," commented Felicia.

"Yes. I guess we have. Sorry about that," apologized Andy.

"It's fine," said Lily. "I've got to say Andy; I've never really seen you this happy before. And it's not even because of a prank!"

"Well…I've never really felt this way about a guy before," said Andy shyly. But deep down in her mind one name did pop up that could be compared to what she is feeling for her new boyfriend.

"I'm glad you're happy," said Lily warmly.

"Thanks. I'll see you gals a little later. I'm going to take these up to the room," she said after she practically inhaled two waffles and some hash browns.

"I'll go with you," offered Lily as she grabbed her bag and some of the presents.

As the girls headed out the door Lily saw her boyfriend and gave him a quick smile before she headed upstairs with Andy.

"So, I take it that things are okay between with you and Everett?" asked Andy.

"Of course they are. Why wouldn't they be?" replied Lily.

"No reason," commented Andy. She really didn't want to get into a fight with her friend. For the past couple of weeks, Andy had wanted to say something to her best friend about her boyfriend and James, but she couldn't find the right way to approach the task without her friend blowing up at her.

"What is it?" insisted Lily.

"It's nothing, Lily. Come on we'd better hurry before we're late to class," said Andy as they walked down the hall toward the portrait of the fat lady.

"Andy you can tell me," said Lily as the two of them walked into the common room.

"No I can't because you really wouldn't want to talk about it," said Andy quickly. The moment the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted it.

Lily expression went from one of confusion to understanding. "This about what happened between me and Potter isn't it?"

"Well…yeah. What the hell happened between you too? I mean one minute you guys are getting along and the next you are barely saying two words to each other," said Andy.

"It's complicated," said Lily as she girls walked into their room and dropped off Andy's presents.

"This isn't about that kiss is it? Come on Lily it was months ago!" said Andy. It didn't take her long to figure out who Lily was talking about that night in the Room of Requirement.

"Andy please," said Lily.

"I'm just trying to understand why you would let a stupid little kiss get in the way of spending time with your Transfiguration partner. Or have you decided to work on the entire project by yourself?"

Lily didn't say a word as she sat on her bed while she watched her friend dig through her trunk trying to find a vase.

"Or is it Everett who's keeping you from him?" said Andy.

"My boyfriend does not control me," barked Lily.

"Okay then. Why have you stopped talking to Potter than if you said your over the kiss?" asked Andy.

At this point, Lily was getting quite tired of this conversation and decided to end it quickly. "I don't know Andy. Probably the same reason why you stopped hanging around Black. Now why is that?"

"I don't really want to talk about it, Lily," barked Andy as she glared at Lily while searching her trunk.

"Fine."

"Besides, you're one to talk. Ms. I only converse with James Potter through owls," grumbled Andy loudly as she went back to her task.

"Andy, don't start," asked Lily tiredly.

"Fine! Now where the bloody hell is that vase. Ah! Here it is," she said as she pulled out a glass vase from her trunk. She filled it with water and placed the flowers next to her bed on her nightstand.

"There, perfect!"

"You really do like this guy, don't you?" said Lily with a small smile.

"Yes. I do. I don't think I've really ever felt this happy before. Tristan is a good guy. He's not just some bloke who thinks he can score. He's completely different from al the other guys I went out with," said Andy brightly.

"I'm glad you're happy."

"Thanks."

"We should get going. Class is about to begin."

"Right. Off we go," said Andy as she gave her flowers one last look before leaving.

As the two of them walked down to the common room, Andy looked through her bag to check to make sure she had her Transfiguration homework.

"Ah crap!" she chimed.

"What is it?"

"I forgot my assignment," sighed Andy in annoyance. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up with you."

"Okay but hurry though."

"Yes mother," joked Andy.

She ran quickly back up to her room and dashed to her night stand where she left her assignment on. As she was about to leave, she heard an owl hoot softly. There on her bed was a white and brown owl holding a letter and a white rose in its talon. Curious about the sight, Andy went over and retrieved the letter. The moment she got the not off its talon, the owl flies back out the window.

"Hey wait…what?" called Andy. She looked down and began to examine the white rose and a slight smile formed on her face. White roses have always been her favorite.

'I wonder when Tristan found out.' she thought to herself as she opened the note.

'I've seen you almost everyday, and thought of you as someone else. Now that I have met the real you, I know now that I was wrong to think of you like that. I was a foolish person to not realize what kind of star you really are. A shinning star that is sweet, kind, thoughtful, and loyal to her heart. A heart that I've grown fond of. But alas, a heart I could never make as happy as it is now. The only wish I have on your day is for you to be happy with the ones you are with. Please accept this rose as token of a start of a new chapter. A perfect rose for a perfect heart. Happy Birthday Miranda.'

There was no signature on it, she noticed as she scanned the note over and over again. Normally when she received notes from secret admirers they were written so carelessly. But this…this was something different. As she looked it over for the tenth time, she saw something familiar about the handwriting.

"Who could have sent this? The only guy that remembers what roses I like is James," said Andy aloud to herself.

Noticing what time it was, she quickly gave the rose one last look before she placed it in the center of the other roses. She pocketed the note and ran down the stairs as she stuffed her assignment into her bag. When she arrived in the common room, she almost ran head on into someone as he was heading out the portrait.

"Oh, sorry. Sirius!" said Andy as she recognized the boy.

"Sparky," he said with a nod as he held the door open for her. As she walked past him, she got a clearer view of his face.

In her opinion, he looked as if he hadn't gotten a decent night's rest for a few days. He was also looking a bit scruffy from not shaving in the past week or so, and his hair was all in disarray. So unlike the well combed look he was known for.

"How've you been?" he asked as they two of them headed down the hall toward McGonagall's class.

"I'm fine. But I think I should be asking you that question. What did you have a romp that got out of hand last night?" said Andy jokingly, hoping to lighten up the mood.

Sirius chuckled lightly at her comment before he answered her. "Something like that. Last night was a full moon."

Andy nodded in understanding when he uttered those words. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. But he won't be in classes today," he said as the two of them walked through one of the short cuts to their Transfiguration class.

"How are you feeling?" she asked when she noticed how quite he was and the slight limp in his step.

"Oh…I've been better," Sirius grimaced.

"Have you been to the hospital wing to get checked out?" she asked full of concern. Sirius looked at her and gave her a small smile in hopes to ease the worried look in her eyes.

"No, like I said I'm fine," he said as brightly as he could. As they continued to walk toward their class, Sirius began to grab a hold of his side and moaned in pain.

"Uh…no offense, but you don't really look fine to me," commented Andy.

"Geez, Sparky, why can't you just…ah!" moaned Sirius as he grabbed a hold of his side and winced in pain.

"What?" asked Andy with a worried tone in her voice.

"It's nothing," growled Sirius.

"Bullocks!" said Andy harshly. She noticed an empty classroom and began to pull him inside. "Would you just get in here. Now what is it?"

"I said it's nothing," said Sirius as he leaned against one of the desks.

"Liar. Let me see," she said came towards him.

"No, I said I'm fine," barked Sirius as he tried to fend himself off from Andy. "Ouch! Quit it! Cut it out! I said I'm fine!"

"What the hell? Sirius you're bleeding!" she yelled when she noticed the crimson stain on his white shirt.

"Well I wasn't until you touched the damn thing," yelled Sirius.

Andy used her wand to quickly unbutton his shirt so she could look at the cut. "Why didn't you go see Madam Pomfrey?"

"Because she would have asked how I got it. I was going later today and tell her I did it while hexing someone or playing Quidditch," hissed Sirius.

"Well it looks like you're going sooner," said Andy with authority.

"NO! If I go, then I run the risk of exposing everything. I can't do that!" said Sirius as he grabbed a hold of her arm to make her understand.

Andy knew he was right so she thought of the next best thing. "Well then could you hold still then?"

Sirius let go of her arm as he eyed her curiously. "What are you going to do?"

"Turn you into a toad. What do you think I'm going to do?" said Andy.

"Turn me into a toad!" said Sirius a little worried at the sight of Andy pointing her wand at him.

"Just hold still you big baby," sighed Andy as she rolled her eyes. She quickly muttered a spell and the deep cut on his side slowly closed up.

"There, that's the best I could do. But you may want to have the nurse make sure it stays closed and that there are no broken bones," she said as she ran her fingers over where the wound was once visible.

"Thanks," said Sirius as he tried to best to not shake at the feeling of Andy's hands against his skin. "W-where did you learn how to do that?"

"Madam Pomfrey," she said simply oblivious to what she was actually doing the boy. "After being a victim of the Marauder's pranks so many times, you kind of pick up a few things along the way."

At that moment, she looked up into his eyes that were uncommon to her. The mischievous sparkle that usually graced his grey pools was no longer there. Instead it was replaced with something she'd never seen before in his eyes, but in guys she had previously dated.

The normal look of lust was something she'd seen and handled before, but this…this was different. There was something else hidden in his pools that she couldn't quite place. The more she looked into them, the more she felt that he could penetrate her very soul with his gaze. She suddenly became aware of how his muscles contracted so much while she lightly ran his fingers over his skin. Her breath began to heighten a little as she felt Sirius's breath on her cheek.

"What are you doing?" she said in a whisper as her breathing became more labored.

"That was going to be my question," he said a low husky voice that sent chills through Andy. He slowly lifted his hand and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, while his thumb lightly traced her cheek. Sirius began to lean in toward her soft pink lips that he desperately wanted to touch.

Andy was quickly losing all sense of the normal world and entered a world that she and Sirius created together. She felt as if her senses were on fire and was about to burst in anticipation. But as quickly as she felt this odd sensation, it slowly disappeared when she heard a group of students running to get to class. Both of them looked at the each other and the state they were in, but neither wanted to move away.

"We should get going, or McGonagall will have our heads," said Andy quickly. Sirius nodded in agreement and took a step away from her. Andy was grateful that he was the first to move, but also sad at the same time.

"You're right," he said as he began to button up his shirt. "Besides, that really would put a bit of a damper on your birthday."

Andy blinked surprisingly at the boy before her. "Y-you remembered it was my birthday?" she stuttered.

"Yes. Plus Tristan's little gift this morning was a nice reminder too," he said with a bit of hostility in his voice that went unnoticed by Andy.

She looked at him quizzically until she realized what he was talking about. "Oh, yeah, the roses."

"How are things between you two?" he asked as he used a cleaning spell on his stained shirt.

"There okay," said Andy offhandedly. She really wasn't comfortable with talking about Tristan with Sirius, and was eager to get away as fast as possible.

"Just okay? With the way you've been smiling?" he said brightly trying to lighten up the mood but failing miserably.

"Things are great," said Andy politely, knowing that he wasn't going to drop it.

"Are you happy?" he asked in a strange tone to Andy.

She looked at him and couldn't make out what was going through his head at the moment, but the sight of the boy before her was almost heartbreaking to see. "Yes, I am," she said truthfully.

Sirius bowed his head for a moment and muttered "Good. I'm glad for you."

"I'm lucky to have him in my life," she said they both left the classroom.

"If you ask me, he's the lucky one."

"Why do you say that?" she chuckled.

"Because he'd be a fool not to realize what kind of star you really are," he said truthfully. Andy stopped in her tracks the moment his words hit her ears.

"What did you say?"

"I said he'd be a fool not to realize what kind of girl you really are," he said smoothly. Andy shook her head as she stared at him, wondering if she had heard him wrong.

"Oh!" was all she said.

"What did you think I said?" he asked.

"Uh…nothing. Just forget it. Come on, we'll be late," she said as she began to head toward the door to her classroom. Sirius was standing behind her with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Hey Sparky," he said suddenly.

"What Blackie?" she asked a little annoyed.

"Happy Birthday," he said simply and pulled her in for a quick warm hug.

She smiled brightly at him once he let her go. "Thank you."

Disclaimer: I only own this story and the characters I made up. Everything else belongs J.K. Rowling.