AUTHOR'S NOTE: VERY IMPORTANT! POTENTIAL SPOILERS ARE IN THIS CHAPTER. IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT THE SPOILER IS, PLEASE DO NOT POST IT IN THE REVIEWS. I PERSONALLY HAD A STORY RUINED FOR ME THAT WAY AND I DON'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. BEARING THAT IN MIND, PLEASE ENJOY THE CHAPTER.

…

The next morning was a little awkward. Harry and Hermione, admittedly, talked more to Ron than they did each other, and he was a sort of messenger between them, although (to Harry's relief) he still seemed blind to Harry's love for Hermione, who was being a bit shy, not at all her normal self.

Harry was dead-set on never mentioning his Christmas kiss to Hermione ever again. If she mentioned it, that would be a different story. But he would never initiate a conversation about "us". Even Sirius had seemed anxious about it, with Barbara. Things had worked out all right for him (in fact, he checked the P.O. box in Hogsmeade every weekend for a letter from her) but Harry wasn't sure if it would be the same with Hermione.

January 6, 1992 was a Monday, a very special Monday, for that was when term started again. Sirius also planned to start up his Defense lessons again that day, too. Sirius's Defense Against the Dark Arts was soon every Gryffindor underclassman's favorite class. Upperclassmen were signing up too, including Holly, to Ron's delight. Everyone was delighted when Sirius announced they would be starting their next unit, which would be on Defensive Magic. Then, once they had mastered that, they would go on to Offensive Magic, and finally Hand-to-Hand Combat.

They had learned Expelliarmus ages ago, so Sirius decided to teach them the Impediment Jinx. Students were made to run at each other, while the other tried to stop them using the jinx. Harry, despite being post-kiss, partnered up with Hermione. Sirius didn't do what some teachers did, which was pair up the good students with the not-so-good ones so no partnership would be a complete fail. This proved to be a bad idea when Seamus Finnigan set Ron's shoes on fire trying to use the Impediment Jinx on him.

"Okay, Seamus, you need more practice," said Sirius, putting out the fire with some water from his wand. "I have to put you with someone more experienced. Do you want to work with Holly?"

"But I want to work with Holly!" Ron burst out, then clapped his hands over his mouth.

"I should work with Holly, because the teacher said I should!" Seamus shot back.

"You just want to work with her because she's the hottest girl in seventh year!" Ron accused, pointing his finger at Seamus.

"Just shut UP!" Holly snapped. "I don't want to work with either of you stupid boys! If you ask me, boys should all be locked up in cages until they turn thirty!"

She seemed to realize what she had said, then, and stared at Sirius, her olive-green eyes full of remorse.

"Um…sorry, Professor Black," she said humbly.

"No need," Sirius said, holding up one hand. "I certainly understand what you mean. If my friends and I had been locked up in cages when we were at school, I daresay Professor McGonagall would have a lot less gray hair."

Holly laughed weakly, then said, "I just wish boys would take the time to get to know me. Whenever I go on a date with a boy, he spends the entire evening talking to my chest. That's why I don't go on dates with boys anymore. They're all the same."

With that, she gave a sigh, and slowly left the common room. She opened the door to the girls' dorms, and then disappeared from sight.

Sirius did not look happy. He took out his wand and Harry felt himself pulled away from Hermione as the boys were separated from the girls. Sirius then waved his wand over by Seamus and Ron, who were moved magically to the front as if invisible hands were pushing them.

"Finnigan, Weasley, you should be ashamed of yourselves," he scolded, pointing his wand at them. They both took a step back. "Don't you know how to treat a woman with respect? It doesn't matter how hot you think Holly is, she still deserves to be treated like a person, not an object. No woman is a prize to be won. You think it's okay to just talk about her like she's not there? If you want to stare at the female form in all its glory, go to an art museum."

"And how was your little fling with Barbara different, then?" Ron said accusingly.

"Because we were both consenting adults, that's how," Sirius snapped. "Stop bothering Holly."

Sirius took his attention off Ron and Seamus for a moment, then addressed the group of boys as a whole.

"Young wizards, I want you to take note of what happened here tonight," he said loudly. "There is a proper way to treat a lady. Girls aren't going to be impressed if you go thinking with the wrong head, if you know what I mean—so stop acting like the Neanderthals you are and shape up. That's how you get the girl."

"I thought women only care about what's in a man's pants," said an upperclassman, rather obnoxiously, Harry thought. Everyone stared.

"Awkward," said Hermione.

"I meant what's in the back of his pants," he clarified. "You know, his wallet."

"Still awkward," said Hermione.

"You know, that could've been funny," said Sirius, frowning, "but it's all in the timing, you know?"

…

Ron's crush on Holly didn't seem to go away, but he did stop talking about her. Harry could tell he was still smarting from the reprimanding Sirius had given him about not knowing how to treat a woman. However, Sirius's little speech seemed to have cemented the Gryffindor girls' belief that he was their perfect man, and during the entirety of many Care of Magical Creatures classes, Sirius was the one being stared at. Harry advised him to keep wearing robes and never show off his motorcycle or biker gear, because if he did, the girls would be breaking down his door next.

That Saturday, Sirius used the Honeydukes shortcut to get into Hogsmeade. He came back soon after, looking quite different. All the color had left his face, and his eyes seemed overbright. He kept running his hands through his hair, a sure sign he was stressed out.

"Did you get a letter?" Harry asked him.

"No," Sirius said nervously, "I didn't. But listen—I'm going away to see Barbara this weekend, all right? I just want to…I want to see why she didn't write me a letter."

"She's probably just busy," said Harry. "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so worried?"

"I'm not worried!" Sirius said abruptly. "I'm just…well, she said she would write to me, that's all! If she's fine, I'll fly home again! Now quit checking up on me!"

Sirius stomped off, shoving his hands into his pockets as he went, continuously tossing his hair out of his eyes.

"What's with him?" said Ron, who was approaching.

"Well, apparently he's worried because Barbara said she would send him a letter, and she didn't," Harry told him. "Weird, though…I told him she's probably just busy…"

…

Sirius must have come back very late Sunday night, because Harry didn't see him all for the rest of the weekend, but he was sitting at the High Table again come Monday morning. Harry noticed he wasn't eating anything. He looked pale, and a little thinner. This concerned Harry, because even though Sirius had gained weight since Azkaban, he still was far below what a normal man should be. All he touched was alcohol.

Tuesday night, around seven, Hermione had gone to the library for some late-night studying. Even though Harry liked Hermione very much, he could not stand the thought of any more studying, and Ron seemed to be of a similar mind. So since curfew wasn't for another two hours, they decided to roam the grounds.

Walking around, holding their cloaks tight against the wind, they were admiring how beautiful the snow looked at night when Harry saw something up ahead. It was so hard to see, the object was so big and dark, but it was moving…Harry lit his wand, but put it out as soon as he did. The thing he had seen was a huge, shaggy black dog, stealthily making its way from the castle to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Ron!" Harry hissed. "It's Sirius! Look!"

They looked at each other, and tore off after him, trying to be as quiet as they could and still keep the huge dog in sight. When they reached the edge of the woods, where Sirius transformed, they were in for a shock that was even bigger than Padfoot. Snape was waiting there.

"Why did you want to meet me here, Black?" Snape said in his cold voice.

"Because…because…" Sirius frowned. "Because I need something from you."

"Not going to happen," said Snape.

"Please!" Sirius begged. "It's not for me, it's for someone else! I-I just need a potion…but it's N.E.W.T. level, and I don't think I'm up to making it."

"I'm not saying I'll do it," Snape told him quietly, "but what exactly is it that you need?"

Sirius looked embarrassed all of a sudden. He looked rather like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Potiogravida," he mumbled.

Suddenly a look of horrible comprehension dawned on Snape's face.

"Who?" he hissed.

"Nobody you know!" Sirius said quickly, waving his hands. "It's just…she's doing horribly, Snape, and I think this potion will really help…I mean, I already told her about it and everything…"

"But wouldn't she already—oh good grief, Black, it's another Muggle, isn't it?"

"She's not an 'it'!" Sirius snapped. "I don't want to date a witch!"

"Be that as it may," said Snape, rolling his eyes, "I don't see why I have to help your pathetic Muggle playmate. It's not my fault she has utterly horrible taste in men."

"I resent that!" said Sirius, but then he turned somber. Even in the darkness, Harry could see his eyes glowing. That look Azkaban had given them seemed to have been going away, but now it was coming back. Sirius ran his hand through his hair again. "Look…I know you don't like me, Snape…I can deal with that…but why should Barbara have to pay for what I've done?"

Snape pursed his lips.

"Come on, Snape, I know you're not heartless, I know it," Sirius begged. "She couldn't even write the damn letter herself, her godmother had to send it to me, and it was bad, I saw it! She can't keep her food down, she hadn't taken a shower in days, she can barely even get up off the couch…It's—it's a matter of life or death!"

"How?" Snape snapped. "Plenty of Muggles get it and survive. They just don't have a way of making it easier like our kind do."

"No, Snape, you don't understand!" Harry was sure he could see tears glistening in Sirius's eyes now. "It is in Barbara's case, you—you see…"

And he whispered something in Snape's ear. Something that seemed to be killing him, terrifying him. Snape's expression changed, but Harry couldn't read it.

"Well, God forbid, but if she does…" Snape was barely moving his lips now as he spoke. "You know it won't be your fault."

"But it will be my fault, Snape," Sirius said desperately, and Harry half-expected him to fall to his knees in pleading. "I'll hate myself every day for it because whether it's my fault or not, I'll never be able to live with myself if I can't stop it…Just one more life, one more loss, I just can't stand it, I can't bear it—you can understand that, can't you?"

"So you mean, you're happy?" Snape was frowning. "You—you want this, with her?"

"Yes," Sirius told him, mopping his eyes with his sleeve. "I'd have to be a real son-of-a-Bludger to leave her right now, when she needs me the most—"

Snape took a deep breath and held out his palm to cut Sirius off.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll make you a cauldron full of the potion. Three drops in the morning and three at night, got that? It only takes a couple of days to mature."

"Bless you," Sirius said (to Harry's shock), and he started pumping Snape's hand, which was probably all cold and clammy, but then, Sirius's probably was, too. "Thank you, thank you so, so much…"

"Enough!" Snape yanked his hand away. Harry noticed how he looked extremely uncomfortable. "I would like to return to being nemeses now…I don't like you this way."

"Fine," said Sirius quietly. He was just about to turn away when they were interrupted by Hagrid, the gamekeeper.

"Sirius," said Hagrid, clapping Sirius on the shoulder so that his knees buckled. "Yeh aren' lookin' too good…Want a cuppa?"

"Yes, please," Sirius said anxiously. "I hope you've got something stronger than tea, mind you."

"Yessir," said Hagrid, "I just got some fresh firewhiskey, got it in the Hog's Head, it ain' even legal in Britain—"

"Let's go." Sirius was about to pull Hagrid away, but…

"Oh, yes, such a fine example for the students you are," Snape said sarcastically. "Carelessly drinking away your troubles while your dear Muggle girlfriend suffers back home."

"Ah, Sirius, I shoulda known!" boomed Hagrid, slapping Sirius on the back and therefore inadvertently knocking him onto the ground. "Yeh always liked Muggle women, didn' yeh?"

"Hagrid," said Sirius, getting up and brushing himself off, "this is the real deal."

"Oh, it is," Snape added nastily, his eyes gleaming in a sinister way. "More than you know, Hagrid."

"Ah, hello there, Severus," said Hagrid, turning his attention to Snape. "Got yer potion defense all finished? Fluffy's doin' well—"

"Hagrid!" Snape hissed, pointing to Sirius, who looked bewildered now.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked.

"Nothin'," said Hagrid firmly. "Sorry, Sirius, but that's classified. It's between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

Snape slapped himself in the forehead.

"Really, Hagrid?" he snapped.

"Eh, how about that cuppa, Sirius?" Hagrid said uncomfortably, tugging at his collar.

"No, he's right, I'd better not," Sirius replied dismally, looking towards the castle as he said it. "I'm just going to head back to my teacher's quarters and get some rest."

Sirius began to trudge off, then turned to Snape.

"Please, don't say anything!" he hissed. Snape scowled and gave the slightest of nods, and Sirius set off. Harry and Ron didn't want to run into him, so they sped up to Gryffindor Tower and up to their dorm room. It was quite empty, so they were able to discuss what they had heard.

"What was that all about, do you think?" said Ron.

"I don't know," said Harry. "Who's Nicholas Flamel? And what's Potiogravida?"

"I've got no idea who Nicholas Flamel is, but I've heard my mum mention Potiogravida," Ron said, thinking. "I just can't remember what it does…It's supposed to heal something, I know that…"

"Well, obviously," Harry told him. "Sirius said Barbara was in a life-or-death situation. She must be deathly ill. No wonder he looks so worried."

"You mean she's got something fatal?" Ron's eyes widened.

"Yeah, most likely," said Harry. "Barbara's a Muggle, remember. It's probably something Muggles don't know how to treat, and usually kills them, but there's a potion for it in the Wizarding world, so she can get cured, and Sirius needed Snape to make the potion!"

"But I don't know of any conditions like that," Ron said. "Lots of Muggle illnesses, like colds, can be cured by potions, but I don't think there's a potion that can cure anything fatal. What if Barbara's a dead woman walking?"

"According to Sirius, she barely could walk," Harry told him morosely. He didn't know what to make of this. Sure, he didn't exactly love Barbara, but he didn't hate her guts, and either way, he never wished for her to die. And if she died, Sirius would be unhappy, like he said, even if it wasn't his fault.

-to be continued-

IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO POST A SPOILER, PLEASE THINK TWICE! READ THE NOTE AT THE TOP! THANK YOU FOR BEING A CONSIDERATE COMMUNITY MEMBER AND NOT SPOILING THINGS FOR EVERYONE LIKE SOMEONE DID TO ME! THANKS!

P.S. Potiogravida is a potion I invented myself, as in, it's not from the books, so you're not going to find it on the Internet.