Sorry about the wait, I've had writers block so I've bullied myself through this chapter. Sorry if it's terrible.

As always I own nothing but Arty and the plot.

Please review!

When I woke up the next morning I wished I hadn't. My head felt like a rabid porcupine was crawling around inside it. A very angry rabid porcupine.

With extra spines.

I was dying for a drink of water so I knew I was de-hydrated and here's the thing about me when I get drunk. I don't just de-hydrate in my head, my whole body dries out. And the only thing that helps is completely submerging myself and going swimming.

Water for me is better than any de-hangover spell. It can sometimes even mend my cuts and bruises and if I swim pretty regularly I never get zits or greasy hair.

Today was day 3 of being attached to Sirius and I hadn't been down to the lake for at least a week.

It felt like I hadn't either.

I groaned and rolled over, eyes still firmly shut and smashed my nose against something very hard.

"Shit!"

So now I had a sore nose to add to my complaints list of a hangover, pounding head and aching limbs.

"You do know it's only 4 in the morning? It's a bit early to be swearing."

"Huh?"

"You should watch your mouth, swearing. Tut, tut, tut. What would Minnie say?"

At this moment in time I think I would probably say something very rude to Minnie.

"How do you know?"

"Because Minnie almost castrated me for just-"

"Not that. How do you know it's only four?"

"Magic."

"Really?" I'm not always at my brightest at 4 am.

"No."

"Oh." There wasn't much I could say to that but you know me- I can never shut up. "So how do you know?"

"I looked at my watch."

"Oh."

I shut up after that.

If it really was 4 am then I had 4 hours before class. Well I definitely know I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep and I wasn't going to just lie here verbally sparing with Sirius. Fun as that would be.

What I really, really, wanted to do was go swimming, but that was impossible. I also really, really, wanted a shower because that was impossible too.

Definitely impossible...Or was it.

I sat up sharply and swore as the sharp stabbing pain multiplied by at least a thousand.

"Have you got trunks?"

"Huh?"

"Trunks, you know, swimming trunks?"

"Erm, yeah...I think. Why?"

"Just put them on and come with me."

I slid out of bed and grabbed my swimming costume out of my own trunk along with my uniform and shoes. As it was only 4 I figured no-one would be around at this time in the morning and anyway, I knew a shortcut to the place I was going.

I probably should have thought about what I was wearing.

"Are you er, well, going to get dressed?" Poor Black looked kinda anxious, like I might attack him at any moment. I looked down at the shirt I was wearing.

Blue- tick

Thigh length- tick

Design- Oh no

"Is this your shirt?"

He sort of hunched his shoulders and nodded.

"Oh."

I had to ask him. I really didn't want too as I knew it was going to be humiliating.

"What really happened last night?"

He gulped and took a step back, forgetting for the first time that I couldn't go further than 12 inches away from him. I felt my feet fly out from underneath me and I was falling forwards. He caught me around the waist as I grabbed hold of the first thing I could- His shoulders.

I don't know how long we stood there, in each other's arms, just staring into each other's eyes.

"Well, after, after you...Went to sleep, well, I figured you wouldn't want to be seen in your bra and knickers by everyone in the common room and I couldn't find your shirt so I, er, well, gave you mine and, em, carried you back here. Pleasedon'thitme!"

He was that scared of me? Well, I'd broken his nose for less.

I decided to go for the more terrifying options which wouldn't hurt my knuckles so much.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you."

I might have just hit him with a beaters bat. Actually I think that would have surprised him less.

His eyes got that glazed look and his mouth fell open. Okay, that's enough sloppy stuff.

I grabbed his hand and yanked him out the portrait hole, "Come On!"

0o0o0o

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"Water mint." I told the portrait on the left after the statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor and the door swung open on the prefects bathroom.

"Where are we?" Of course, Sirius wouldn't have been near anything to do with prefects with a 10 metre stick.

"The prefects bathroom."

"You do know we're both not prefects don't you?"

"Since when has that stopped you?"

"So why are we here?"

"I don't know about you but I need a shower and a swim and this bathroom is the next best thing."

"What is it with you and water? It's like you live in it or something."

Yeah, I think this conversation is heading a bit too close to dangerous territory.

"Are you coming in the water or not?"

"No fear, I'm not and neither are you!"

ARRGGHH I pulled Sirius's shirt over my head and tried not to blush as his eyes flickered over my one piece blue swimming costume I had on underneath.

"I am going in that water and nothing you can say or do will stop me!" I think maybe the headache was making me slightly more grumpy than normal. Or maybe the fact that it was freaking 4 AM!

"I'm not going in the water!"

"Why not?" I challenged, beginning to turn on the taps. Huge bubbles, the size of my head billowed out and foam in lurid shades followed.

"Because," He folded his arms across his chest, "Last time I went in the water with you, you beat the living crap out of me."

"Be reasonable. You took it into you're fat head to yank me out the water where I was perfectly happy and start making out with me. I acted purely in self defence!"

"Yeah, and thanks to your self defence you've been using all year and am now probably not able to have kids with you!"

With ME!

I think the shock must have shown on my face because he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and said hastily, "Joke, joke!"

I scowled at him, trying to ignore the slight fluttering in my stomach, "Well it wasn't FUNNY!"

And because I still needed to get back at him for getting me drunk last night, I pushed him in the water.

"SHIT!" He hit the water fully clothed and on his back and sank under. I had just time to think 'Oh no, not again.' When I was dragged forward and ploughed straight into the water and an irate Sirius Black.

Personally I was pretty glad I could breathe underwater, least when it goes up my nose I can turn it into oxygen. Sirius wasn't so lucky. When he broke the surface he was coughing so bad I thought he was going to collapse.

"This is WAR!"

He dived under and pulled me legs out from underneath me, but instead of coughing and spluttering like I think he had hoped I turned a backwards summersault underwater and dived through his legs.

And let me tell you, going through a guys legs when you can only go 12 inches away from him is kinda scary.

0o0o0o

I was pretty glad that the bathroom was completely soundproof because my screams and his yells would probably been enough to wake the whole castle. Did I mention that if you look in this secret compartment near the taps there's a secret store of Muggle water pistols?

A water fight with Sirius is like nothing in this world.

"TRUCE TRUCE!" He yelled as I got him straight in the face for the third time running.

I flung my pistol onto the ground and slid into the water again, floating on my back next to him. It was nice just floating there in friendly silence, occasionally flick water at each other. Then I glanced at the clock and sighed, we'd have to get out soon. I let me legs sink until I was upright then dipped under, enjoying the last few water filled moments.

I was about to climb out when I felt Sirius reach out and grab my elbow.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"The water thing. It's like you live in it and you can stay under for ages. It's not human."

Not human, that's a laugh.

"I can just hold my breathy for a long time."

"You're lying." He said flatly, "It's more than that, it's like you can breathe in it or something."

I forced a laugh, trying to stop my legs from trembling.

"Don't worry darling, "I said with flake bravado,

"If there's two things your Arty doesn't do, It's lie, and breathe underwater."

Big thumbs up to anyone who got the hoodwinked reference!