Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series and any of the characters. All credit goes to my hero, the wonderful J.K. Rowling! :D

Spov

The first week of school passed relatively slowly, mainly because the only thing I had to fill up my time with was school. Quidditch practices hadn't started yet, there hadn't been a full moon, and James was off with Lily a fair amount of time as they did rounds with Remus and the other prefects, so we had yet to plan any of our adventures.

I found that the easiest was to preoccupy myself was with girls. This was my usual standard to fall back on but something was different this year. Even when I was with them I was distracted, which was irritating because a distraction was what I was using them for. But the only girl I could really seem to pay attention to when I was with her was Hallie. And she made it clear that she tolerated me at best.

However I did find, to both of our surprise really, that she thought I was funny. Forced to sit next to me in Potions, Hallie couldn't ignore everything I said and I was shocked when she laughed at most of my jokes.

"So you do have a sense of humor." I said grinning at her after she'd laughed at a comment I'd made to Slughorn.

"Don't look so pleased with yourself." She said rolling her eyes. "I laughed. Once. It's hardly an accomplishment."

"Oh yes it is, and I am pleased. I don't think I've ever even seen you laugh."

"Well what did you expect?" she asked shrewdly.

"I dunno." I said frowning as the bell rang. "But not this."

We gathered our things and made our way to the doors of the classroom.

I'd always gotten the impression that very few things fazed Hallie. She tougher than most girls, at least emotionally, and if I was honest part of me wondered if that part of her hadn't been partially shut down as some sort of defense mechanism.

She didn't care much what other people thought of her and didn't feel the need to be liked by everyone or change to get attention from boys. This meant she didn't have to pretend to be anything but herself. I had the feeling sometimes that she had an emotional wall she liked to hide behind like her sarcasm, so others never knew what she was really feeling. Most girls I could read like an open book but Hallie always kept me guessing. It was probably why she was so hard to impress.

"That's because you're not funny when you're acting like an egotistic git." She said fixing me with a calculated gaze. "Which is most of the time by the way."

"I thought girls were supposed to like a man with confidence." I said frowning as we entered the dungeon corridor.

"Women like a man with confidence." She said stressing the first word. "Girls often mistake arrogance for confidence which is why so many of them worship you."

I grinned, I wasn't sure why, she'd basically just insulted me but I kind of liked how honest she was.

"Blimey Hal, don't hold back, tell me how you really feel."

"You know how I feel."

"Yeah I'm pretty sure the whole school knows you hate me." I said and she frowned.

"I don't hate you Sirius."

"You don't?" I asked slightly surprised.

"No. I just think you're irritating when you act immature."

"How do you know that's me being immature? What if that's just how I am?"

"Sirius, if you acted as annoying to everyone as you do to me, you wouldn't have the friends that you have."

"What do you mean?" I asked frowning.

"Can you really see James and Remus being friends with someone who constantly steals their stuff, distracts them during class, and always pesters them with the same questions over and over again?" she asked dubiously.

"So if I stop asking, will you go out with me?" I asked her.

"It's like you weren't even listening…" she said shaking her head and leaving me to catch up with her friends.

"You didn't say no!" I called after her grinning.

"No!" she shouted over the crowd of students heading for the steps and again I wasn't sure why but I smiled. Over the past week I felt like I'd learned a lot about her, even if she hadn't told me much.

"Oi, Padfoot." I turned to see Remus and James jogging to catch up to me. "Are you done following Benson around like a lost puppy? Because I think we finally figured out what we're going to do for the next full moon."

"I'm listening." I said grinning as James started to explain.

Hpov

"I hate quidditch trials." I muttered as three more kids, first years by the look of them, walked into the hospital wing. Two of them, a boy and a girl, were bleeding slightly. They were supporting the weight of the unconscious third, another boy.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We got into a crash." The girl explained. She didn't look too bad all I could see was a nose bleed.

"All three of you?"

"No, just Kathy and I." the tiny boy said looking at me nervously. He too was bleeding from a cut on his eyebrow and a swollen lip. "Harold faints at the sight of blood, so when he saw us, he passed out."

"Set him in the bed." I said tiredly. "I'll get something to patch you up."

It had been like this ever since trials began at one. Floods of students, in the lower years mostly, came stumbling into the ward with various minor injuries that usually accompanied the inexpert handling of a broom. This meant a lot of dull tedious work for me, during trials we rarely saw anything too challenging or interesting. There was one girl who had broken her wrist, but she'd already been fixed by the matron and sent on her way.

I was just packing up at three when trials had ended when the door banged open for what felt like the millionth time today. But the people who walked through the doors were not first years.

"What happened to you?" I asked James in shock. His arm was around Sirius's shoulders and he was looking a little green, as if he thought he was going to be sick.

"Got hit with the bludgers." Sirius said amused while James flopped down onto the nearest bed. "He ended trials and the prat was too busy staring at Lily to notice they hadn't been put away yet. Both caught him right here." He said gesturing towards a spot above his stomach just below the ribcage.

"And what are you doing here?" I asked him.

"My arm hurts." He said grinning at me in such a way that I didn't believe it. "I think I pulled my shoulder. I expect you to take care of me."

"Let me take a look at it." I said rolling my eyes as Madam Pomfrey attended to James. He could have been worse considering he'd been hit with both bludgers and taken completely off guard, although I wouldn't be surprised if he had a few cracked ribs.

Sirius, who needed no further invitation, grinned and took of his shirt. "Turn around." I instructed putting my hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want you taking advantage of me in my weakened condition," he said and I could tell he was smirking. "But if you really want to…"

"I don't think your shoulder is your problem." I said pressing my hand against the lower right side of his back. "I think it's coming from about here."

"But it doesn't hurt." He said confused.

"Oh really?" I asked then punched him in the kidney. "How about now?" I asked as he bent forward and groaned. "Feel better?" I asked sweetly.

"I was hoping for a massage." He said darkly his voice tight with pain.

"I think what you needed was more of deep tissue work." I said mordantly. "Now if your shoulder really does hurt take this." I handed him an anti-inflammatory potion. "It should stop the swelling long enough for it to heal. Now quit wasting my time and get out of the Hospital wing."

"How did you learn to hit so hard?" he asked irritated rubbing the spot where I had hit him.

"I had four brothers growing up Sirius." I said rolling my eyes. "I learned a few things."

"You are so lucky you're cute." He muttered darkly.

"Whatever Sirius." I said rolling my eyes. "Just get out of here."

"How is James?" he asked looking at Madam Pomfrey as he stood and put his shirt back on.

"He'll be fine." She said and I looked over to see that he did look better. At least he was no longer green. As she tended to him, she had the same motherly expression she wore when treating all of the students. I felt a twinge of sadness go through me. "You can leave now Hallie if you like. Thanks for the help this afternoon, but I think I've got everything under control."

"No problem." I said distractedly. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Where are you headed?" Sirius asked following me as I headed for the exit.

"Back to the tower. I've got some things I need to finish for Charms."

"It's Saturday afternoon." He said incredulously, as if the thought of doing homework right now was repellant. "Can't it wait?"

I didn't answer him. I was still thinking about Madam Pomfrey's expression. Hardly aware that I was doing it, I touched the ring on my necklace.

Sirius noticed.

"Do you always wear that?" he asked as we entered the corridor and I nodded. "It's pretty, where'd you get it?"

Again I didn't answer.

"Touchy subject I see." He said frowning. "What is it like important to you or something?"

"Yeah." I said shortly.

"Hallie are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine Sirius," I said sharper than I had meant to. "What does it matter to you anyways?"

I knew it wasn't his fault for being curious, how was he supposed to have known? But I didn't like to talk about this with people, and I especially didn't want to talk about it with him.

"It doesn't." he said defensively. "It's just, you looked upset."

"Like you care." I said bitterly.

"Of course I care." He said and his tone was so different from what I was used to, I was shocked into looking at him. We'd stopped in the middle of the deserted corridor, and turned to face each other. He was looking down at me intently and not for the first time this week I was forced to realize just how much taller her was than me.

"What?" I asked defensively, trying to ignore the flush that was creeping into my cheeks. Why did I care if Sirius Black was staring at me?

"Nothing." He said shrugging and for once he wasn't laughing or making any soft of arrogant remark. He really did look genuinely concerned that I was upset. It was unnerving.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"Is it a crime to look at someone who's beautiful?" he asked quietly and I looked away.

"Will you stop saying things like that?" I muttered wishing I was back in the hospital wing treating patients. I needed something to do.

"Why does it bother you so much?"

"Because it's never true." I said in frustration. Why wouldn't he leave me alone? I didn't understand why someone like Sirius was so caught up with someone like me. He could have any girl in the school. In fact, if he asked them to, they would probably form a line just to go out with him. So what did he want with me?

"You know Hallie." He said in a strange tone and I couldn't help myself. I glanced up at him and he was looking down at me again with that same intense expression. "I might be a person with a lot of secrets, but I rarely ever lie. And when I say you're beautiful, I mean it."

"Yeah and I'm sure you mean it when you say it to every other girl as well right?" I asked calling sarcasm to my defense.

"I've never told another girl that she's beautiful." He said softly. "You're the only one."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out because I had no idea what to say. I shouldn't believe this, not for a second. This was Sirius, and this was his game. He sweet talked girls into thinking he cared about them then left them for dead. But with the way he was looking at me, he could have told me the sky was orange and I would have believed him.

"You know you're a lot like your favorite flower Hallie." He said suddenly producing a rose from thin air and looking at it thoughtfully. "Beautiful, but when you get too close." He paused and brushed his thumb over one of the thorns. "You realize it's protected." He handed me the rose and with a thoughtful expression. "It makes me wonder what you're protecting yourself from."

"Nothing." I said flatly.

"You're a bad liar."

"I'm not lying."

"I don't believe you." He said simply.

I glared at him.

"Why are you so annoying?" I asked him angrily. "Any other boy in this school would have taken the hint by now, I don't want to go out with you. Why won't you leave me alone?"

"Any other boy might be intimidated by you." He said shrugging.

"Intimidated?" I asked frowning momentarily distracted from my anger. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on Hallie." He said rolling his eyes and looking annoyed. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Well believe it because I don't."

"You really don't see how you could be intimidating to a boy?" he asked skeptically.

"No."

"Well first of all your stunning." He said and I blushed. "Your looks alone would do it, but you're also intelligent, clever, and driven. You know what you want and you won't be distracted. It's why you're such good friends with Remus, Alice, and Lily but not particularly close with anyone else. You know you're smarter than most of the people in the school, so you don't waste your time trying to fit in or be liked and I don't blame you." He smirked slightly. "Why bother surrounding yourself with people if they can't keep up?" He looked at me and I felt the urge to start running in the opposite direction but I found I couldn't move. "Can't you see how that might be intimidating to a guy? Knowing that no matter how hard he tries, you're not going to be impressed?"

"And you think you're impressive?" I asked skeptically.

"Can you tell me I'm not?" he asked grinning and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes."

"Well you'd be the first." He said with a smirk.

"I bet that stings a little bit." I said crossing my arms over my chest and looking up at him, wondering if what Alice had said about his pride was true.

"It's nothing I can't handle," He said calmly. "Anyways, you've got all that going for you, plus with the way you go back and forth between school work and the hospital wing, it's like you've never even heard of the word fun let alone have time for it, you've made yourself completely unapproachable."

"You think I don't know how to have fun?" I asked him, for some reason feeling a little hurt. I didn't know why Sirius opinion mattered to me, it didn't really, or at least it shouldn't. But the way he'd stated it, so casually as if it were a fact made me feel uncomfortable. Was this what everyone thought?

"No, but it is the impression you make to those who don't know you well, and you seem to have perfected the art of keeping people at a distance."

"Well if I've made myself so unavailable." I said suspiciously. "Why do you bother?"

"Because." He said shrugging looking at me with a strange expression, as if I were a particularly challenging quiz question with an answer that he knew, but was just out of reach. "While I know you'd love to convince the whole school nothing bothers you and that you thrive on sarcasm and structure, I know there's more to you. And that's why you don't like me."

"I don't like you because you're an arrogant git who fancies himself as a heart breaker."

"Maybe at first." He said shrugging. "But that's not the reason now."

"Oh really?" I asked darkly.

"Yes."

"Well why don't you enlighten me as to why I don't like you Sirius?" I snapped. "Because apparently I'm incapable of figuring that out on my own."

"You don't like me because I'm the only person who refuses to let you push them away." He said stepping closer to me and looking down. My heart was pounding and I was so angry I felt as if I was going to hit him. Who did he think he was telling me how I felt and why? "And that scares you."

"So now you're telling me what I'm afraid of?" I asked him acidly. "Sirius you don't know anything about me."

"I think you'd be surprised."

"Fine." I said stiffly. "If you really know so much about me, let's put you to the test."

"Alright."

"What's my favorite color?" I asked angrily. I knew this was stupid, in fact, this was beyond stupid, this qualified as supremely immature but I didn't care. There was just something about Sirius that seemed to bring out the worst in me. He had this uncanny ability to get under my skin and make me react in ways that no one else could. It was infuriating, I couldn't stand it. I hated the idea that in any way, shape, or form, someone like Sirius Black could get in my head.

"Blue." He said. "Well at least that's what you tell everyone, because it's the color of your family's favorite football team. But your real favorite color is actually red."

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"Roses are you favorite flowers." He said shrugging. "Plus all of your school things, binders and notebooks, they're all red."

"Ok you're observant." I said frowning. "I'll give you that. But how many brothers do I have?"

"Four." He said simply. "All older and apparently very protective."

"What's my favorite subject?"

"Charms."

"Whens my birthday?"

"April second."

"What's my favorite animal?"

"Phoenix."

"Favorite food?"

"Lasagna."

"Favorite drink?"

"What like alcohol?" he asked frowning and I nodded, thinking I had him stumped. "That's a trick question. You don't drink, but I'll admit I don't know why."

I felt a stab of sadness go through me but ignored it. At least he didn't know that.

"How do you know all of this?" I asked him suspiciously. I couldn't understand it, Lily was my best friend and I knew even she wouldn't have gotten all of these right.

"I have a very good memory Hal." He said. "And unlike most girls, when you talk, I listen."

"I don't believe that." I said rolling my eyes. "Remus probably told you all of this."

"Not everything I know about you comes from Remus." He said frowning.

"Prove it." I said and he hesitated, apparently debating if he should say what was on his mind. Apparently, he decided against it because a full thirty seconds of silence passed between us and I shook my head.

"I'll admit I was wrong, you do know a lot about me," I said looking at him coldly. "But memorizing a bunch of facts doesn't mean anything Sirius. There's nothing you could tell me, that would convince me you understood anything about me at all."

I turned and started to walk back to the Gryffindor tower on my own when he spoke.

"Your name isn't Hallie." He said quietly and I froze as my entire body turned to ice. "Your real name is Katie."