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
Thank you to the person who reviewed my story! I wasn't sure I was going to keep posting but you gave me the confidence to keep posting!
Spov
"How far are we going?" Hallie asked, jumping down from a fallen log, and landing back on the path. I was surprised how comfortable she seemed in the forbidden forest. All the girls I knew were terrified to even go near it, she however didn't look afraid. I remembered she had four brothers, all of whom played sports and seemed like the outdoorsy type. I figured she'd spent most of her childhood outside doing things like this.
"Not much farther." I assured her stepping off the path and she followed me through the maze of branches and tree trunks. It was a nice day and the sun was shining through the canopy of dark green leaves above us. Occasionally we'd step through patches of sunlight, and a light breeze would catch at her hair which I found extremely distracting.
It was the weekend, and as usual, she'd traded her school robes for muggle clothes, a red tank top and jean shorts. Inwardly I was thankful I'd worn one of my few muggle shirts under my quidditch robes that were now tossed over my shoulder. As strange as it felt to wear them, I kind of liked the fact she saw me in muggle clothes. She was muggleborn after all. I had the feeling it might have been easier for her to relate to.
"I didn't know you liked AC/DC." She said glancing at my shirt that had their logo across the chest.
"They're my favorite band."
"Mine too." She said grinning. "I'm actually going to see them over the break with Lily."
"Lily likes rock?" I asked skeptically.
"Some." She said but I could tell from her tone Lily wasn't a huge fan. "She's mainly going because the tickets are an early Christmas present from my Dad, and I don't want my brothers to start an all out war over who goes with me."
"Well I wish I could go." I said a little jealously. "I'd love to see them live."
A few minutes passed in silence was we walked through the trees and I was surprised when she broke it.
"So when you say they're your favorite band," she asked evidently her mind still on our previous conversation. "Do you mean your actual favorite, or like your favorite muggle band?" she asked suspiciously putting an emphasis on the word.
"Favorite, favorite." I said with a laugh.
"That's a surprise." She muttered and I raised an eyebrow.
"What? Just because I'm a pureblood means I can't enjoy muggle music? That's a bit narrow minded don't you think?" and she rolled her eyes
"No, I was shocked because I didn't think you'd have much exposure to their music. Or are you telling me you grew up listening to muggle radio?" she shot back.
"Well it was a bit difficult to get my hands on their records." I admitted. "Even more difficult to hide them from my Mum, but I guess that's what made it such fun."
"You're such a rebel." She said sarcastically.
"Well someone's got to do it." I said giving her a swift smile and she rolled her eyes.
"So." She started giving me a look of interest. "If you're such a big fan, what's your favorite song? And don't say Back in Black." She said with a glower. "Otherwise I'm turning around and going right up back to school."
"Why because of my last name?"
"That's exactly why."
"Well you're in luck, because it's not my favorite song." I said grinning. "But picking my favorite, that's going to be hard." I paused. "I'm going to have to go with Shoot to Thrill."
"No it's not." She said shaking her head. "I refuse to accept that."
"Why?" I asked in shock.
"Because that's my favorite song by them." She said her eyes narrowed. "Did Remus tell you?"
"No."
"Are you lying?"
"No." I said annoyed. "Hallie, is it so impossible that we might actually have things in common?"
She didn't answer.
"You know, I'm surprised you're not objecting to this." I admitted offering a hand to help her over another log, which she ignored.
"Why would I?" she asked surprised landing easily next to me.
"Well we are breaking school rules by being in here." I pointed out. "And you've always been a straight edge kind of person."
"Please I've done far worse than this."
"You have?" I asked in amazement.
"Of course." She said amused, but then caught my expression. "What, you think I don't know how to have any fun?" she asked annoyed.
"I never said that." I said grinning and helping her over another log. "You just never have time for it."
"Well maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." She said smirking.
The trees were starting to thin now, and more light was shining through the leaves. We took another few steps and emerged into a vast clearing the size of the quidditch pitch. In it was a slow moving stream that emptied into a small clear blue lake, and wild flowers that dotted the tall grass. As we stepped into the sunlight, and I realized that this was most likely some of the last warm weather we were going to have until the end of the school year.
This seemed to cross her mind to because she squinted up into the sky, then glanced at the lake.
"Do you want to swim?" she asked smiling.
"Swim?" I asked incredulously. "You drag me out of the party, away from my friends, have me bring you to the remotest place on school grounds just so we can talk. And now you want to swim?"
"We've been talking." She said shrugging. "Besides, I thought you wanted to be friends. This is the sort of things friends do."
"We don't have a change of clothes."
"So? It'll be fun."
"So I don't want to have to walk back to the castle in wet clothes."
"Don't be such a baby." She said impatiently and then smirked. "Or are you scared?"
"You think I'm scared?" I asked her feeling a mischievous smile appear on my face.
"I don't like that smile." She said suspiciously. "Sirius, what are you- Sirius put me down!"
I laughed and threw her over my shoulder as I ran for the lake and jumped in.
Hpov
Sirius and I didn't end up talking much, at least not about anything important. We'd spent a while in the lake then walked around the forest for a bit to let our clothes dry. We watched the sun set in the clearing and then started a fire, laying back in the grass as he pointed out constellations to me and we interrogated each other with any and every random question that popped into our minds. I was shocked to realize how much we actually had in common.
My clothes were mostly dry now, unlike my hair, which was still damp from the lake water and pulled back into a braid. The air was slightly chilly now and while it didn't seem to bother him, he'd noticed me shivering and offered to let me wear his quidditch robes. They were far too big but had long sleeves and were completely dry, he'd dropped them before jumping into the lake. I'd been hesitant to take them at first, but was grateful now. I was much warmer, even if they smelled like his cologne.
"Ok I've got one." I said grinning though I knew he couldn't see. There was very little light in the clearing with the exception of the fire. We couldn't even see the castle, and the only other light would have come from Hogsmead, which was miles away. The sky was almost completely pitch black, with the exception of the moon and the stars which I'd never seen so many of in my life.
"Shoot."
"Are you a dog person or a cat person?" I asked turning my head to look at him. He was lying next to me, his arms crossed behind his head, and I could tell from his silhouette that he had been looking at me. Suddenly I found I was grateful it was so dark, he wouldn't be able to see me blush.
"Dog person, definitely." He said and it sounded like he was trying not to laugh.
"What?" I asked intrigued.
"Nothing." He said shaking his head. "It's just an inside joke with me and my mates."
"Should I just get used to that?" I asked. "You not telling me things about your friends?"
"Probably."
I sighed, wondering what on earth I was getting myself into.
"What about you Hal? Which do you prefer?"
"I love dogs." I said smiling.
"That's good to know." He said softly still sounding amused. I wanted to know what was so funny but knew he wouldn't tell me. James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius were as close as friends got. He wouldn't have betrayed their trust for anything.
"Speaking of friends, I think you and I need to set down some ground rules."
"Oh are we friends now?" he asked grinning.
"Well you did pick pirates over ninjas." I said thoughtfully. "That makes you a pretty hard person to not like."
"And yet I bet you tried."
"Are you going to let me finish?"
"I'm sorry." He said but I could tell he wasn't. "Continue."
"Thank you." I said pointedly. "Anyways. If you and I are going to be friends, you've got to stop asking me out."
"Why?"
"Because it's very annoying." I said turning to look back up at the sky and suddenly feeling very small under the dark vast expanse. "It's hard to be friends with someone if you keep wanting to hex them. It messes up the dynamic."
"Fair enough." He said pleasantly. "But if you get to make a condition, so do I."
"I don't think so." I said darkly, I could only imagine what he'd expect me to do.
"Hallie, it's only fair."
"Fine." I said and against my better judgment I asked. "What is it?"
"One date." He said. "I get to choose the time, and the place. And you can't say no."
"Just one date?" I asked.
"Yup."
"And what are you expectations for this date?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, no expectations whatsoever, you just have to show up."
"And you won't ask me out?"
"Nope."
"Ever again?"
"Never."
"Alright." I said. It sounded fair. "When?"
"That's a surprise." He said and I could tell he was grinning.
"I don't like surprises." I said frowning and he laughed.
"Why am I not shocked?"
There was long stretch of silence between us where we both continued to look up at the night sky. I thought of Alice's expression if she'd heard me agreeing to go out with Sirius on what seemed like a very mysterious date and immediately felt guilty. They were probably worried out of their minds wondering where I was.
"We should probably get back to the castle." I said wondering what time it was.
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"You're friends might be ok with you randomly disappearing for hours into the night, but mine have probably already formed a search party."
"You're perfectly safe." He said sounding unconvinced.
"I know that but they don't. Sirius it's different for girls, we worry, god only knows what they've convinced themselves has happened to me."
"Ok you're right," he said with a sigh. "But Hallie?"
"Yeah?"
"I need you to promise me something," he said quietly. "And I'm being completely serious."
"What?" I asked interested, resisting the temptation to make fun of his name.
"Don't try and wander around the grounds at night, at least not without me."
"You think this is going to become habit of mine?" I asked and he shrugged.
"I never know what to expect from you, I'm just being cautious."
"You don't strike me as a very cautious person." I said frowning and he let out a short laugh.
"Maybe not." He said still chuckling. "But when it comes to the people I care about I don't take chances."
"You know you don't have to protect me." I said sitting up and looking down at him. "I'm a big girl Sirius, I can take care of myself."
"I know." He said propping himself up on his elbows and looking at me, the fire light glittering in his suddenly intense eyes. "But even you can get hurt." He said cagily. "And there are bigger things out here than you."
"These bigger things." I said frowning. "They wouldn't have something to do with what you and your friends get up to, do they?"
"It's possible." He said grinning. "But you'll never know."
"I bet I can get you to tell me." I said leaning towards him, allowing myself to get just a little too close and he raised an eyebrow.
"I'd love to see you try." He said with a sexy smile and leaning closer as well.
I hadn't expected that, our lips almost touched and I quickly withdrew. He laughed.
"Here's a tip Hal." He said amused. He stood and looked down at me with an impish grin. "If you're going to try the seduction route, you've got to be all in. If you're not ready for that kind of commitment, you'd best leave it to the experts."
"And you consider yourself an expert?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest and looking up at him feeling somewhat defiant.
"There's nothing to consider."
"Oh really? Why is that?" I asked taking the hand he offered to help me up.
"Because there's only been one thing on this planet that I've wanted, that I haven't been able to get." He said not letting go of my hand and I realized slightly uncomfortably that we were very close. Again I noticed how intense his eyes seemed to be and the way they glittered in the firelight.
"Was it humility?" I asked trying to sound sarcastic but feeling a little breathless. He seemed to be even closer now, and we had already been much too close.
"No." He said quietly. "I never wanted that."
"Then what do you want?" I almost whispered.
It was hard to worry about Lily or Alice when he was looking at me like this, as if I were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen in his life. I privately felt that if he'd asked me to stay with him, I would have said yes.
He didn't ask me though. Instead, he tucked a loose strand of hair that had fallen from my braid behind my ear and said.
"That would be you." He said letting his fingertips trace my jaw line then lift my chin slightly so I was forced to look into his eyes.
I stood there, rooted to the spot. Every part of my brain was screaming for me to move. Being here like this wasn't smart, but for some reason my body wouldn't respond. This feeling, whatever it was, was all consuming. I found myself wanting to be closer to him, he was the only thing I could focus on. My stomach tightened and my heart rate increased as I wondered if what I thought might happen was really about to happen…
It didn't.
"You're right though." He said letting go of me and I released a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "We should get you back to the castle. We wouldn't want your friends to worry."
I was half way to saying that they would be fine when I stopped myself. What was I thinking? No they wouldn't. I was already pushing my luck staying out this late, whatever time this late was. If I didn't get back soon I wouldn't be surprise to find my own missing person's report tomorrow morning in the paper.
I stared at Sirius realizing that some how he'd managed to make me forget nearly everything else in the world, as if nothing else mattered except for the fact that I was standing here with him.
How had he done that?
Finally regaining control of my body, I put out the fire and followed Sirius out of the clearing. He lit his wand and started picking his way through the trees as easily as he had in the daytime despite the fact it was the dead of night. I wondered if he'd known what I'd been thinking, and if he'd felt that crazy locked in place sensation as well.
"And by the way Hallie." He said smirking as if he could read my thoughts. "That's how an expert does it."
And at that moment, I knew that he'd known everything that had been going through my head. Unlike me, he knew exactly what he'd been doing.
"Where have you been?" Lily asked furiously when I made it back to the dormitory. It was two thirty in the morning and both she and Alice looked a nervous wreck. Even Valerie seemed a little concerned as I walked through the door.
"I was with Sirius." I said honestly and their reactions were so different, it was almost funny.
"WHAT?" Lily asked in utter confusion while Alice asked, "Really?" in a rather hopeful tone.
Any trace of concern vanished in Valerie's expression and she glared at me as I made my way towards my bed.
"Where did you guys go?" Alice asked eagerly while Lily still looked too stunned to speak.
"The forbidden forest."
"Oh dear god." Lily said running her fingers through her hair.
"Awesome." Alice chuckled. "Did you find anything cool? Are there really werewolves?"
"Not really." I said shrugging. "And I have no idea. It's not exactly the full moon is it?"
"Well then what did you guys do all this time?" Lily asked.
I thought back through the day, swimming in the lake, walking around in the woods, laying together stargazing. I was disturbed to realize that it almost sounded like a memory montage from some cheesy romantic comedy.
"We just talked." I said shrugging.
None of them spoke for a while and I knew that they didn't believe me. If I was honest with myself, I wouldn't have believed me either. Alice and Lily kept exchanging significant glances as they got ready for bed, but Valerie kept her gaze fixed on me. I tried to ignore her wondering why she was so angry. If she wanted Sirius to herself I wasn't going to stop her, I had absolutely no intention of getting in her way.
I got ready for bed then crawled under my blankets after turning off the lamp on my nightstand. Today had been very strange. Not only had I found out I had found out I had things in common with Sirius, but somehow, after only a short time back at school, he'd made the rather large transition from most irritating person on the planet to a friend and I wasn't exactly sure how that had happened. I closed my eyes and rolled onto my side trying not to think too much and ignore the questions that were chasing each other in the back of my mind. As much as I tried to get to sleep I couldn't. Despite the lateness of the hour I found myself wide awake. I couldn't help but wonder what I was getting myself into, and what would be the result of Sirius's and my attempt to be friends.